Why a construction management platform is needed now more than ever
The industry is starting to see a brighter, yet more challenging tomorrow. Reports indicate the industry will return to pre-COVID levels by 2023 but it will be a “new normal” marked by labour shortages and other challenges. Now, more than ever, the industry is turning to construction management software platforms to provide a long-term solution to connecting remote teams so they can continue building while staying safe, from office to jobsite. The time to adopt a smarter construction solution is now–the right digital tools for the right tasks; managed centrally to maximise communications, enhance productivity and reduce costs.
When it comes to managing construction projects, not all solutions are created equal. Typically, businesses primarily rely on:
Paper: Relying on manual processes often leads to data across multiple locations, delayed site-to-office communication and complex documentation. Not only is this method not mobile, but with no document version control, teams are often left using outdated drawings–an easy recipe for quality issues and rework.
Point Solutions: Data scattered across singular-focused solutions–one for estimating, one for billing, one for scheduling, and so on–means teams must learn entirely separate systems and often risk losing information as it moves from one system to the next. Worse, they’re likely to drown in data, third-party integration costs and administrative fees.
Platform: A platform is a streamlined system that connects solutions instead of fragmenting them. All project information lives in one place. All stakeholders–from the site to the office–have one, integrated source of truth, helping ensure information is accurate, up-to-date and efficient. Businesses also reduce the risk of error and rework throughout a project–and that alone can protect profit margins in the long run.
For general contractors, having a platform enables you to manage your entire project more efficiently from the palm of your hand by replacing manual tasks with seamless and automated workflows. Ensure your owners have full visibility into daily operations so you can avoid time-consuming check-ins. It is a level of professionalism that will distinguish your company in a project owner’s eyes.
See who your most and least productive subcontractors are with visual dashboards and reports. Eliminate double entry, manual reporting and information silos that pose a risk to project schedules and budgets. Detailed record keeping that includes completed inspection forms, project photos illustrating issues and dated sign-off forms can help provide project insight. Your team can identify and resolve issues before they become bigger problems, to keep your project on time and within budget–without sacrificing your firm’s reputation or others’ safety.
The October 2020 McKinsey report, “Rise of the platform era: The next chapter in construction technology”, issued a dire warning. “Continued uncertainty on recovery timelines and the risk of virus resurgence could drive an additional wave of bankruptcies among smaller players, further accelerating the trend toward industry consolidation … The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to provide additional urgency to the preexisting productivity and data-visibility issues facing construction companies … These investment trends, coupled with end users’ frustration with integrating the proverbial sea of point solutions, have driven a clear shift toward the development and launch of integrated platforms rather than point solutions.”
Talk to Procore today about how we can help you in the digital transformation journey or visit: Procore now to download the FREE eBook: Paper, Point Solutions Or Platform.