Have you reached critical mass?
When does it make sense to transition to digital tools?
Technology is taking over. All industries are utilizing new apps, robots and self – driving cars to grease their production. Construction in particular has seen an incredible spike in adopting cloud – based tools in the last few years. We bet just today you received an invitation to download a set of plans via a shared link. In 2017 Sage Construction and Real Estate completed a survey of 1,300 firms to gauge their plans to utilize cloud – based programs and found 85% of respondents did intend to use software applications.
When does it make sense to transition from analog to digital? The answer has a real impact on time and dollars. You aren’t choosing which style of coffee cup to have in the break room. You are deciding whether to invest in a product that will help your employees more efficiently do their jobs. But, as the head honcho, you are also wondering if you can still generate value with your current tool set and reserve the expenditure.
ORGANIZATIONAL TRIGGER POINTS
Multiple Locations
When your organization has multiple offices or project locations, a central point of reference is key to keep all parties on track and up - to - date with current information. This can be very difficult to do if and when your project management teams are spread across zip codes.
Accessibility is crucial to remote teams, remote employees and job site trailers. It eliminates delays and allows employees to make quick decisions. Readily available information greases the wheels. Cloud – based programs are a bit like magic – you click on a button and all of a sudden, the information appears. Your employees are not restricted by VPNs or physical servers.
Your Workforce is Tapped Out
Labor is expensive. That’s okay. When you have added all the staff you can but continue to feel overstretched, perhaps the release is digital.
Automation has a negative association is some forums. Automating repetitive tasks removes that task from a person, thereby possibly eliminating the need for a person altogether. This happens. However, automation through digital platforms also gives your organization time which it can divert to other revenue – producing activities.
Administrative Nightmare
How many hours a day do your employees spend performing administrative tasks? Are they frustrated?
If you find your organization spends a lot of non-billable time scanning, emailing, collating, filing, re-sending, and following – up on completion dates, perhaps a digital tool is the correct move. Most SaaS platforms will do the administrative tasks automatically. You enter the information and the system takes care of the rest.
Stretched Thin
Construction is booming across the country. You have been grinding away to get a piece of the pie. And you’re doing it.
This great fortune has also tapped your staff’s ability to monitor each project in - person. SaaS tools allow your project managers to take a higher view without losing sight of the details at each location. Online platforms consolidate data into similar sectors, tasks, deadlines, etc. which allow your employees to focus on the critical path, execute the task and quickly move to the next item.
When is it the right time to make the change? When you start to drop the ball. When you begin to miss deliverables, you reached capacity and need assistance.
There are many benefits to utilizing cloud – based applications: cost saving, real – time updates, increased accessibility, transparency and others. When considering whether it makes sense for your organization to make the investment, consider your current capacity and ability to execute. Spending the few dollars to automate a process may allow you to recover the cost ten-fold in new business. Take care to not be pennywise and pound foolish.