Construction companies can use technology to enhance nearly every facet of their business. From the field to the office, here are the top 10 applications in which construction companies are applying technology.
- Accounting: Accounting software helps you manage revenue and expenses. Some accounting software will integrate with other technologies, such as labor and vendor management software. By integrating, you can automate processes that link payroll information or building supply orders to your accounting software. Automation decreases time needed to complete tasks and it increases accuracy by eliminating human error.
- Labor: Oftentimes, the project manager is responsible for reporting on employee attendance. But project managers have a lot of important tasks. Labor reporting apps help workers keep track of their hours. By setting up a geofence at the job site, you can see if people are checking in while on site.
- Vendor management: Good vendor management software tracks order history and allows the end-user to input key vendor data, such as performance history, average delivery times, company viability and company profile. By adding and updating market information about your vendors, you can help avoid supply chain issues because of a vendor becoming financially unstable. The public perception of your vendors reflects on your company.
- Scheduling: Scheduling includes payroll, but also deliveries, equipment, site visits and project milestones. Find software that issues alerts for upcoming events and scheduling conflicts. New, generative scheduling software will automate calculations and make predictions about costs and completion times. Run several scenarios to see which one yields the most ideal timeline at the lowest project cost.
- Communication: Text is a popular communication tool on job sites. Job site noise can be too loud for phone calls and people respond too slowly to email. However, via text, you can accidentally text the wrong person and sending a message to multiple people can be a hassle. So, it’s better to use a communication tool where you can preload all the contact information and automate some processes.
- Fleet management: Fleet management software allows for equipment location tracking, equipment service history, alerts for upcoming service intervals and real-time machine data, such as engine use, fuel usage, machine power mode, fault code information and more. Use the reporting tool to organize the data so you can enhance fleet operations.
- Project documentation: Supervisors or project managers must document project details daily. However, they’re often too busy during the day and fail to recall all the essential information at the end of the day. Using a reality capture program will collect more data more accurately and in less than time than drafting daily reports. Drones or helmet-mounted cameras are a helpful solution, depending on the work.
- Takeoff/estimating: Takeoff software uses site photos and end-user input to generate building models and accurate quantities—right down to the number of screws needed. This data is crucial when drafting a bid, so move it into an estimation software, which attaches prices to all the qualities. The automatic calculations and data transfer make the process more efficient and accurate.
- BIM: Building information models (BIMs) are either 2D or 3D digital versions of a project. Companies create them during the planning stage. A 4D BIM shows how the model changes over time. They are useful to find architectural conflicts and as a tool for comparing it to the built structure to determine accuracy.
- Project management: This tool incorporates project documentation, communication, and scheduling. If it integrates with your accounting software, it makes financial reporting so much easier. The software provides project overview data and key performance data on an easy-to-read dashboard, so you can quickly determine job site status. Generate progress reports for company executives and the client.
Look into the aspects of your company that could benefit the most from adopting modern technology. Use benefit analysis, company skillset and cost to determine which technology to implement first. Then measure the results of that technology implementation to determine by how much its use is enhancing your business.
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