Leveraging Your Project with Construction Technology
Simplify construction using tools that put YOU in charge.
Today’s Overview:
At the end of the day, I believe we all seek similar goals: 1) Deliver predictable outcomes, 2) to have control over our schedules, 3) the luxury of time to concentrate on what’s crucial, such as solving problems, planning strategically, & building strong relationships, and 4) to enjoy the process, after all, we’re building some amazing things!
High-leverage construction technology empowers project teams to do just that. Here I provide a comprehensive look at how applying the concept of 'leverage' in the construction industry can revolutionize your project outcomes.
This piece explores how cutting-edge construction technologies can minimize manual work, streamline processes, and boost overall efficiency. The benefits? You get to save time, reduce costs, and stay ahead in the competitive market.
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Leveraging Your Project with Construction Technology
Project Managers in the construction industry traditionally have three choices when their team is overloaded with work:
Hire more people – but given the widespread labor shortages in the construction industry, this isn't always viable.
Push the existing workforce harder – a risky play, especially when replacing them if they burn out would be challenging.
The third and, in my opinion, the best choice – leverage technology to allow your team to work more efficiently. This means achieving the same or greater output with less input.
Why lean towards technology? Because I believe we all share similar goals:
Deliver predictable and consistent outcomes
Having the autonomy to manage our own schedules
The luxury of time to concentrate on what’s crucial: solving problems, strategic thinking, & building strong relationships
And to enjoy the process, after all, we’re building some amazing things!
More and more, I think the answer to achieving these goals lies in creating leverage in everything we do. This means structuring your operations to achieve a higher output per unit of input.
Leverage in this context extends beyond efficiency. It's about maximizing the impact of your resources, be it time, money, or production, to amplify your efforts and achieve greater outcomes.
If you've ever felt that there's room for improvement in your project management or if you're just curious about how you can do more with less, then keep reading!
We will dive into the concept of leverage, explore how it differs from efficiency, and then consider how you can harness specific construction technologies to optimize both your time and project outcomes.
Leverage vs. Efficiency
Efficiency and leverage are related concepts, but they are not the same.
Efficiency is about doing a specific task or process in the best possible way with the least waste of time and effort. It's about optimizing an existing system, process, or resource.
Don’t get me wrong, efficiency is very important. I dedicated an entire piece on how we can maximize efficiency in my Lean Construction Playbook.
In contrast, leverage is about maximizing the impact of a particular resource to achieve a greater outcome. While efficiency is about "doing things right," leverage is about "doing the right things".
Efficiency helps you to make the most of what you have, and leverage helps you to achieve more with the same amount of resources.
The Principle of Leverage
Consider this basic equation: Input + System = Output
The “Input” here is the physical and mental effort you are putting in to run your systems.
The "System" here are the assets on your project – the platforms, processes, tools, inventory, and ideas you've built to achieve your goal.
When seeking larger outputs (like better quality, more free time, or a desired outcome), it's easy to assume that a proportional increase in input is necessary.
However, what we often overlook are the changes we can make to the system itself to make it more efficient - that is where leverage comes into play.
When your system lacks leverage, it feels like riding a bicycle in first gear on flat land. You're pedaling like hell (and you're moving!) but you're not progressing as quickly as you'd expect.
But when your system has leverage, it's like riding a bicycle in fifth gear – each pump of your legs results in a single, smooth rotation of the wheel. You're going further, faster – and it almost feels effortless!
The more leverage you have, the more quickly you can achieve outsized results. Leverage is what software and technology do best!
Benefits of Construction Technology
Construction technologies can help you steer away from the old, manual, and repetitive processes and pave the way to a more efficient, automated, and streamlined way of managing construction.
Software and technology act as force multipliers, enabling people and businesses to achieve more with their existing resources, in turn creating significant leverage.
Technology in construction helps in various ways:
Automation: Software can automate repetitive tasks, which reduces the time and effort required to perform them. This allows PMs and teams to focus on higher-value activities.
Scalability: Technology enables processes to scale seamlessly. Once a system or process is digitized, it can be duplicated or expanded with minimal effort or resources.
Collaboration: Technology makes it easier for everyone involved in the project to collaborate more quickly and effectively.
Precision + Accuracy: Software can perform tasks with high levels of precision and accuracy, reducing errors that cost time and resources.
Real-time Information: Technology provides real-time data and insights, allowing for more informed business decisions.
Accessibility: Cloud-based technologies allow for anytime, anywhere access to data and resources. Teams can have real-time data at their finger tips.
Getting the Most from Your Project with Construction Technology
The following section introduces you to various construction technologies and their benefits across different aspects of construction management.
Even if you're already using some of these, understanding their underlying success factors will help you maximize their leverage potential.
We'll examine the different aspects that constitute the 'system' delivering the outcome, including:
Personal Productivity Tools
Field Management Processes
Cost Management Processes
Pre-Construction Processes
Payments & Contract Processes
1. Personal Productivity
A construction project is only as strong as its people managing it. In order to manage and lead effectively, the people on site need to be focused, organized, and efficient.
This involves focusing on the right tasks at the right moment, all while managing multiple responsibilities. Sure, you can certainly achieve this with a good old fashion to-do list in your notebook. However, once you add software to the mix, you now have the gift of leverage.
Notion: A software powered workspace where you can write notes, manage tasks, create to-do lists, and organize projects. It's flexible so you can set it up in a way that works best for you. Great for managing your workflow and prioritizing tasks.
Evernote: An app for taking notes. It lets you save information easily and find it quickly. You can add pictures, scanned documents, and set reminders.
OneNote: An app for writing down and organizing your ideas. It's like a binder with sections and pages that you can share with others, especially useful if you use other Microsoft products.
Key Drivers:
Easy to capture information and tasks on the fly
Streamlined workflow for better task management
Allows for accessibility of data and project details on any device
Functions as your “Second Brain”
Lets you categorize your notes with unlimited folders that you can sort and search
2. Field Management Processes
Have you experienced the infamous field-to-office communication dilemma?
A frequently occurring bottleneck in construction that holds teams back from peak efficiency is how information is communicated between the office and field.
This can range from nonexistent to painfully disorganized. This is where technology becomes an invaluable tool, drastically enhancing communication efficiency.
A) Scheduling
Disperse Lookahead: My personal favorite. Lookahead turns your weekly planning into a streamlined workflow. Just drag & drop pre-configured task sequences onto the dates and spaces where your subs should be working.
Disperse Impulse: Goes hand-in-hand with Lookahead. Impulse is designed to monitor project progress automatically using images and AI. Increases leverage by reducing manual checks, giving project managers real-time updates, saving time, and catching potential issues early.
TouchPlan: A collaborative digital pull planning tool where everyone involved can see and update the project's status. Easily manage projects and individual pull plans with an intuitive, simple interface.
Allucent.io: A project scheduling tool that offers complete collaboration and resource management. Bringing short-term planning, project document and constraint tracking, and project health dashboards together. Integrates with major scheduling and PM systems.
*Note: These scheduling software’s all fit well into The Last Planner System.
B) Material Procurement
Tough Commerce: A supply chain management tool specifically designed for construction projects. Helps suppliers, producers, distributors and manufacturers in construction to automate processes, reduce costs and grow sales through digitization.
StructShare: A construction purchasing platform that centralizes ordering, invoicing, and payment, making it easier to manage procurement. The leverage here comes from streamlining procurement tasks, minimizing paperwork, and providing real-time cost tracking.
Kojo: One solution to plan, purchase, track, receive, and pay for your materials. Source trade specific building material with preferred vendors and see current product availability, pricing, specifications, and photos.
C) Quality Management Software
Procore: A cloud based construction management platform that consolidates project data, facilitates team collaboration, streamlines workflows, and supports informed, real-time decision-making.
PlanGrid: Provides real-time access to blueprints, punch lists, and other project documents, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
D) Information Management Software
Taliho QR Codes: A document storage platform with a revolutionary twist tailored for the construction industry. Remote users with mobile devices simply scan and instantly retrieve the information they are seeking - without having to burden the PM, or stop work waiting for it.
Box.com: Offers cloud storage for easy document sharing and collaboration.
Key Drivers:
Mobile Access: Enables access from anywhere, fostering prompt decision-making.
Task Management: Helps track, delegate, and prioritize tasks effectively.
Document Control: Provides a centralized place to manage and share documents.
Quality Control: Includes tools for tracking and improving project quality.
Issue Tracking: Allows for easy reporting, tracking, and resolving of issues.
Integrations: Seamlessly integrates with other software and tools.
Analytics & Reporting: Provides insights to drive project efficiency and performance.
Offline Access: Ensures that work can continue even without internet connection.
Easy to Use: User-friendly interface to enhance productivity and minimize learning curve.
Scalability: Scales to accommodate project size and complexity.
3. Cost Management Processes
No more struggling with Excel spreadsheets for budget and change order tracking. They're time-consuming and prone to errors.
Software for cost management brings new benefits like improved accuracy, clear transparency, flexible cost categorization and display options, and easy contract auditing.
Better financial data leads to quicker, smarter decisions and flexible problem-solving.
Extracker: An easy way for construction teams to communicate & track change orders. Fully automated, always up-to-date COR Log. Dedicated field app replaces carbon copy T&M tags. Convert T&M into fully-priced CORs with 1 click.
Knowify: Easily create change orders for your contracts, including any documentation, breakdowns, and backup documentation required by your customer. Keep all these change orders organized, with status tracking.
CMiC: Provides a single, centralized location for all project and financial data, improving financial oversight.
Key Drivers:
Reporting Features: Generate insightful reports on financial status and trends.
Forecasting Tools: Predict future costs based on current data.
Change Order Management: Streamline the approval process of change orders.
Budgeting Tools: Create, adjust, and track budgets effectively.
4. Pre-Construction Processes
Managing pre-construction estimating and bidding is complex and time-consuming, especially with multiple ongoing projects. There's a lot of detail to track, and it often involves collaboration from multiple teams.
Software gives you the ability to automate a lot of this workload, freeing up time to focus on doing your best work. These digital tools can also minimize mistakes, keeping you competitive by allowing you to pursue more bids. More opportunities could lead to more successful projects.
Sparkel.io: Easy and powerful way to interpret construction drawings. Sparkel’s AI identifies all elements across design documents and makes them available for internal and external collaboration.
STACK Construction Technologies: Pre-construction in the cloud. Manage documents, specs, takeoffs, and detailed cost estimates/proposals while collaborating in real-time.
PlanHub: An all-in-one hub for project leads, networking, bid management, take-off, and insights.
ConstructConnect: Streamlines the pre-construction process with its extensive network, enabling easier sourcing of projects and bids.
Key Drivers:
Integration with Design Tools: Seamless integration with CAD or BIM software is crucial for a smooth workflow.
Customizable Bid Templates: The software should allow you to create and reuse bid templates for different projects to save time.
Tracking and Reporting: Detailed tracking of bid histories and success rates, and the ability to generate comprehensive reports.
Document Management: An effective system for storing, organizing, and accessing various pre-construction documents like bids, plans, and specs.
5. Payments & Contract Processes
AIA Contract Documents: Provides widely accepted standard form contracts and documents for construction and design, reducing legal risks.
Document Crunch: Uses AI to review and analyze construction contracts, offering insights and identifying potential issues.
Billd: Offers commercial subcontractors financing terms that finally align with their payment cycles.
Textura: Streamlines construction payment management, improving efficiency and visibility for contractors, subcontractors, and project owners.
GCPay: Automates the construction payment process, reducing paperwork and streamlining payment applications.
Key Drivers:
Automated Invoicing: Automation of the invoicing process to reduce administrative work and minimize errors.
Contract Management: A centralized place for storing and managing all contracts, with easy retrieval and review features.
Integration Capabilities: Seamless integration with other project management software or financial systems for better workflow.
Compliance Tracking: Capabilities to ensure all transactions are compliant with the agreed contracts and regulatory requirements.
Secure Payment Processing: Must facilitate secure transactions to maintain the financial integrity of the project.
Audit Trails: The system should maintain a clear, comprehensive audit trail of all transactions for accountability and future reference.
Final Takeaways
The leaps and bounds we've made in tech give us a golden chance to really make our resources work for us in construction. By choosing the right tools, and using them well, we can level up our project management game.
But remember, leverage isn't just about doing things the right way, it's about doing the right things.
Picking the right tech tools can supercharge what you're already doing, helping you achieve more with what you've got. I've been that project manager, swamped with manual tasks that eat away at my day, and I don’t want you to be in that position.
Lastly, the tech world is always evolving. New tools will pop up – stay on top of them, and if they fit your goals and needs, give them a shot. That's the ticket to steady growth, mastering the mayhem, and finding success in the world of construction management.
Until next week,
Kyle Nitchen
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Great post. I like how this starts with the "why" of time management. So important!