Making the Leap

When it comes to managing your jobsite information, how do you determine the best time to move from an analog environment to a digital one? For many owners of construction and trade companies, this question is loaded with decisions that must be made along the way.

Which system will we use? Will our employees adopt it? How will it save me money or advance my business? What is the point of changing when the current processes have worked for decades?

Shifting from paper to an electronic operating environment makes it much easier for you and your workforce to become mobile. Utilizing the latest data systems also saves considerable time and money on the administrative tasks and integration processes that would typically require multiple reporting tools.

According to the Information and Communications Technology Council survey report, mobile adoption can produce a 64 percent increase in efficiencies, a 50 percent reduction in costs and a 28 percent gain in productivity.

Thanks to advances in consumer electronic adoption, rapid change is taking hold of the construction industry globally. Pressure to change current processes is coming from a number of areas, including client needs, a younger generation of workers and the increasing need to ensure that a company’s brand stays relevant.

In business, we innovate or we die. These days, the death is much faster due to quickly changing economic conditions and the speed with which business decisions are made. While some content and protocols may be changing, analog processes, as a whole, are simply not progressing.

When converting to a fully digital environment, it is important to realize that any new software and hardware systems will have a learning curve during the adoption phase. The biggest hurdle may be the pushback from some staff, specifically the more mature generation of workers who were not born with a smartphone in their hand. The transformation to a digital workforce needs to be a top down approach that is well-managed to transition smoothly.

As a business owner who wants immediate implementation and results, you will need to solicit buy-in by mitigating dissension. You can accomplish a smoother adoption process by addressing the inevitable question, “Why are we doing this?”

There are two simple ways to respond to this question:

1. We are striving for excellence and this is what we need to do to stay relevant and competitive.
2. Our business requires efficient processes that can provide an opportunity to attract new work, which benefits all employees.

Most of your staff will probably make the connection that greater company success equals job security, quality projects, more work experience and opportunity for everyone.

When deciding what software company to partner with, choose based on your own comfort level with the vendor and whether or not you have to completely remove the systems you already have.

Select a software company that is innovative and consistent with new features and upgrades and progressive in that they understand where the future is headed related to industry needs.

Make sure that you ask them about their level of security, as it is important your data is well protected. Inquire about the checks and balances in place should a server fail or a hack be attempted.

Licensing a data system will typically start at around $50 per month, per device. Training is required to get your new system operational, which may hamper productivity initially, but this should be minimal. You will more than make up for lost time when systems are fully operational.

Project Management Systems

Project management systems offer construction companies the opportunity to manage many administrative aspects of the construction process. These focus on budgeting, charting, estimating, accounting, email tracking of RFIs and change orders.

Site Reporting Systems

There are a number of reporting systems on the market that offer construction companies the opportunity to organize information in a way that makes the workforce more agile, increases accuracy of information and enhances the reporting process.

Those working in specialty trades have less definitive options than those of a general contractor. Your needs are more simple, yet specific, in nature based on the type of trade. For example, a rebar company will need to account for different metrics than an electrical contractor.

Your Bottom Line

Different software systems offer a number of various benefits. On a general basis, having documentation available electronically and easily accessible from a mobile device eliminates travel time, fuel expense, multiple technical devices and phone calls. Having real-time data available from the field also mitigates costly errors. A few other benefits are listed below.

• Software that captures daily photos of the jobsite allows you to catch problems before they arise.
• Time cards contribute to frequent miscalculations in data entry, often caused by the delay in activity and reporting. Knowing real-time statistics is a significant advantage to a construction company.
• The organization and dissemination of safety information is also a costly initiative. Every document in today’s construction process is generated from a vital file. A central repository saves the cost of printing and transporting of forms and manuals.
• A software system with a client portal to pass real-time information on to clients is a big advantage. The client-experience piece is loaded with intangible benefits, and when communicated properly at the deal phase of landing the work, it can tip the scales in your favor. Clients love transparency, as it increases the trust factor and comfort level while reducing risk in their decision of who to work with.

Whatever you decide to do, take the leap and see how it can transform your business. Look to work with a software vendor who will become your long-term partner and help walk you through the process. The construction industry is changing rapidly, and we must adapt to the way business is now being done.