Let’s face it: Getting stuff done is hard. And getting stuff done in the face of today’s shortages, supply chain issues, and inflation is a daunting task for any construction company.  Automated construction progress tracking can help you finish projects faster.

Before we get into that, let’s take a closer look at what’s going on.

Skilled labor shortages

Less people from younger generations are choosing a trade or apprenticeship. As a result, the industry is facing a shortage of skilled workers to help complete project milestones. Without knowing how many people can get the work done (and get it done correctly), companies struggle to stay on track.

A less experienced workforce

Those who do choose to go into construction today are still green in their careers and don’t have the experience that seasoned employees do. This creates a learning curve and requires additional time needed to get them up to speed.

More design changes

Unpredictable factors create unpredictable change—and change requires an added degree of flexibility for the project to adapt to the circumstances. As a result, companies are seeing more design changes come through, and the need to stay on top of assessing and documenting them.

Issues in the supply chain

Speaking of unpredictable, the industry ha seen an influx in supply chain issues, causing delays in shipments and—in some cases—a limited supply of the necessary materials available.

Rising inflation

Across every industry, prices are going up. Companies must now reconcile their bids and project scopes to maintain profitability.

Doing more with less

When the going gets tough, construction stays tougher. The industry is no stranger to uncertainty. Now more than ever, companies need to pinpoint areas of improvement and streamline their processes to maximize efficiency.

With all these factors weighing on a project’s productivity, the margin for error is very low—which means operational excellence is critical for success. Many projects get to a certain stage or near completion, but struggle to accurate assess what’s happening (or not) to get the rest of the way there.

Almost done isn’t done.

If the last 10% of a milestone takes more than 20% of the time—that’s a big, potentially costly, problem.

That’s where automated construction progress tracking comes in. With the right technology in place, companies can save 25% of superintendents’ and field teams time that would otherwise be spent on tracking progress and bringing everyone on the same page. That’s less time in meetings and back-and-forth conversations, more time building.

4 ways automated construction progress tracking can help:

1. Increase trade flow

Real-time automated construction progress tracking gives everyone on a project visibility into the current state, without the need for individual communication. This ensures the project moves as quickly as it can and prevents trade stacking.

2. Proactively address issues

Stay on top of milestones with the ability to forecast and predict any slowdowns before they happen—instead of catching them after it’s too late. By automatically capturing more than 75 stages of construction, automated construction progress tracking technology can spot potential issues more efficiently in real time.

3. Manage cash flow

By providing accurate and automated cost budget analysis, companies are able to better understand their project and where it stands with the budget. When unforeseen factors or delays hit, you want all the knowledge and numbers you can get to properly adapt and minimize the impact.

4. Show, don’t tell

In construction, communication can be slow and sparse. Automated construction progress tracking gets everyone on the same page without having to meet to discuss. Having a digital surveyor gives everyone the information and insights they need to collaborate faster—without relying on project resources to collect and report on it.

No matter what gets thrown at the construction industry, a company needs to be resilient and smart to see success on the other side. Companies who invest in the right tools that save time and automate processes have the advantage of receiving data and insights in real time. The faster something is flagged, the faster it can be fixed.

Want to learn how Scripps Health and McCarthy Building Companies are automating construction progress tracking to increase project visibility? Register for our upcoming webinar Almost Done, Isn’t Done.

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