CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY: THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU INVEST

Transcription

1 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY: THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU INVEST

2 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY: 5 Things to Consider Before You Invest The Construction Industry & IT at a Glance Construction has achieved countless awe-inspiring creations, from the pyramids of Egypt to the Hoover Dam to the Empire State Building. These remarkable endeavors have stood the test of time, forming the foundation of future progress and innovation. Where construction continues to sorely miss the target, however, is its failure to harness the benefits of technology and digitization that have driven other industries forward. In fact, construction falls into the same category as agriculture & hunting as the least digitized industries in the United States. A visit to any jobsite will likely support these facts. Neglecting to invest in, and embrace, innovation and technology, even modestly, results in mass inefficiencies: 2 Miscommunication Lost supplies and equipment Scheduling confusion Budget discrepancies Stalled projects Safety remains a top concern on every jobsite, yet air horns are still used to signal an evacuation despite the advent of technologies designed to connect workers and promote safety. And paper piles persist, despite document sharing and collaboration software. From a quality service perspective, clients have come to expect project updates and field reports that mirror the information they receive in their personal lives accurate and accessible from anywhere at any time. Despite processes remaining much unchanged from decades past, construction firms continue to take on highly complex projects and increasingly discerning clients. IT LACKS BUDGET ALLOCATION 70.8% reported an annual IT budget of less than $500, % of respondents didn t know their budget. NO IT DEPARTMENT 42.6% reported no dedicated IT department. 49.2% manually transfer data because IT systems do not properly integrate MANUAL PROCESSES Source: JBKnowledge 2016 survey of more than 2,600 construction industry professionals

3 CONSTRUCTECH: Your Path to Future-Proofing Your Firm The good news: there has never been a better time to experiment with, and adopt, technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) has resulted in a complex, fast-moving web of interconnected devices that talk to each other, transmit real-time information and provide detailed, intelligent reporting. The cloud has broken down traditional barriers, allowing workers, managers and customers to access information anywhere, on any device; the same information they see on their smartphone can be instantly accessed on a laptop, tablet or desktop. Exciting new solutions are hitting the industry at a fast pace, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) which has changed the way critical design decisions are made. Advances in project management software have integrated previously disparate functions like estimating, bidding, accounting, and analytics. Virtual reality and augmented reality allow us to close the visualization gap, enabling us to see projects in 3D. Drones are putting construction technologists in the pilot seat by allowing them to do everything from taking sophisticated marketing photos to creating elevation maps and 3D models. And wearable technology has allowed us to tap into the data behind daily construction operations and worker activities. Forward-thinking construction organizations understand that stakeholders today expect more, and to deliver more, they need to invest in the technology tools that will catapult the business forward. For these leaders, the challenge is not whether to invest in technology, but rather how to choose the right technologies given limited budgets and resources. The challenge is not whether to invest in technology, but rather how to choose the right technologies given limited budgets and resources. In construction, many minds are open to the idea of integrating technology into their operations. At a glance, construction professionals see the value. However, the challenge is that budgeting and resources need to play catch up, said James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge, a company focused exclusively on providing the construction industry with strategic technology solutions. Benham is a thought leader in the industry, serving as a champion for using technology to enable business transformation. 3

4 CHOOSING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION FOR YOUR COMPANY How can the construction industry prepare itself for the construction needs of the future and embrace the technologies available now? To help prioritize your technology roadmap and plan for smart IT investments, TAKE THESE FIVE ELEMENTS INTO CONSIDERATION: 4

5 1 References. When making a new investment, it s understandable that many construction firms want to play it safe by only selecting tried-andtrue solutions. Buying a product that has been on the market for years instills confidence. However, with new technologies constantly launching, this isn t always the smartest or most efficient tactic. In fact, companies may over-analyze decisions regarding IT investments, causing them to stall completely. I see a lot of companies afraid to make a decision. They continue to wait for the latest version of the technology, Benham said. But the problem is this becomes paralysis by analysis. BATTLE-TESTED: Has the technology been proven? One solution: experiment cautiously. Aim to gain a return on your investment in a year or less. Thinking about a one-year ROI makes the investment within reach of most construction firms. If you ve done your due diligence, there s a high degree that you re going to end the year better off because of the new technologies, and that you won t regret trying them out. Basic research. Perform your basic research. Even if the technology provider is new and there will be many of these ask questions to determine what makes them an expert in their space. If they are a startup, gauge the company s stability by inquiring about size and investors. You ll want a provider that can grow alongside you. Ask the technology provider for a few client references. This will give you an opportunity to speak directly with current users and gauge the effectiveness of the solution. Start small. Use the technology with one team or on one project site to work through education, implementation and process ownership before rolling it out company-wide. I see a lot of companies afraid to make a decision. They continue to wait for the latest version of the technology, but the problem is this becomes paralysis by analysis. 5

6 2 Companies need to spend more time operationalizing their technology strategy. Assign team members who will serve as technology champions, seeing and ensuring that the solution gets rolled out and used properly, advises Benham. Not having a dedicated resource is the most limiting factor to adoption within the industry, aside from not carving out the budget in the first place. In other words, if you re going to invest in technology, do it the right way by investing time and resources up-front. Give the solution the best opportunity to succeed by ensuring that EMPOWER YOUR USERS: Set yourself up for success it s going to work in a jobsite environment and involves little set-up and maintenance. From the personnel standpoint, be sure to create dedicated implementation teams to ensure end users are educated to harness all the benefits. Test. Before making a financial commitment, perform a test at your construction jobsite to make sure the technology does what you expect it to. Hardware and accessories. Evaluate all aspects of the solution, including details like power requirements and management, to prepare for a proper rollout. Decide who will set up your solution. Will it be done entirely in-house or does your agreement include assistance from your vendor? Regardless, assign a dedicated site, trailer and office contact to fully own and manage the set-up. Maintenance and support. Don t wait until an emergency to test the support process. It s critical to inquire about and document processes before full implementation in case of power outages, vendor upgrades or maintenance requests. 6

7 3 Insights. Data can be your company s most important asset that is, if you can glean insights from it. Many companies understand the value of collecting data, but are unable to drive business impact from it. ACTIONABLE: Does your technology support fast decision-making? Custom reporting. Can you create reports to pull the specific insights that are important to your project or your business? Easy to access. Look for reporting functionality that is easy to access and consume via a customizable dashboard. Do reports include colorful graphs and charts that make the information easier to digest? Can you dig deeper into the raw data if you want to? Data is just one part of it; context is the other. Can you make decisions from the data points you see in the reports and dashboards? Does it share the full context of the information, including trends and analysis? To fully leverage data, companies must evolve from the mindset that only data scientists can access and analyze reports. This starts with making data accessible across your organization. It also means data needs to be relatable and memorable for all: after all, 65% of people are visual learners. Moving away from raw data and Excel spreadsheets to powerful data visualizations, such as dashboards rich with graphics and callouts for key metrics, is critical. Shareable. Solid reports will drive productive business conversations. Look for reports that are easy to download or share with your team, and are accessible from any device. 7

8 Selecting technology that is both intuitive and useful for end users is critical to seeing a true return on your investment. When technology is engaging and exciting for your entire team, and you re leveraging it to its full capabilities, that s when you begin to see a true cultural and organizational shift. To do this, take an employee-centric approach to adoption. Walk through the employee s daily experience with the new technology. Address their needs and questions, with the goal of making it a seamless, informative and exciting experience. The system should be something that will develop their 8 4 Internal MAKE IT MATTER: Drive user interest and excitement skills, streamline daily tasks, and ultimately make them better at their job. Education and onboarding. Are you educating your workforce about the benefits of the new technology and providing them with the necessary training to experience its benefits? Create an onboarding document for each technology roll-out that is easy to digest, share and reference. You can have the greatest technology stack out there on paper, but if nobody at your organization is using it, or even aware of it, you re going to have a hard time getting management to approve future purchases. communication. Your internal users need to be marketed to just as much as your outside customers. This includes collecting worker feedback, such as frequently asked questions, future product releases and updates, and suggestions for additional technologies. Additionally, capture and share success stories to show how technology has streamlined a worker s day or increased safety on the jobsite. Incentive. Employees across all industries and all roles struggle with change management. It s normal behavior; sometimes people need a nudge to get out of their comfort zone. Inspire your workers to try something new with incentives, such as bonuses or special recognition.

9 5 how As technology becomes more sophisticated, it also becomes increasingly specialized. That means there s an increased need for solutions to play well with each other. For example, one software may be exceptional at project management, while another is best at tackling your site safety and worker productivity data collection. Ideally these software programs and systems should integrate, allowing you to use the best tools in their respective niches. Additionally, your technology solution should customize to your business needs, from custom fields and configurations to intuitive reporting. If you find YOUR TECHNOLOGY, YOUR BUSINESS: Plan, and work the way you need to work. yourself needing to build a bespoke version from the ground up to support your use case, then it s not the right fit for you. Third-party integration. Look for solutions with open API functionality, allowing it to easily integrate with third-party technologies. Open APIs are those available to anyone, allowing developers of all types to work with the code and customize it as needed. Project scalability. Think long-term. Your solution may fit your current project needs, but what happens if you add in multiple projects, different materials or construction types? What does it look like as your project grows to become more complex? No surprises. Know what you re buying and avoid hidden costs. For example, understand software licensing works, and if it s you or the vendor that manages that procurement process. Know which services, maintenance and support are included with your hardware purchase or lease. Don t assume that support is free; most companies support a limited number of hours or days of the week. Avoiding vendor lock-in. Does your provider enable you to use common standards and protocols? If you choose to switch providers down the road, what will the cost and effort of migrating look like? Custom configurations. Look for solutions that enable you to customize your setup. You may wish to push out these configurations per user or per project site. This may include access, security controls and data sharing rights. 9

10 Technology to connect your workforce and promote a safety-first culture The right construction technology will accelerate your processes and perform well on a fast-moving, rugged jobsite. spot-r by Triax delivers compact, networked wearable devices, designed to be worn by every worker on your jobsite. spot-r provides instant instantly report site hazards or non-slip, trip or fall injuries. Custom reporting. A cloud-based dashboard securely aggregates your spot-r safety and productivity data. It s easy to filter reports by location, accident type, trade or worker, and share in just a few clicks. visibility into what s happening with your workforce: where workers are located, what time they arrived, when they leave, and if they experienced a slip, trip or fall while on site. Receive real-time alerts, jobsite hazard reports and even send out a call for evacuation in the event of an emergency all through a secure, compact, non-gps device. Total workforce visibility. Now, you can stay in the know about jobsite activity, even if you aren t physically there. Remove the hassle of timecards and manual worker counts, with automated badge in and badge out. Safety first. Track slip, trip and fall incidents in real-time and enable faster response time to potential injuries. The spot-r self-alert button also gives workers the ability to 10 See the big picture. Integrate your spot-r data into your preferred project management system for a holistic view of your operations without data double-entry. The support you need. spot-r technicians will take the lead with set-up by first installing a wireless mesh network on your site, preventing power loss or data disruptions. And they ll continue to maintain and monitor your network and devices to ensure seamless connectivity, unprecedented worksite visibility and a safer project overall. FUTURE-PROOF YOUR JOBSITE Stay connected to your workforce with spot-r by Triax. To learn more visit or contact us at info@triaxtec.com.