Investigating the Feasibility of Using Quick Response Codes in Highway Construction for Document Control

Abstract

Highway construction takes place in remote locations, making document control challenging. Frequent changes in a project can cause errors, reworks, and schedule delays due to the time taken to disseminate these changes to the field or due to using outdated documents. With the advancement of mobile devices, Quick Response (QR) codes can now provide project teams rapid and reliable access to information and documents required for field operations. The use of QR codes can also allow for checking document versions, reduce the need for travelling or meeting for document revisions, and reduce the amount of hardcopy documents and storage spaces. Despite the potential for significant benefits, there have been little to no studies aimed at assessing the feasibility of using QR codes in highway construction. In response, this study aimed at investigating the benefits of and barriers of using QR codes in highway construction for document control. First, an online survey was conducted to determine the status quo of highway construction in terms of document control and mobile information technology (IT). The survey results indicated that hardcopy documentation is still the most prevalent form of document control in highway construction, and hence there is an opportunity for implementing QR codes in conjunction with mobile IT. Further, a time study using a real-world infrastructure project was conducted based on three activities: detail look up, specification check, and version check. A statistical analysis of the time study data showed that using QR codes can significantly save time, indicating a benefit cost ratio of 1.70. In conclusion, the report presents a guideline that state transportation agencies can use to implement QR codes in their document control practices.