Change is coming.
As more construction companies get onboard with technology being interwoven into their daily work, it’s important that there’s a plan in place to accommodate that adoption. Let’s walk through the best ways to prep for Construction Tech (Con-Tech) in 2019.
Are You Connected?
First of all, tech isn’t just for the home office. It’s benefits off-site are more valuable than at headquarters. When moving into the field, it’s important to make sure you’re able to connect your devices. Big data delivered in-real-time is a trend we’re watching for 2019, but real-time requires fast connections, both at the trailer and on the jobsite. The first step is to know how much bandwidth your jobsite will require.
Talk to Your Team
What would make their jobs easier? What’s missing that’s easy to implement? Are there programs that could dramatically improve your productivity?
Knowing what your team needs allows you to better prepare to maximize efficiency and reduce delays in the field. Pain points, recurring issues, and confusion are all items easily resolved with the right tech application.
Have a Deployment Strategy
According to Tannis Liviniuk from the Construction Cloud Webinar on Tech Implementation, there are three phases of deployment: people, tech, and process. And all three must be accounted for in order for a successful implementation of new technology.
1. Process
Know where you’re headed with technological implementation. The beauty of technology is its ability to augment existing processes to boost efficiency while improving cost-effectiveness.
A few places where tech helps your team along:
- Robots for repetitive tasks
- Drone scouting in dangerous areas
- GPS fleet tracking
- VR/AR applications for preconstruction and real-time changes
There are many opportunities for tech to reduce the strain on your team while reducing the amount of rework or time wasted. The money saved is greater than the investment paid.
2. Select Your Tech
You’ll want to focus on desired outcomes, what your team needs to make them most successful and evaluate on the potential contribution to success from the tech you’re considering. What will most effectively solve your pain at the best price? Be wise to select technology that is compatible with systems you’re already using unless you plan to invest in all new systems.
3. People
Your people are the final piece of this deployment strategy. Encouraging your tech heroes to get buy-in from the rest of the company will make the transition easier. A good way to get buy-in is to explain the value of the investment in new technology.
They’ll need awareness of the problems that require immediate solutions, and understanding of how deploying particular technologies will help maximize their effectiveness, and the skills to implement the changes as the organization sees fit.
Leave Room in the Budget
Designate funds toward boosting efficiency through technology. Data will become a huge part of construction in 2019, and if you’re not leveraging the information you gather, you’re missing opportunities that competitors are sure to grab. And while you’re preparing for next year… check out our forecast for Con-Tech 2019!
