Hi everyone! I'm a civil engineer from Berkeley, worked in large scale projects in the Bay Area, and noticed that there is no software that allows teams to capture the complete Last Planner system, so teams needed to update information in 3-4 different softwares to capture the whole process. So I created Surco, a comprehensive management system that captures the entire Last Planner System, and has an amazing location based schedule. If you check it out at surco.dev and have any questions, please hit me up at [email protected]

I believe AI is going to fundamentally change how we plan construction projects. The recent advances of models like Opus 5.5 and GPT-6, particularly at interpreting construction drawings and building 3D models, equips us with new capabilities. What you used to only be able to do with a team of BIM modelers and computer programmer's. The capabilities that were reserved for billion dollar projects. Is it perfect? No. But how quickly and cheaply we can do things unlocks a wave of new planning applications. Want to create 20 different simulations of how a crane is installing structural steel? Sure, no worries! Want to simulate 10 different crane size options and determine where it has to set up and pack up? Easy! I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of this topic. There is so much more to come. This week I’m going to talk about 5D planning and the unified work breakdown structure. As always, it will be structured around News, Inform Work. News Gemini 4 Argon: good at counting, weaker at the rest. I ran Google's new model through my construction tests. It scored 52% on the take-off test, level with Opus 5.5 at about 53%. Its estimate, procurement and programme outputs were weaker.. Watch the Gemini 4 Argon test ChatGPT dots: a personal agent with its own computer. OpenAI's dot runs in the background on a virtual computer, so your laptop does not need to be on. You message it, or call it like you would a person. It can also use your ChatGPT and Codex skills, so you can start a workflow from your phone. Watch the ChatGPT dots walkthrough Inform: what the evidence says Last week I covered two academic studies on BIM, and their results were mixed. Here is the contractor side, and where AI is up to. - Contractors report less rework. In McGraw Hill Construction's 2012 North American study, 74% of contractors were using BIM. They ranked reduced rework and fewer document errors and omissions among its top benefits. In the 2014 global study, around half of the contractors most heavily engaged with BIM reported a return above 25% on their investment. These are surveys of BIM users, so they are self-reported and likely to favour BIM. - 4D planning on one project. A 2026 case study of a dormitory project in Indonesia used a 4D model to reschedule the work. The planned duration dropped from 133 to 116 days. That is one project, but it shows the mechanism: when you can see the sequence, you can test better ones. - AI is improving but still unreliable. AECV-Bench (January 2026) tested leading models on 120 floor plans. They read text and answered document questions with up to 95% accuracy, but counted doors and windows correctly only 40–55% of the time. BIM-Edit (June 2026) asked models to make 324 edits to IFC building models. The best model averaged 49.5%, and none fully completed more than 3.4% of the tasks. On my own take-off benchmark, Opus 5.5 leads at 53.1%, with GPT-6 Astra at 46.2%.

how can i save Canva.com files? is there a pdf file that i can print the sheets. i like to add notes to the pdf files. thanks!

A common pattern in contracting businesses: a prospect calls while the team is on-site or driving between jobs, the call goes to voicemail, and by the time someone calls back 4 hours later, the homeowner has already booked another contractor. Here is a simple 3-tier system to fix this without hiring a full-time receptionist: 1. Instant SMS Auto-Responder: If a call goes to voicemail during work hours, an automated SMS triggers immediately: "Hey, this is [Company Name]. We're currently on a job site. Are you looking for a project estimate or emergency service?" 2. AI / Form Qualification: The link routes them to a 60-second intake form (scope, zip code, target start date, rough budget). 3. CRM Auto-Routing: Qualified leads go straight into the estimator's pipeline with an automated task reminder to review within 2 hours. Even a basic SMS auto-reply captures a massive percentage of lost calls before they call your competitor. What system are you currently using to handle incoming calls when your team is in the field?

Does anyone actually have time to answer the phone? Honestly, the biggest bottleneck for me lately hasn't been the actual work—it’s the constant phone ringing while I’m in the middle of a job or a takeoff. I’ve been looking into setting up an AI receptionist to just handle the initial calls and book appointments directly into my calendar so I can actually stay focused. Has anyone here tried this yet? Curious if it actually works for contractors or if it’s better to just keep doing it manually.