The major issues that are facing the construction industry are quality control, project efficiency and information management. So, the question is: How can digital products in the construction industry help address these key challenges?

Paperless Processes

Approximately 50 to 80% of problems on construction sites can be attributed to delayed or missing information. Project managers in the industry are using construction apps to combat this problem. With an app, you have a centralised system which can be assessed by multiple users from a variety of devices.

All important information can be stored in the software and have one centralised system which can be accessed by multiple users from a variety of devices. This can be updated in real time for any users that are connected to the devices. This paperless process also gives you a searchable audit trail. This will speed up your tracking information and retrieving past communication for accountability.

Many construction companies have a significant amount of field or mobile workers, many of those are already taking advantage of PM applications. Using these digital products, you and your team can work on-site with offline access and get instant updates as soon as you are able to reconnect to the internet. Using this system means no duplicate documents and stops your employees wasting time by chasing information from your clients. Construction management apps will increase your employees’ productivity and make organisation easier.

Smart Construction

Over a third of costs in construction projects are due to material waste and remedial work. The demand for efficiency has grown significantly because of this. With construction software that is updated in real-time, you can more efficiently organise your projects.

Logs, Site Diaries and Permits

Digital diaries are easily-shared, synchronised and have notifications or links to reminders. Using an app, you can easily search and share through site logs and project checklists. Because PM apps integrate with logs and digital diaries, you can quickly respond to any delays and re-schedule these tasks.

BIM

Since the introduction of BIM, its increase in popularity with 54% of construction professionals using BIM on at least some of their projects. Having access to your BIM files, on-site lets you and your team locate, track and resolve any on-site issues effectively.

Hazard & Defects Observations

When snagging hazards or defects, workers need to keep track of a significant amount of data. Your team will often have to issue an item number and list a note of the date or location of the issue. Management of construction site software will automate the snagging and speed up the process significantly. For example, a mobile app will automatically keep track of details such as geolocation, item number and date. Your workers will be able to quickly snap pictures of the problem and upload them to the relevant record. Any relevant files are then automatically uploaded and instantly accessible by other workers.

Safety Measures, Compliance and Project Security

By using a construction app, you can choose the required fields on reports and forms. This is great for organisation purposes, but it also reduced the chance of any on-site issues regarding safety. An app ensures all the necessary information is easily available so the relevant personnel can act quickly to solve the problem. This greatly reduces the risk of accident or injury by speeding up the safety process.

An additional benefit of a cloud-based system is knowing that all your data is backed up securely. You can customise access to specific screens based on the role of your employee. If necessary, you can also set up security measures such as a 2-step verification for projects with strict requirements for compliance.

Reporting, Analytics and Big Data

Digital workflows give you real-time data for reporting and analysis. You can use this data to visualise your progress in graphs, tables and dashboards. You forecast costs, track tasks and quickly identify areas where you need to act. You will also have access to advanced reporting where you can monitor employee performance and find new ways to increase efficiency and productivity.

It is a given that you can save money by monitoring data through software. By closely watching your data metrics, you can identify areas that are a major drain on your finances. For example: Let’s say the data shows that workers are often just standing waiting for a specific item to arrive to begin work. This means that you’re paying a lot for man hours that aren’t being used to get work done which is a financial drain on the project.

While it may seem counterintuitive to shell out money on construction management software to save money, that’s exactly what software can help you do. Construction software can help you become more organized, which keeps you on schedule and on budget.