What Is LogCheck and Why Should You Care?

Fast forward: teaching classes at 32BJ SEIU, the union for supers and their staff, Matt's twin brother, Mike, learned that many members were performing routine maintenance checks with pen and paper or running through maintenance lists in their head. It was a poor practice that also created communication problems between staff and management. Mike realized that technology could help staff work more efficiently.

The result was LogCheck, an electronic logbook that works as a mobile app on iOS devices (and in web browsers) to streamline routine maintenance tasks, meter readings, and inspections. The prototype was designed by the twins and built in 2012. With more than a million dollars in venture capital investment, it now also serves as a user-friendly communication tool for staff and management.

"In this business, there are a thousand little things and therefore nothing gets done," says Mike. "It is death by a thousand cuts, unfortunately. People throw their hands up and say, 'What can I do?' But there is something they can do. They can set up routines and procedures and have a centralized record-keeping system that keeps everyone on the same page."

William Waldren, superintendent of a 75-unit co-op on Manhattan's Upper East Side, beta tested LogCheck and began using the app to keep track of maintenance performed in apartments.

"I was using nothing before," Waldren says. "In the past, I would just say, 'I was in your apartment and we may have done this and we may have done that.' Now, every time the handyman goes into an apartment, he inputs what he did. It helps us to look good — we can see we were there and what was done."

Waldren says technology streamlines work routines and saves money. "All technology can be helpful and useful if you know how to [work with] it," he says. "We got a new boiler and I thought I was Johnny Astronaut making adjustments on my computer. There is no more 'Let me go downstairs and check and wait a few hours.'"

Michael O'Reilly, resident manager of a 30-unit building on the Upper East Side, says LogCheck forces him to address problems before they become major issues. "Things get so busy every day, if I didn't use something like LogCheck, I would say, 'I'll do that later on,'" he says. "This way, you have to do it."

O'Reilly says he understands why some building staff are hesitant to adopt technology, especially digital tools that monitor workflow. "In some ways, technology makes our job easier," O'Reilly says. "But it also means you are accessible 24-7, which has its disadvantages. I was on vacation last week and I spent three to four hours of that time on the phone and on e-mails. Unfortunately, the buck stops with me."

LogCheck co-creator Mike Brown believes software developers looking at the building and construction industries have to be mindful of exactly what end users require when developing products. It's also important to realize superintendents and maintenance staff will never be replaced by computers. "I am not opposed to automation so long as it is used correctly," says Brown. "Automation without human interaction causes more problems than it solves. You are not going to ever get rid of the maintenance guys. You can have your toaster start automatically but you have to clean out your crumb drawer. Equipping staff with tools to do their job better is the way technology is heading."