Connected construction

• Accounting, human resources and payroll teams have the properly routed and formulated data they need at their fingertips to keep bills and employees paid and cash flows fluid.

• P roject teams and subcontractors can work confidently, knowing that everyone is working from the same page and are immediately alerted when changes are made.

• O wners, designers and architects can respond to change requests quickly with a clear understanding of how they’ll impact the finished product. Most importantly, with Trimble Viewpoint’s advanced analytic and business intelligence tools, construction professionals can break down, sort and study data quickly and in new ways for insights that mitigate risks, maximise performance and keep projects moving.

The connected construction journey: where to start

Although many of the contractors who have long resisted the cloud and new technologies are coming around, some aren’t sure where to start their connected construction journey. Fingland explains that any transformation initiative should start with clear objectives that tie to larger company goals. This ensures the initiative receives the attention, support and focus it needs to succeed. The outcomes of connected construction will become even more valuable if they align with the company’s larger strategic initiatives and economics.

“When adopting a new technology, first and foremost you should work backwards from the desired outcome to understand what strategic business driver you’re trying to solve,” Finland says.

More keys to a successful connected construction initiative

A connected construction initiative also needs a dedicated budget and requires top-down support and endorsement for success. For processes to change, teams also must see the value of the new process and receive ongoing support through frequent communication and skills development. Whether implementing a new way to do quantity take-offs or moving to fabrication-level models, it’s critical to build trust and confidence in the re-engineered process.

For Growthbuilt, taking a close look at processes has been an important step that Van Zyl recommends prioritising. “Review the processes that have the biggest impact on your company, business or operations,” he says. “I would rarely recommend reviewing every process in your business because it would take too long.”

“Instead, pick the processes that are the most important to your business and have the highest risks associated with them.”

Taking an inventory of existing data and quantifying its value will help identify opportunities for improving it to drive better and faster decision-making, Fingland says. Because data is invaluable in a connected construction ecosystem, fostering a company culture that values data as a core asset and continually seeks to capture, curate and use it for maximum effect is vital.

Staying competitive among increasing demands

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that the construction industry’s digital transformation will continue at a rapid pace. Once hesitant to embrace change, contractors who are digitising their operations and moving to cloud-based technologies are staying competitive among tightening margins, rising costs, increasingly complex projects and labour challenges.

“Increasingly, projects will require reporting, accurate data, quicker cycles and other demands that make real-time data and workflows a necessity,” Fingland says.

“The cost of working with disconnected systems and information silos will only increase for those who don’t digitise, as competitors turn to connected construction solutions that make data aggregation, analysis, reporting and workflow automation not only possible, but easy.”

To explore Trimble Viewpoint’s connected construction software solutions, visit www.viewpoint.com/en-au