6 Reasons Why Real-Time Data Is Relevant in Construction
6 Reasons Why Real-Time Data Is Relevant in Construction

6 Reasons Why Real-Time Data Is Relevant in Construction

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There are so many complex processes involved in construction. In a day, a lot of tasks need to be updated or completed. And during the process, small problems may be encountered that need to be solved quickly, otherwise, they can become serious troubles that would require so much effort, time, and money to fix. This is why real-time updates are essential in the industry. With so many people working on one phase, though, the dissemination of information may be slow. 

Now, this is where real-time collaboration tools in the form of construction software like Pro Crew Schedule become helpful. 

According to a study done previously by Dodge Data and Analytics, 91% of contractors and clients believed that an increase in collaboration reduces the risk in a construction project. Likewise, there are 61% of the respondents who claimed that delays in their project are related to mismanagement of schedules and timelines, which still boils down to poor collaboration and miscommunication.

But technology hasn’t fully been streamlined in the industry. On many occasions to several construction firms, workers still tend to work on old schedules because to them, the most common ways to increase collaboration are through meetings, phone calls, or emails. However, throughout the years we’ve been in the same business, we’ve seen that real-time technology and collaboration in construction are more effective.

The Complicated Structure of Construction

A typical pattern in construction that we see time and again is that every project has its unique feature and that each is treated well. During the bidding, various companies come together in order to provide their expertise and insights. One firm wins, but depending on the method of construction – design/build or design-bid-build – there needs to be outside consultants such as architects. And at the end of the project, the group is disbanded and is off to be part of another project. This cycle creates the need for subcontractors, general contractors, and the clients to be in sync with advisors such as architects and engineers.

That said, it isn’t easy to organize projects that require skills from various people on such a huge scale. The inability to organize them causes delays and budget overruns. But there are methods to improve the current way of doing things. These methods can significantly help make a difference in terms of time and cost spent on a project.

This is where real-time collaboration comes in. And you can easily achieve it with construction management software like Pro Crew Schedule.

 

Benefits of Real-Time Collaboration In Construction

1.Live updates to your schedule and tasks off-site

As mentioned earlier, meetings and emails are essential for information flow but they require a lot of time and planning, and by the time the information is distributed to relevant people, the information or data is days old.

Instead of wasting time on weekly meetings and daily tasks, one can use real-time collaboration technology to stay updated on tasks. There are various project management software solutions that provide you with the ability to monitor tasks on daily progress and a few of them provide real-time tech that keeps the schedule live. One of them and real competitive collaboration software is Pro Crew Schedule. Off-site and offices are connected through the software and that avoids the need to send out emails, calls between work and scheduling meetings.

2.Fast effective collaboration

Get your updates now. Learn about the progress now. Make changes now. That’s what real-time collaboration brings you. In various document management systems, the schedules are static. They need to be manually updated and then the updates need to be sent out to various people involved. This takes a lot of time.

In short, you can save time and provide your workers at site with new information at any time.

3.Fewer emails and calls

Through instant messages in real-time the need to send out emails decreases. There is also no need to call as the information is structured in such a way that the workers on-site can understand and update progress without resorting to the traditional method of calling.

4.Less administration and a full audit trail

Audit trail and record of variations are a must for any contractor and client. It justifies the resources and expenses incurred that were not part of initial budget planning. For a construction manager or project finance officer it is a daunting task to keep all the paperwork in order. Timesheets alone can drive you crazy.

This is where real-time technology comes to play. There is less paper work for managers if all tasks and changes are available in black and white for them to go through. Live updates make it easy to create reports and pdfs of the progress made and changes applied.

5.Improves the decision-making and problem-solving strategy

Real-time information and data can allow anyone at construction project sites to quickly make a decision or solve a problem.  No one will need to wait to get back to the office to find what they need or make a phone call to find the answer that they require, and instead can simply pull the information up on their phone or laptop.  This will keep everyone on task and allow them to continue working with minimal delays.

Construction companies are thriving with the capability of utilizing real-time data and information and that is going to be improving even more in the future as technology advances again.

6.Higher accuracy

Inaccurate data can cause any construction project to go past its deadline or go over budget, which is why companies are embracing real-time data and information.

Every company that utilizes technology that automatically creates the data needed will find that they rarely have information that is wrong. The newest technology allows companies to avoid inputting errors that have been created by humans for years.

Given the increased influence of standardization and modularization, it becomes evident that by creating the right context for sharing real-time information in construction, the sector comes a step closer to building with higher predictability in terms of timeline, budget, and resource management.

How companies can support the use of real-time information in construction

The construction industry is at the moment under a substantial paradigm shift as a result of the extreme pressure that has been put on it due to low productivity, high rework rates, and fragmented communication.

The good news is that construction companies can now take the situation into their own hands thanks to the rapid development of digital solutions. In a nutshell, here are some of the best ways for organizations to support the use of real-time information in construction:

Go mobile, go cloud!

The cloud is consistently gaining more traction, as it allows people to access any type of information that they need regardless of where they are.

Simply put, everyone at the job site, a customer’s location, and any other place can effortlessly find what they need in a short amount of time.

This allows people to avoid numerous phone calls when searching for a report that was printed on a piece of paper and keeps them from having people waiting because they need to return to their office to log onto their system.

Of course, the cloud is not a cure on its own. On the contrary, there should be a solid framework around it and a strong focus on data and the way both the field and office teams are working with it.

Various software solutions provide a supplementary benefit of using real-time technology and a reliable one is Pro Crew Schedule. Why? Well real-time collaboration becomes a data hub where all your actions and information are stored. This central hub then can be used to gain insights and overview of various tasks.

In short, you can gain valuable knowledge from your past actions. The data isn’t lost! And then improve the way you did things for future projects. Various software programs also offer the possibility to use tags and filter options – allowing managers to get a thorough understanding of the data.

Conclusion

The construction industry is considered one of the most complex industries. It requires a huge amount of effort at every stage of the project’s life cycle. It starts with contract submissions and ends with claims to variations that occurred during the development phase.

And the thing is that this is unavoidable but it doesn’t have to have budget overruns or ambiguous or late. It can all be achieved through an effective adaptation of technology such as Pro Crew Schedule construction management software. Real-time collaboration helps by managing schedules, gaining insights from tasks performed. What technology in return asks from clients and contractors is the effort to effectively implement it.

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