The past two-years have done much to push technology forward in the construction sector. Organisations are actively investing in digitals tools and, more crucially, skills.

In this blog from Bluebeam, James Chambers, Director – Global Industry Development at Nemetschek Group, outlines how there are digital solutions on offer that can make a difference to businesses, no matter what their strategic goals may be.

Before making this investment, there are some key tasks that organisations must tackle right at the beginning no matter their size:

  • Develop a basic understanding about how digital tools are being used to improve construction
  • Audit internal skillsets to understand the digital capability of teams and individuals
  • Carry out a market assessment to see what is available, taking particular care to look at where solutions may overlap.

It is only after these steps are complete that you think about implementing change in your organisation.

Any size of business can join in

Construction subject matter experts (SME) are facing significant pressure, with material shortages, extreme price volatility and legislative change all having an impact. But implementing new software doesn’t have to involve huge expense. Small, simple tools can deliver significant improvements.

The first step is for clients to look at their overall strategy and ask some initial questions:

  1. What are they trying to achieve as an organisation?
  2. How can technology help them achieve these goals?
  3. Is there something available “off the shelf,” or do they need something more tailored?
  4. Can this solution be scaled up or down depending on the business need?

Being clear about this means they are more likely to implement the right solution, avoiding unnecessary cost and project complications.

Managing the journey

Organisations must also know how to engage with their people and supply chains to implement any new solutions. Without buy-in from the full project team, it is difficult to achieve the expected benefits.

For example, public sector organisations and large asset owners can use procurement to drive the behaviours that they want to see. There is no reason this shouldn’t stipulate what technology should be used.

A robust communication plan targeting both the internal team and supply chain team can ensure that this works successfully and results in positive adoption rates.

It is also important for organisations to understand best practice for when a solution has been implemented. There is a huge amount of focus on data management, both in terms of accessibility within organisations (to improve transparency and drive better decision-making) and in its ability to be shared along the “golden thread” (from design through to construction, handover and O&M).

Organisations that think about creating standards around the technology or solutions right at the beginning of the process will often find accelerated rates of adoption, a greater ROI and other value.

Software is perfectly placed to build audit trails, identify and manage risks, ensure compliance and ultimately drive project takeaways to make projects more efficient and better in quality and value.

Whatever the strategic goals of the business, there is software that can make a difference.

Start small – with simple tools and it will not be long before you achieve significant improvements and companies can start on their journey toward digitisation.

Find a partner

Finding a technology provider who will partner with the business and is able to adjust their solution to fit the culture and needs of the business can help organisations to achieve a much faster return on investment.

Key areas of support include training and implementation, such as translating existing workflows into a digital process and setting relevant key performance indicators (KPI) to ensure that the solution drives the relevant business improvements.