The benefits of digital construction are well-practiced – investing in such technology pays off in the long run – but hurdles remain. What is preventing some contractors from improving profit margins, collaboration, time efficiency and productivity?
Operational barriers to digital adoption
Because of the structure of the industry, there are 4 systemic barriers to digital adoption that can be identified:
Fragmentation: Because projects tend to be segmented and distributed among small groups of specialist contractors who work separately on "isolated" tasks, unified work flows can be seen as difficult to deliver. Within these silos, there is likely to be a lack of insight into the overall organizational structure, which makes it more difficult to pull everyone in the same direction. Therefore, careful coordination is crucial in order to implement digital collaboration between all parties involved in the project.
Decentralization: It's not just separate companies that have difficulty coordinating. Sole builders can also have dismantled silos. Larger companies in particular may be highly federalized, with separate divisions operating independently and independently.
Digital building tools should not be considered off limits due to decentralization and fragmentation. Instead, digitization provides an excellent solution to these problems. Storing all of your project data on a single cloud-based system like Zutec's makes collaboration simple. No matter how complex your project or organization, features like document sharing, notifications, custom workflows, and real-time releases will improve communication and productivity.
Uniqueness: Because no two construction projects are the same, there is an assumption that the systems used in one project will not be relevant in the next. But there are techniques and methods available that can (and will) be used frequently. In the case of Zutec, the digital modules are customizable and can therefore be tailored to fit your unique project, whatever that entails.
Transit: Within construction, it is typical for professionals to get together and work on a single project and then break up. This high level of employee turnover means that people have less time to adapt to the specific processes of your organization. As with decentralization and fragmentation, digital tools should be seen as the solution in this case rather than the problem. Zutec systems are incredibly easy to use and will actually help recruits in the short term adapt more quickly to your methods.
As other parts of the supply chain transition to digital operations, day-to-day tasks like invoicing will become much easier to handle if you're also on the digital train. Companies should not underestimate the appetite and adaptability of their workforce to digitization.
Choose Zutec
Cloud-based Zutec modules provide easy collaboration on everything from CDE and field management to delivery and BIM. Extremely easy to use and compatible with standard smartphones, tablets and laptops, Zutec systems require no undue investment in training or hardware. Each module can be customized to your specific project for maximum efficiency.
In short, if you thought the barriers to benefits of digital construction software were insurmountable, you haven't tried Zutec.