The industry’s old-school ways mean contractors waste time and money mailing revisions to blueprints, tracking paper receipts and invoices, or traveling long distances to do on-site inspections of small changes.
95% of construction and engineering professionals think tech/innovation will significantly change their business2.
As construction professionals shoulder even more pressure to boost razor-thin profit margins, leaders are beginning to embrace the digital revolution. Fifty-five percent of construction and engineering professionals said their industry is ripe for disruption in a 2017 global survey conducted by KPMG; 95% think technology/innovation will significantly change their business; and 74% believe such a change will happen in less than five years2.
Digital disruption doesn’t have to be a burden. Here are three ways to harness digital tools to your advantage.
Manage Projects From Anywhere
Hard drives and technology are more visible than ever on the job site. Crews are now using tablets, for example, to review and inspect plans instead of old-fashioned paper blueprints. Some new applications help managers inspect remote sites by providing digital photos.
In addition, project management software can save time and increase transparency by ensuring that updates, revisions and plan changes are shared in real time, cutting down on errors and delays.
Manage Jobs Better On-Site
Increasingly, on-site job leaders are using tech to monitor and improve operations in real-time.
New mobile platforms allow foremen to update blueprints immediately on-site, instead of having to make the trip back to the office. Workers can annotate and track punch lists from the construction zone, letting them work nimbly in the field when inevitable changes on-site arise.
New mobile platforms allow foremen to update blueprints immediately on-site, instead of having to make the trip back to the office.
Being able to adjust or change plans in real-time reduces or eliminates the time-delay that can be a killer on projects. Some digital tools allow foremen to immediately retrieve and compare data on actual project hours, budgeted hours, and remaining hours, which helps keep projects on or close to budget.
Harry, a VP of Operations at a midsize construction firm, said the way that work gets done is definitely changing. “There's not too many contractors that don't have somebody that’s schooled in software,” he said. “Most of them have gotten smart enough to know that that helps.”
Track Expenses, Everywhere, Digitally
Having centralized expense control enables the home office to get a birds-eye view of all the project expenses — even those out-of-state.
Owners of mid-size construction firms say that it helps control expenses when their out-of-state workers are aware that their spending is being reviewed regularly.
Jake, the owner and operations manager for a construction firm that does about $25 million in annual sales on projects in multiple states, said, “We want our guys that are out of state to be aware that we're reviewing what they’re spending.”
Turning to the latest digital solutions helps construction leaders quickly and easily tabulate expenses and other various needs for projects. Additionally, by avoiding paper, expenses don’t fall through the cracks and pile up without your knowledge.
Custom business Credit Card programs allow firms to digitize their invoices, track expenditures and automate payments through online dashboards.
“We know ahead of time what our costs are going to be,” said Robert, president of a mid-sized construction firm. “We break up those costs, allowing our field personnel to make purchases for specific projects, up to a certain amount.”
Custom business Credit Card programs allow firms to digitize their invoices, track expenditures and automate payments through online dashboards.
“When we were looking around, I asked a couple of friends what they were doing as far as controlling their expenses and what they thought was the best way to go,” Robert said. “Most of them are using a combination of corporate cards and online financial management tools to manage their cash flow.”
Related Stories
| Sep 23, 2022
Central offices making a comeback after pandemic
In the early stages of the Covid pandemic, commercial real estate industry experts predicted that businesses would increasingly move toward a hub-and-spoke office model.
| Sep 22, 2022
Gainesville, Fla., ordinance requires Home Energy Score during rental inspections
The city of Gainesville, Florida was recently recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Energy for an adopted ordinance that requires rental housing to receive a Home Energy Score during rental inspections.
| Sep 21, 2022
New California law creates incentive for installing outdoor dining safety barriers
A new California law provides an incentive for commercial property owners to install barriers to protect outdoor diners.
| Sep 21, 2022
Demand for design services accelerates
Demand for design services from U.S. architecture firms grew at an accelerated pace in August, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
| Sep 20, 2022
NIBS develops implementation plan for digital transformation of built environment
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) says it has developed an implementation and launch plan for a sweeping digital transformation of the built environment.
| Sep 20, 2022
New Long Beach office building reflects Mid-Century Modern garden-style motif
The new Long Beach, Calif., headquarters of Laserfiche, a provider of intelligent content management and business process automation software, was built on a brownfield parcel previously considered undevelopable.
| Sep 19, 2022
New York City construction site inspections, enforcement found ‘inadequate’
A new report by the New York State Comptroller found that New York City construction site inspections and regulation enforcement need improvement.
| Sep 16, 2022
Fairfax County, Va., considers impactful code change to reduce flood risk
Fairfax County, Va., in the Washington, D.C., metro region is considering a major code change to reduce the risk from floods.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 15, 2022
Heat Pumps in Multifamily Projects
RMI's Lacey Tan gives the basics of heat pumps and how they can reduce energy costs and carbon emissions in apartment projects.
| Sep 15, 2022
Monthly construction input prices dip in August
Construction input prices decreased 1.4% in August compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today.
