Using AI to Remove Friction and Upskill Teams

In this episode of The ConTech Crew, the hosts Jeff Sample and Nathan Wood sit down with Nitin Bhandari, Co-founder of Planera, to discuss the transformative impact of technology on construction scheduling. Nitin shares how his journey from hardware engineering to software entrepreneurship led him to tackle one of the industry's biggest pain points: scheduling inefficiencies. The discussion covers the vision behind Planera, how they are revolutionizing scheduling, and the future of construction planning with AI and data-driven insights.

Nitin Bhandari is the Co-founder and CEO of Planera, a platform designed to transform how construction projects are scheduled. Nitin started his career as an electrical engineer and later moved into software entrepreneurship, co-founding two successful software companies before diving into the construction tech world. Partnering with a general contractor, Nitin identified a massive scheduling gap in construction and built Planera to solve this issue.

Key Takeaways

• The challenges in construction scheduling and how Planera bridges the gap
• How AI and natural language processing will soon allow users to interact with schedules
• The approach of moving scheduling from a “compliance tool” to a “business decision tool”
• How Planera integrates high-level schedules with day-to-day field activities to create a seamless flow of data
• How Planera is using AI to automate scheduling tasks and provide actionable insights

Timestamps

[00:00] - Episode Introduction

[02:04] - Nitin’s background and journey into construction tech

[04:33] - The challenge of scheduling in construction and how Planera is solving it

[08:14] - How Planera is democratizing scheduling for more stakeholders

[10:15] - Connecting field schedules with office schedules for seamless data flow

[15:21] - The cultural shift from compliance to business decision-making

[18:03] - The impact of mission-critical projects like data centers on scheduling

[26:07] - The role of AI and natural language processing in scheduling optimization

[33:59] - Planera’s portfolio-level planning for better resource management

[37:55] - Connect with Nitin and Planera

Follow the Guest & The Company:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-bhandari/
• Website: https://www.planera.io/
• LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/planera-inc/

Follow the Host:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ironmanofit/

Follow the Co-Host:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanaec/ 

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