Stuttgart – October 29, 2026 -- Paper plans, WhatsApp agreements and fragmented processes still dominate many construction sites, raising error risk and costs, according to Nicolai Nolle, founder and managing director of Stuttgart-based viscan.
Information losses drive delays and rework on multi-party projects
Contractors, engineering firms and clients all work on the same project. Differing plan versions, handwritten notes and verbal agreements mean information gets lost or reaches the right people too late. Nolle links this to misunderstandings, delays and costly rework, and says the core challenge lies in handling information rather than in execution on site.
BIM, cloud tools and digital twins consolidate project data on one platform
Building Information Modeling (BIM), cloud applications and digital twins can pool project data on a shared platform instead of spreading it across paper, email and messengers. Changes entered promptly are available to all participants, which can expose ambiguities before execution begins. Crews can also capture services, photos and measurement data by smartphone or tablet and assign them to a project section. This matters for components that are later concealed, such as a pipe whose position is recorded before a trench is backfilled.
Drones and AI flag deviations before section handover
Drones capture large sites quickly and deliver high-resolution aerial images and 3D models of construction progress. The data can be prepared for comparison with planning and reference data, and AI-based analysis can surface deviations early. Depending on the system, this requires data preparation or predefined rules. Site managers keep responsibility for technical assessment and for decisions on corrective action. They can check the documented status regularly instead of relying only on inspections at the end of a construction phase.
Mid-sized builders can cut rework with a unified data basis
Nolle argues that the value comes from combining planning, communication, documentation and control on one data basis, not from individual technologies. Mid-sized construction companies, not only large groups, can use such tools to structure workflows, reduce rework and allocate resources more precisely. viscan, which Nolle has led since 2011, works with public clients, engineering firms and contractors on digital construction processes.