The Future of Construction: Mobile

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Mobile technology isn’t a new concept for construction, but over the past 10 years, construction sites have changed dramatically, putting a stronger emphasis than ever before on mobile technology. There are multiple factors that are driving mobile at construction sites: larger mobile workforces, demand from leadership, and the need to have information instantly available to all levels of an organization. Leveraging mobile technology helps get the job done faster and better, reducing overall risk and cost. How? Mobile technology allows us to capture and consume information for every person on the job site. We’ve broken it down into three categories: speed, control, and accuracy.

Speed

Specifically in two areas: speed of work and speed of information (they go hand in hand). Construction sites are dynamic and constantly changing. As these changes occur information is created, information that other tasks are dependent on. The faster we can push this information to the contractors the faster they are able to complete their jobs. Mobile devices are used to capture these changes and to consume the updated information.

Control

Maintaining effective control of a job site requires you to have up-to-date information to make decisions and track progress. Understanding where you are is essential to know how close you are to the finish line. This type of thinking is causing executives to push new mobile tools into the workplace so that they can effectively capture the information they need to make decisions.

Accuracy

These days budgets are being squeezed more than ever before so that our margins are stronger. When you mix this with the fact that competition is driving prices down, it creates a paradox. Mobile technology helps this scenario because it increases our accuracy, therefore reducing risk and unnecessary spending. When every contractor is empowered to share and see the latest information you’ll be able to avoid unforeseen mistakes and costs.

According to JBKnowledge’s 2014 Construction Technology Report, 50.1% of construction professionals surveyed use a tablet for work purposes. Now, in 2016, we can expect this number to be closer to 60% and growing. Mobile technology is already a significant part of the construction site, but the impact of mobile will continue to grow, meaning that mobile will only be leveraged more in the future.

Construction Benefits Big With The Cloud

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We talk a lot about the cloud , but to refresh your memory the cloud is a network of servers, and each server has a different function. Some servers use computing power to run applications or “deliver a service”. A great example of a using the cloud is using FASTTAC; our customers do not have a need for local servers, instead, we take care of all of that heavy lifting for them.

So why does the construction industry care about the cloud? Because the cloud can simplify your life and business significantly. Anytime we talk about making something simpler, we’re talking about saving time and increasing efficiency, equating to money saved. Ultimately the construction industry cares about the cloud because of exactly that reason, it saves money. How? There are many ways, but here are four great reasons to leverage the cloud to save money for your business!

Simplicity

When we’re talking about construction, the last thing you’re thinking about is the amount of software and servers it takes to keep the business and operations executing efficiently. The reality is that it takes a lot of technology to keep a large construction operation going, and every time you implement new software you need to have the hardware and talent to support that software. Moving from physical servers and staff to the cloud means less time spent, more reliability, and a quicker roll out!

Management

Managers spend a lot of time tracking progress to ensure that the job is moving along. From tracking changes to the blueprints to controlling the budget, cloud-based software can take traditionally manual processes and streamline them. This type of software not only makes management easier, but it also can interpret that information into meaningful dashboards, giving us additional information to make high-impact decisions.

Access

Control access but also super-charge access. Physical documents and drawings are hard to control, but also hard to get. When using a cloud-based document management or drawing management system you can control who can access certain files, but also ensure that those who have access can see those files instantly.

Communication 

This is FASTTAC’s bread and butter. During the bidding phase of a project you’ve probably had a general contractor try to email a specialty contractor an updated blueprint, but the size of the file makes it nearly impossible. Moving files of this size can be painful, but dealing with out of date drawings is even more painful. When drawings are being served from the cloud, not only can all of your contractors easily access the drawing, but they can also see changes versions of the drawing as well as markups that have been made.