Connecting construction projects, teams and businesses is a worthy endeavor. Breaking down information and communication silos, as well as connecting teams and data helps to reduce rework, delays and risk while gaining valuable insight and visibility into the entire building process. But contractors still have a long way to go to bring this concept into a reality that permeates the industry.
New workflows and technologies have generated unprecedented volumes of data and, according to FMI, 95% of data captured in construction and engineering industry currently goes unused. Disconnected people and information will continue to hinder firms and projects across the sector. It’s time to address these gaps and seize the future of connected construction to help mitigate the disruption caused by the pandemic, build resiliency and ensure the industry is prepared to act on the vast opportunities that connected construction will bring.
One fundamental opportunity is the introduction of better integrated workflows across the entire project lifecycle. Whether it’s setting teams up for success using risk management tools during preconstruction or delivering a data-rich handover to owners, companies can enhance critical workflows with digital tools that connect information—and people across the different phases of a project.
Simultaneously, connected construction can also enable the industry to make greater use of advanced analytics. Data holds the insights to drive better outcomes across projects and throughout companies, and new analytical tools are helping firms to extract and collate information more easily. In turn, leaders have a more holistic and historical view of data and, more importantly, what that data means and what should be done, if anything, as a result. With connected construction, firms can turn real-time data into actionable insights, empowering the industry to learn from the past.
Connected construction can also enable firms to take advantage of entirely new methodologies, such as prefabrication, that require an advanced level of communication and collaboration. Prefabrication delivers greater certainty on schedules and budgets, increased productivity and reduced disruption onsite, as illustrated by the rapid health care projects delivered in 2020. So how does connected construction become a reality? To fully actualize and implement connected construction, the industry’s digital transformation must be underpinned by a strategy to connect people, workflows and data.
First, the very foundation of connected construction is a common data environment (CDE). Establishing a CDE is critical for organizations to break down siloes and disconnected processes. Centralizing data gives decision-makers access to key information and the analytics that will enable the organization to drive continual improvements.
In addition to leveraging a centralized platform for data, empowering our workforce with new skillsets will be equally as important. As a result of the global pandemic, we’ve seen the skillsets required from employees shift—whether it’s the need for remote collaboration or training in new software. Providing workers with digital skills will help them adapt to the jobs of the future. At the same time, the companies that empower employees with this kind of environment will attract, retain and develop the very best talent and, ultimately, win.
Another foundational block of connected construction lies in the cloud. Cloud-based technology provides a single source of truth across all project activities, connecting teams for more effective and efficient collaboration—often leading to digital workflows that are deeply integrated with one another. Fully integrated workflows can not only improve productivity, but drastically reduce data loss across the lifespan of a project.
Finally, connected construction isn’t only about technology—it’s about the culture of the industry. Leaders must foster collaboration throughout the building lifecycle, across different stakeholders, organizations and teams. That means becoming comfortable with the greater degree of transparency provided by technology. It’s also about sharing and managing risk in more intelligent, data-driven ways. It means enabling owners, general contractors and specialty contractors to think holistically about projects and acknowledging the interconnectedness of the design, plan, build and operate phases.
5 Benefits of Connected Construction
1. Real-time updates to minimize risk and issues onsite, with a single log-in: With access to real-time information whether its RFIs, submittals, or plans project stakeholders can feel confident that they are working off the latest data set, which will minimize errors and risk onsite. This will also increase response times, streamlining the construction process. With information accessible to the entire team, there is a sense of visibility into issues before they happen.
2. Interoperability between tools eliminating redundancy and increasing quality: Connected construction minimizes risk by automating how information is shared, eliminating the duplication of tasks. With an integrated and connected platform, information can be updated once instead of toggling between systems, minimizing data loss and saving time and resources. By connecting tools, data can easily be shared across teams creating a centralized hub with project information increasing efficiency and quality.
3. Better and more informed decision making: With information connected on a single platform, the approval process is smoother, and there is accountability across stakeholders. Teams can coordinate and communicate more seamlessly, allowing for issues to be resolved earlier in the project lifecycle and provide greater value to the Owner.
4. Seamless communication and collaboration across all stakeholders: Connected construction can remove or limit any loss in communication or data, allowing for a seamless transition of information across project stakeholders from design to engineering to construction. Connected workflows increase response times and visibility into discussion points, creating faster decision making.
5. Reduced construction conflicts and project costs: Connected construction improves project outcomes by aligning stakeholders at the onset of the project on end goals and requirements. Having all team members armed with as much knowledge on the project helps keep the project on track and anticipate potential issues.
Sources: https://www.constructionexec.com/ https://constructionblog.autodesk.com/
