Part of an engineer’s work is writing reports that document project progress, compliance, and technical details. However, even experienced engineers can make mistakes when writing reports, especially when the bulk of work is done manually, resulting in team miscommunication, approval delays, or compliance issues.
At a time when AI can make intelligent financial market analysis and compose beautiful symphonies, why are engineers still dealing with typos, report formatting, and repetitive tasks when producing reports?
After countless consultations with our clients in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries, and poring over a mountain of engineering reports, we’ve identified the top problems plaguing the report writing process. In this article, we will also highlight how you can resolve these inefficiencies, particularly with the help of 3 Dot Digital’s cloud-based AI solution called Citation.
The process of creating an engineering report, or any report in the AEC industry, is often a manual slog. You’ll have to dissect various documents, spreadsheets, CAD files, technical drawings, and regulatory PDFs, all the while wrestling with fragmented data and bouncing between using different software and tools. Having to compile a 50-page-long report at various stages of the project quickly becomes a resource-draining exercise.
On top of that, employees will leave the company, and teams will change. The absence of a standardised process and centralised platform means knowledge can be lost. It’s also difficult to replicate the report generation process across various projects. Bigger, more complex engineering builds will require lengthier reports.
Citation calms this chaos by streamlining the workflow and automating the data collection and report writing. It integrates with various online data sources, including ESRI GIS (Geographical Information System). You’ll significantly cut down on the time spent writing reports and be assured that the data presented in the report is accurate and up to date. Citation is also a cloud solution, and teams can easily access it from anywhere, and collaborate easily.
Engineers, technicians, and project managers often have to gather data from various sources, with some obtained from handwritten notes. This manual process is labour-intensive, and you may end up with incomplete data or inconsistent datasets, creating a significant bottleneck that delays project timelines and increases the risk of costly rework.
Citation can integrate with various data sources and automatically pull relevant data points in your reports. It understands engineering jargon and technical terms, and can automate the whole data calculation and analysis process. Having access to credible data can help you plan better and turn it into actionable insights to improve your structural designs.
Precision is everything in an engineering report. Teams rely on data to provide an accurate reflection of what is happening within a project. If key information is missing or if data entries don’t align, it can lead to incorrect assumptions or wrong decisions. A misplaced decimal point, a missing digit, and suddenly, your entire design is compromised.
When you run a process that’s mostly manual, human error is inevitable. Plus, engineers can experience information overload or burnout, making the whole reporting process even more overwhelming for them.
Citation automates mundane and repetitive tasks such as data gathering, calculation, and analysis to minimise or eliminate careless mistakes. It’s not about replacing engineers, but freeing up their time to focus on proper engineering work and higher-value tasks.
Technical documentation such as an engineering report is best explained through visuals such as diagrams, charts, maps, and other visual aids. However, some reports rely heavily on text and fail to include sufficient visual representations of data.
For some engineers, it’s much easier to rewrite text from a previous report than to redraw a diagram or recreate a map. But this affects your final report. Without adequate visuals, the report becomes hard to understand, and this can lead to misalignment between different teams and construction mistakes.
You should use charts, diagrams, tables, and other visual presentations when you need to get a complex point across. For example, a report that discusses structural integrity may benefit from detailed diagrams and images. Citation makes it easier to import documents, including visuals, allowing you to generate graphs and images directly from your data. Searching for a particular file is also quick and seamless, as you have them all in a cloud-based platform.
A well-structured report flows nicely, making it easy for readers to follow your findings. A poorly organised report can result in important information being buried in text, making the report difficult to understand. Meanwhile, consistent formatting makes your report look professional and guides readers along when reading.
Without standardised templates and a system that enables you to replicate the report-generation process across multiple teams and projects, you’ll struggle to maintain any consistency in all your reports.
Engineering reports typically follow a logical structure. Citation can create a standard template based on prior reports you have in hand. It can strip away all the data and produce a template that has your unique branding, structure, and format. You can easily maintain a consistent structure and format across different reports, no matter how complex they get.
Reports with ambiguous language, missing clauses, and non-compliance gaps can leave you vulnerable to legal challenges and project roadblocks. Furthermore, regulations, engineering codes, and building standards often change, which means you have the added responsibility to always check that your design and work are meeting regulatory requirements. If you’re doing compliance checking manually, you’ll scramble to meet reporting deadlines.
Citation’s AI-powered engine can analyse legal documents and flag potential compliance issues. Think of it as a digital regulatory watchdog, constantly checking that your engineering designs and site plans are keeping the relevant authorities happy.
The current approach to engineering report generation is simply too slow, tedious, and ill-equipped to handle modern, complex construction projects. By using AI-powered solutions such as Citation, companies can standardise their report-writing process, making it quicker and more cost-efficient while meeting industry standards.
Writing reports isn’t just a task to tick; reports provide value to stakeholders and help guide projects to profitability and success. Book a demo of Citation with us and learn how we can transform your reporting process.
