How Field Users are using Trunk Tools on Jobsites
A Game of 20(000) Questions
If you’ve ever managed a construction project, you know the pain of dumpster diving. And no, we’re not talking about literal dumpsters (though that’s sometimes involved too). We’re talking about document diving – the equally messy and significantly more time-consuming process of sifting through a mountain of construction plans, admin paperwork, and communication logs.
Thousands of pages spread across multiple PDFs, colorful markups layered upon older markups, and let’s not forget the scribbles on crumpled paper plans (always with a faint coating of drywall dust). Whether you need to confirm one small detail or give the go-ahead for a critical task, it can take minutes, even hours, to find the answer. And if you’re really unlucky, you’ll realize after all that searching that the answer doesn’t exist at all.
This got us thinking: what are the most common types of questions asked on construction projects? To find out, we used AI to analyze one month of queries from TrunkText users. The results offer a fascinating look at the fragmented nature of construction information and the challenges project managers face keeping track of it all.
We were not surprised that Technical Specifications and Standards dominated the chart at 30%. It makes sense, considering how much time gets spent squinting at spec sheets, cross-checking plans against submittals, and digging through submittal logs to confirm (for the fifth time) that the screws are, in fact, supposed to be stainless steel, not galvanized.
Installation and Construction Details came in a close second. If you’ve ever fielded the “Wait, is this a 2-inch reveal or a 3-inch reveal?” question from a contractor, you’ll understand why this category holds its weight. Details can make or break a build (and your sanity).
From there, Procurement and Work Orders at 15% reflect the realities of supply chain volatility (because no project is complete without at least one missing part or delayed delivery). The rest of the categories, including schedules, task clarifications, document retrieval, and miscellaneous follow in descending order.
Information Gathering Doesn't Have to Suck
When you think about the lowest valleys of information gathering, what questions were you struggling with? How long did you spend hunting for details that could have been easy to find? These inefficiencies aren’t just frustrating – they can cost time, money, and trust.
If you mapped out your own project’s questions, would they look like ours? Most importantly, how much time could you save if the answers were at your fingertips?
At Trunk Tools, we’re on a mission to make the 20,000 questions of construction management feel like a game you’re winning.