More than half of contractors say their methods of collecting and analyzing data from their jobsites need to get better over the next three years, in part for their companies to use these data to predict employee and project performance.
That’s a key finding in a new 40-page SmartMarket report that Viewpoint and Dodge Data & Analytics have released, entitled “Improving Performance with Project Data.”
The report is based on an online survey conducted from August 14, 2017 through September 12, 2018. The survey used Dodge’s Contractor Panel and contacts provided by Viewpoint. Of its 187 respondents, 98 were GCs, 47 specialty trade contractors, 28 construction managers, nine design-build firms, and four design-contracting firms. Thirty seven percent of respondent companies generate revenues between $50 million and $250 million.
The research focused on five key types of data: project progress, man hours, productivity, safety, and equipment management.
Respondents were asked how they gather, store, manage, secure, analyze and report on each of these types of data. Key trends include a rapid shift away from paper-based forms, reports, and spreadsheets to digital tools and platforms, some that leverage cloud technology; increasing use of apps on mobile phones and digital cameras in the field; the desire for more accurate field data that enable trend analysis across projects; and a focus on data security.
Mobile devices are providing contractors with better ways to gather, input, and store information. Drones and sensors are adding to these data cocktails. Image: Dodge Data & Analytics
Data can improve a project’s productivity
More than three fifths of the contractors surveyed say they’ve seen improvements in their data gathering and analysis capabilities over the past three years. That’s especially true among larger companies. By far, the most important project data being gathered are performance information such as scheduling and costs, followed by payroll and man hour data.
The top three benefits from data analysis, say contractors polled, are improving their ability to complete projects at or under budget (53%), greater productivity (47%) and greater profitability (46%).
However, more than half of the respondents (54%) admitted that they need to improve how they gather jobsite info over the next three years. And 45% think their ability to analyze trends across projects must to get sharper, too, as well as their ability to gather current data from the field.
Relying on physical records, like paper forms or spreadsheets, for data collection is steadily giving way among contractors to custom-designed or commercial software, a trend that is likely to be more prevalent over the next three years. Nearly three-quarters of respondents say they were satisfied with using software as a way to collect data.
Most pros (65% of the ones polled) still store their digital information in on-premise servers. But 37% have turned to third-party cloud providers, such as Amazon, to host their field information. The benefits of using the cloud are manifold, the most prominent being the ability to access data from the field while working in the office or remote locations, and vice versa.
Well over half of the contractors surveyed deploy mobile phone apps and cameras to collect and send data from the field. Expect that wave of data to rise, as drones, sensors, and wearables gain more traction as jobsite tools. However, contractors are also acutely aware of how their use of devices presents security risks. That explains why 86% of contractors say they are using anti-malware software, 78% are using enterprise-grade firewalls, and 56% have imposed policies for managing the use of mobile devices.
Contractors acknowledge that they need to be doing a much better job at collecting information from the field, and analyzing that information for purposes of predictive decision making. Image: Dodge Data & Analytics
Proffering a plan to gather data
More than one-fifth of contractors surveyed have had experience with predictive analysis of data and business intelligence. That compares with just 7% for artificial intelligence and 6% for machine learning. The largest group of respondents noted they are aware of and understand the concepts of each of these emerging technologies but have not implemented them in their own organizations — 39% for predictive analysis; 47% for artificial intelligence; and 33% for machine learning.
But it is clear that technology is advancing faster than the AEC industry’s ability to assimilate it. The report’s authors offer a four-step process to structure a company’s data collection, analysis, and reporting.
•Determine what aspects of project delivery would benefit most from better information to guide your data strategy
•Identify which types of field data will best-enable the proper analysis to generate critical decision-support information. And think about the minimum level of completeness, accuracy, and timeliness required for each type.
•Develop a focused technology and plan for collection and analysis that incorporates the specific data needed and types of analysis required, as well as financial and human capital investments, the time frames for implementation, clear roles of responsibility, and measurable goals for success.
The report includes two case studies—how Leander Construction is using the cloud to enhance productivity; and how W. Soule & Co. is using data to build better—as well as a Q&A with Jit Kee Chin, Suffolk Construction’s high-profile Chief Data Officer. Chin laments that what’s keeping AI from becoming a more efficient construction tool is still the lack of useful data. Her viewpoint may explain why she sees “great potential” in automated monitoring.
Related Stories
Smart Buildings | Apr 7, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University's research on advanced building sensors provokes heated controversy
A research project to test next-generation building sensors at Carnegie Mellon University provoked intense debate over the privacy implications of widespread deployment of the devices in a new 90,000-sf building. The light-switch-size devices, capable of measuring 12 types of data including motion and sound, were mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building.
Architects | Apr 6, 2023
New tool from Perkins&Will will make public health data more accessible to designers and architects
Called PRECEDE, the dashboard is an open-source tool developed by Perkins&Will that draws on federal data to identify and assess community health priorities within the U.S. by location. The firm was recently awarded a $30,000 ASID Foundation Grant to enhance the tool.
AEC Tech | Mar 14, 2023
Skanska tests robots to keep construction sites clean
What if we could increase consistency and efficiency with housekeeping by automating this process with a robot? Introducing: Spot.
Modular Building | Mar 3, 2023
Pallet Shelter is fighting homelessness, one person and modular pod at a time
Everett, Wash.-based Pallet Inc. helped the City of Burlington, Vt., turn a municipal parking lot into an emergency shelter community, complete with 30 modular “sleeping cabins” for the homeless.
AEC Tech | Jan 27, 2023
Epic Games' latest foray into the AEC market and real estate industry
From architecture to real estate, the realm of computer-aided design hits new heights as more and more firms utilize the power of Epic Games’ Twinmotion and Unreal Engine.
AEC Tech | Jan 27, 2023
Key takeaways from Autodesk University 2022
Autodesk laid out its long-term vision to drive digital collaboration through cloud-based solutions and emphasized the importance of connecting people, processes and data.
AEC Tech Innovation | Jan 24, 2023
ConTech investment weathered last year’s shaky economy
Investment in construction technology (ConTech) hit $5.38 billion last year (less than a 1% falloff compared to 2021) from 228 deals, according to CEMEX Ventures’ estimates. The firm announced its top 50 construction technology startups of 2023.
AEC Tech | Jan 19, 2023
Data-informed design, with Josh Fritz of LEO A DALY
Joshua Fritz, Leo A Daly's first Data Scientist, discusses how information analysis can improve building project outcomes.
AEC Tech Innovation | Jan 14, 2023
CES recognizes a Dutch firm’s wearable technology for construction management
The firm’s TokenMe product offers construction managers a real-time crowd- and asset-tracking solution via low-power, location-aware radio and RFID tags and multiple sensors through which data are processed with cloud-based artificial intelligence.
Digital Twin | Nov 21, 2022
An inside look at the airport industry's plan to develop a digital twin guidebook
Zoë Fisher, AIA explores how design strategies are changing the way we deliver and design projects in the post-pandemic world.