Throughout the last decade, innovations in digital transformation have rapidly captivated industries across the globe. Digital transformation technology and services global spending is expected to reach $3.4 trillion by 2026, up from $1 trillion in 2018 (Sava, Statista 2022).

As technological innovations reshape industries, construction has embarked on a transformative journey of its own. While the construction industry is reimagining traditional best practices and leveraging new technologies to manage processes, one of the most prominent changes is the adoption of cloud technology. With the power of the cloud, companies are digitizing multiple construction functions including process management, complex work management with multiple agents and stakeholders.

Work management platforms are an essential piece in cloud-led digital transformation. They function as a centralized hub where all project stakeholders — like owners, general contractors, and subcontractors — can coordinate and manage work details, for instance, submittal approval, construction schedule updates, and commissioning issues. By exploring how cloud-based work management software delivers improved communication, efficiency, security, and adaptability, we can understand how digital transformation reshapes work management.

Facilitate cross-team real-time communication

The cloud facilitates seamless collaboration and communication among project teams, even when personnel are split between on-site and off-site functions. The cloud provides a centralized location for tracking project-related information like documents, drawings, and checklists across teams so that project owners, general contractors, and subcontractors working in tandem can instantly access and update project data from different locations. With real-time data synchronization, stakeholders can make informed decisions from anywhere and minimize delays throughout the project lifecycle.

Suppose a team member flags an issue during regular quality control checks. On a cloud-based work management platform, project contributors can follow designated step-by-step processes for corrective action without using email or uncontrolled documents in Excel to track progress and open items. A cloud-based work management platform can save valuable time and effort by facilitating collaborative issue tracking and reducing information silos, as each stakeholder can view current status each time they view an issue.

Reduce manual data-entry errors

We all occasionally make mistakes. Cloud-based work management solutions cannot eliminate manual errors, but they represent an opportunity to reduce manual data entry — and, therefore, errors — by integrating solutions to transfer and synchronize data across platforms. Users only need a software-enabled device to input project data and check project status.

Field reports, for example, provide a comprehensive snapshot of project progress and resources to serve as a reference for future analysis. Field personnel may need to record data like workforce attendance, work performed, and safety incidents, every day. On a cloud-based work management platform, field personnel input this information directly into the platform from a software-enabled mobile device or tablet, eliminating the need for manual data transfer from paper documents or handwritten notes and reducing the potential for any data entry errors. Through the platform, this information is shared with managers for future analysis.

Most cloud-based work management solutions can integrate with other software applications integral to project management like design tools, building information modeling (BIM) software, scheduling tools, and progress billing software. However, it is essential to understand the level of integration offered by each work management platform and confirm that data can flow properly between solutions as not all software offers the same integration capabilities. 

Enhance security

Some users can be skeptical of security offered by cloud solutions, but the reality is that local on-premise solutions cannot compete with data center security in the event of breaches or loss.

The cloud creates an opportunity to bolster data integrity and security, as information is backed up regularly and stored across multiple servers to ensure redundancy and data availability. The redundancy of digital assets helps protect project data against loss in the event of accidental deletion, system failures, or damage to physical documents, which can be detrimental to project timelines.

Along with utilizing features like data encryption and user authentication to protect project data from unwanted access, Exto is a cloud provider that complies with VAPT security standards and regulations and has advanced security monitoring systems to detect and respond to potential external security threats.

Adapt to project requirements

Having software that can adapt to project demands on the fly is vital to the project landscape, especially since disruptions can cause costly construction delays and project overruns. Since infrastructure projects are nearly always one-of-a-kind undertakings with unique requirements, processes, and timelines, it can take time for firms to find a one-size-fits-all digital transformation solution. A cloud-based work management platform tackles this challenge, helping companies quickly create workflows and align resources with the requirements of different projects.

For instance, a company may use its cloud-based work management solution for a large project that necessitates information about project planning, like drawings, documents, and inspection and testing data to monitor quality control measures. For smaller projects, stakeholders may only want to use the platform for collaboration on daily reports, approvals, and sharing site photos. In these examples, a cloud-based work management platform can be configured to fit different project needs with the ability to utilize specific capabilities and leave out others. Companies don’t need to use different platforms for different project requirements.

Begin your digital transformation journey

Digital transformation continues to reshape the construction landscape and bring new opportunities to modernize traditional processes.

To learn more about how cloud-based work management software can become part of your digital transformation, connect with us today.

COVID-19 hit the global economy like a typhoon, wrecking everything in its wake, and it did not leave the construction industry unscathed. As the industry tries to pick up growth post-COVID, technological advancements are providing some respite.

We could all agree that technology is an ever-present force that drives change. Before modernization, construction was mainly a human labor-based process. The 20th century brought with it machines and materials that allowed the creation of immense skyscrapers and infrastructure on a scale never seen before.

Today, the construction industry is growing at a pace of 3.5% yearly according to a report on The Future of Construction published by Marsh & Oxford Economics. While this growth rate is reasonable, recent advances in emerging technologies can speed up the process by improving productivity. Technology such as cloud computing, BIM, and 3D printing are transforming the construction industry in ways not seen since the last productivity boom tapered off in the 1990s. These new technologies offer a new dimension of offerings and unlock new capabilities for stakeholders across the entire spectrum.

Simple work that would take workers dozens of hours can now be done in mere minutes as a result of emerging construction technologies. Only one thing remains constant and that is change.

Whether it’s basic technology like nail guns, massive machinery like cranes, or intricate emerging technology like augmented reality, tech has always transformed how construction works. Technology drives innovation in the construction industry and allows us to build things that weren’t possible before, in ways that we couldn’t imagine before, and in much faster time frames.

However, the global economy is still losing out on $1.6 trillion every year due to lagging productivity growth in construction, according to a report from McKinsey. The advances in technology have not been drastic enough, or maybe the construction industry isn’t adapting to cutting edge technologies fast enough to unleash growth.