Qualified and On Time: How Workforce Management Solves Certification Tracking

On a jobsite, two labor managers track certifications on a tablet.

You’ve scheduled your people on the labor whiteboard. You’ve ordered your equipment. You’ve coordinated street closures. But what happens when the workers on the job aren’t qualified to complete their assignments? Certification tracking is a critical part of making sure the right people with the right skills make it on the job. Keep reading to discover how to keep track of certifications for your crew with digital workforce management (WFM).

Casey Corbin, Project Manager at Legacy Mechanical says, “It’s important to have the right people at the right jobs. Being able to tag a person in LaborChart who has a certain certification, being able to see the person available and move them to a job — you know you’re covered with that specific requirement of that job.”

‍Today’s Certification Tracking Problem ‍

Historically, construction certifications and qualifications are stored on spreadsheets, within HRIS systems, on whiteboards or even on paper. Typically, a single owner or department manages this key information and it remains siloed away from workforce operations and management. HR teams often have important data about certifications expiring or necessary upcoming qualifications, but there’s often no way to effectively share this with labor management and scheduling teams. While field managers understand the nuance and qualifications of each skilled worker, this may not be the case for removed teams, such as HR. This siloed model creates a gap between the field and office with no way to ensure the right person is on the right job with the right certifications. The solution? WFM.

Trip Textoris, President at Architectural Interior Restorations says, “There’s so many requirements for workers to have. Not just skills, but training and testing. Workforce management is knowing who you have available and the holes that need to be filled and to be able to efficiently place those people accordingly.”

Digital Certification Tracking with Construction Workforce Management‍

Cloud-based WFM gives operations teams and leaders a holistic view of who is currently certified, making it easy to confidently schedule the right teams to the right projects. Since qualifications and requirements on projects are ever changing, it’s critical to have a single source of truth for certification tracking. With a “baseball card” view of each employee, labor managers can maintain a personal connection to each employee. Digital WFM doesn’t just keep track of current certifications — it also notifies pertinent management and personnel of expiration dates so nobody forgets to re-up. Digitally prequalifying labor sets teams up for success and keeps projects on schedule, as well as on budget.

David Crystal, GM General Construction at Jostin Construction says, “Before, we used spreadsheets. Spreadsheets don’t notify you when someone’s certification expires. Before, we had to scramble to get certification updated or find new individuals that are certified. But with LaborChart, the information is already in there — we are able to track those things.”

Ensuring Project Compliance with Digital WFM‍

When every team member’s expiration dates for certifications are easily accessible, there’s no reason for any field employee to be unqualified, making compliance simpler to enforce and audit. With cloud-based WFM, tracking certifications digitally also ensures contractors have the resources needed to get the job done leaner. When field employees are qualified every step of the way, safety and client satisfaction are improved on every project.

Mitigate risk and keep your crew certified with digital WFM. Get a demo to see certification tracking in action.

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To learn more about certification tracking with WFM, watch this short video:

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Gary Fuchs is a Senior Workforce Advisor at LaborChart. Prior to LaborChart, Gary was VP of Construction at Westphal Electric. He and his wife Cheryl are proud parents of three daughters and 10 grandchildren. Gary enjoys woodworking, golf, hunting, fishing, and working with LaborChart. In his past, Gary was a volunteer firefighter and basketball official.