Blogs Archive - Page 13 of 23

Touchplan tops G2 relationship and momentum rankings as a construction project management leader

Touchplan – a web-based construction collaboration tool – has earned notable positions in G2’s Momentum Grid and Relationship Index for Construction Project Management Software, Summer 2020.

As one of the leading B2B peer-to-peer review sites, G2 represents the democratic voice of real users. The rankings and awards are typically representative of the actual prevailing trends in the market.

Touchplan Tops G2’s Relationship Index – Customer-Centric Services

G2’s Relationship Index is a benchmark for a company’s real-user satisfaction scores. It looks at the authentic reviews by G2 users to determine the level of buyer trust, the vendor’s ease of doing business, the quality of support for a product, and the likelihood for previous/current to recommend the product.

In the Summer 2020 Relationship Index, Touchplan earned an overall score of 91%—compared to the industry average of 76%. Users gave Touchplan a 92% for quality of support, 89% for ease of doing business, and 84% for likelihood to recommend.

Momentum Grid Report Winner – Touchplan on the Rise

The Momentum Grid Report looks at the aggregate growth of a product—including web, social, review, and employee growth. It acts as a benchmark for market trend analysis and product comparison. The idea is to help software buyers identify trending products and guide their buying decisions.

Touchplan led the Construction Project Management Software category with a Momentum Score of 76 and a Satisfaction score of 83. Combined, these scores accounted for an overall Momentum Grid Score of 79—6 points clear of the closest competitor.

According to one G2 user review,

The way you can control every activity (at each detailed level) is pretty good…Its functionality as a communication channel works pretty well…The user interface is great, and the touch functionality is so accurate for the daily work. It’s so practical and easy for the user to create and in general.”

This is a testament to the company’s commitment to exemplary services and seamless user experiences.

Future Outlook and Commitment

Touchplan is continually motivated to drive sustainable growth in the construction industry. Whether it’s encouraging a growth mindset through the recently launched TouchplanGO smartphone app, or offering welcomed solutions and strategies to help construction companies adapt to the COVID-19 crisis, Touchplan is a proud leader in the construction space.

See why Touchplan topped the Summer 2020 G2 charts.

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Already a Touchplan customer? Let the community and Team Touchplan know what you think.

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New feature alert: Update Touchplan on the GO

Touchplan has a new mobile app that makes it easy to see and update your project on the GO! TouchplanGO allows you to use your phone to quickly view tasks sorted by date, update status with simple swipes, and even call people working on a task.

TouchplanGO Sneak Peek

Select a project to view your tickets including those tickets that need to be done, completed tickets and more.
See where to click in order to access information from your projects.

Update your tickets with just a swipe to mark them complete, or complete with changes

Watch this video on how you can update your status in TouchplanGO

These are just a few of the exciting features you can expect in TouchplanGO.

New to Touchplan? Access the elements of TouchplanGO and more.

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*Note: Activities in Touchplan are necessary to view anything in TouchplanGO

Touchplan welcomes new Chief Technology Officer, Dan Feldman

Touchplan is thrilled to announce its latest hire and new Chief Technology Officer, Dan Feldman. Dan is a significant component to further Touchplan’s charge to support construction through the expansion of powerful technology. With more than four decades of experience, Dan has cemented himself as a key member of dozens of organizations that include Kayak, Hewlett Packard Labs, and Bose to name a few. An alumnus of Harvard University with a degree in Social Sciences, Dan’s background has curated his multifaceted abilities to drive software design, implementation, and management, product development, and launch. Other specialties include team and product development, focused at the startup level, as well as his meticulous attention to scalability and high performance – all qualities that Feldman will undoubtedly utilize to empower the team at Touchplan for continued acceleration to support its customers.

“I am thrilled to join Touchplan. Touchplan has built a terrific product and their success to date is impressive. The team is committed to continuing to create value for the AEC community. I look forward to contributing to the company’s mission and to the impact we can have together,” said Dan Feldman.

“Being able to call on Dan’s experience, character, and enthusiasm to propel Touchplan along with our talented product team is truly exciting,” said Touchplan President Michael Carr. “Our main focus has always been our customers, and now we are able to roll out features and product lines even more efficiently, but with the same attention to detail our customers know and love.”

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Looking Ahead: Cultivating Resilience to Get Back to Building

We recently discussed vital actions every construction project needs to take now to tackle COVID-19, but it is time to look ahead to business post-pandemic. While many industries and individuals are consumed by returning to normal, the reality is that the normal we knew will not simply return, nor should we want that. Instead, let’s focus on the new normal, and how we can return to better. The idea of returning to better is built on two core ideas. The first is that of cultivating resilience, asking what would be good for the construction industry in the midst of this crisis. The second is having mutual long-term prosperity be the organizing principle for relationships with associates and the supply chain.

Cultivating resilience

Business resilience is the ability an organization has to quickly adapt to disruptions while avoiding costly downtime, maintaining continuous business operations and safeguarding people, assets and overall brand equity.

The key consideration when we look specifically at cultivating resilience for this industry boils down to one key question–what can you do and how can you do it?

Consider general contractors which must cut back on jobs or hours during this time. While they may “recover” as the industry comes back online, the question is what are they doing to come back stronger?

In another example, in Boston there is the discussion around working in zones or limiting the number of contractors per floor. In some respects, the new regulations are disrupting workflow and preventing teams from being as efficient as they once were. The way teams worked previously will need to be adapted. This is a time to rise up and do things differently to come back stronger.

What is your plan B?

With these scenarios in mind, there are several items to contemplate. If business does not resume as normal, and not all trades will come back in full force, what does that mean for businesses? Given the new regulations and limitations of the new normal, you need to have a plan B. Let’s take a look at what that means.

Have plans and responses in place and tested

Better practices must come out of this experience to ensure better preparation for the future. Having systems that are visible and visual is key. Part of this preparedness is building depth and robustness in the processes ensuring that no interruption in flow is seen in the event of unforeseen circumstances. For example, utilizing Last Planner® effectively so that in the event that a superintendent was ill, another can come in and pick up on the project.

Ensuring that there is a workable backlog

When projects resume, they won’t have the flow that they had when they left and some trades will not come back in full force. This creates a great need for trades to have a workable backlog. It also directly feeds into takt time.

Improved takt time capabilities

The term “takt time” comes from the German word “Takt,” which refers to a bar of music or meter. In the context of Lean, the term is used to refer to the pace of production required to match customer demand. Takt time is equal to a product’s sell rate.

Takt timing capabilities need to be honed as these will need to be used more than ever before. Establishing how to effectively observe it will be the biggest challenge to overcome, however is essential in facilitating distancing within the new limitations.

Opportunities for time buffering between trades and reducing touch time will need to be identified. This could happen through crews kitting their own stations, and the utilization of the workable backlog to create touch time by incorporating it into their back up work and next activity.

Working together and using creativity

We need to work together and define new solutions for the future. What we could see more of, which there is an opportunity for in this new normal, is multi-trade off-site construction. Reducing the risk by teaming up. Some companies, such as Boldt, DPR and Skender, have subsidiaries through which they can facilitate this.

Ensuring continued efficiency in this industry is going to require some creativity. This can happen though, among other things, adapting organizational capabilities and enhanced prefabrication efforts. There is an opportunity to revisit cells for production and consider a revamped approach to the assembly line – what if the product remained stationary and crews rotated?

EXPLORE THE NEW NORMAL

Mutual long-term prosperity

The cornerstone of long-term success is the mutual long-term prosperity as the organizing principle for relationships with associates and the supply chain. For too long, the industry has seen skilled people as disposable and this crisis has resulted in too many layoffs over this period.

Let us consider Toyota’s organizing principle:

Doing things to reduce the workload of the current team before bringing new associates on board to minimize the risk of needing to layoff associates
Work with a select number of suppliers, instead of all suppliers, with a view to invest in those firms and those firms to invest in them.

The construction industry is seeing an awakening in people, as everyone realizes how fragile things can be. This shines a light on the opportunity to cultivate a new way of managing relationships.

What is the why?

The first step towards the change is changing perspective. Look beyond the what and how of a project and bring all parties together to discuss the why–why are we building this building? Provide clarity, find what you need to know, and keep moving toward your goals. Having common goals will bring teams together and facilitate a different outlook on the project.

Moving projects forward

Strong partnerships and relationships will be key in enabling getting the work done in these times. When planning in Touchplan it is about talking to each other in a way that’s more humanistic and collaborative.

Safety first

We need to take care of each other. There are trades who can’t or don’t want to work due to safety concerns. More value needs to be placed on these relationships, and solutions need to be established for these scenarios to mitigate the impact on the rest of the industry and allow for the supply / demand balance.

Mutual respect

Not only does there need to be a supply / demand balance, but firms often need to be reminded that the power structure goes both ways. A mutual respect between firms and their contractors or subcontractors is critical to longevity. Prioritize mutually beneficial relationships.

Get back to building

Building in the downturn is not just about lower costs and improved margins, and it does not need to be considered opportunistic. In these times, it can be seen as an opportunity to support each other when cash flow is difficult and keeping the industry together growing.

It’s time for the industry to level up in a variety of ways and do better together. There are countless ways to foster growth amongst people, teams and jobs now that will help revive the industry as the economy bounces back.

Will you be ready? Get started today.

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How construction project teams can start up again after COVID-19

Construction has officially changed. As you seek out new resources and ways to cope with the world today, thinking about starting up again is equally important. Recently, we highlighted the vital actions every construction project needs to take, regardless of your construction project’s situation. Since then, we’ve continued the discussion about workflow, replanning, and the new state of the industry. One topic that keeps recurring is rather than returning to a “new normal,” understanding that we can go back to a better way of working.

This “better way” can be achieved through collective efforts among design colleagues, trade partners, and field team members to keep teams intact, replanning, and preparing today. Simply put, investing in stakeholder collaboration now is the only way to fully recuperate and advance.

Join in a behind-the-scenes chat with industry veterans and future thinkers Michael Carr and Hal Macomber as they imagine and prepare for the return of the active jobsite, no matter when that time comes.

It’s important to accept that things won’t be the same, and focus on what we can control as we think about returning to the jobsite.

Delays and shutdowns don’t have to impact crucial preparations that were already underway. It’s empowering to get everyone together, albeit virtually, and get everyone’s best thinking to put a plan in place to overcome the obstacles of today and thrive tomorrow.

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Video conferencing integrations now available in Touchplan

One of the most crucial adaptations right now is keeping communication and collaboration consistent, regardless of where team members are physically located. To help keep your projects up and running safely, we’re introducing two new video conference integrations to choose from: Zoom Video Communications and Jitsi Meet. Now, with video conferencing built directly into the Touchplan interface, teams will be able to stay connected and collaborate even while working remotely.

Using the Video Conferencing Feature in Touchplan

The facilitator/admin creates a meeting in zoom or chooses to use the Jitsi peer to peer option
The facilitator opens the panel and sets the meeting up
Everyone else opens the panel and clicks Join

Zoom Integration

To launch a meeting, open “Plan Actions” in the top right-hand corner and select “Open Video Meeting.” A new panel will open up within Touchplan where you will have the option to paste an existing Meeting URL or “Create a Meeting”. For both options, the hosts and attendees will need a Zoom account username and password in order to access the meeting. As a host, you will also be able to record the meetings for future reference and absent team members.

For new Zoom meetings, you will want to start by choosing “Zoom.us” as your Video Host preference. Once you have filtered the host, you can select “Create a Meeting” below. This will allow you to plan meetings and schedule them in advance to provide the link in chats and calendar invites.

“Create a Meeting” will bring you to the Zoom website where you can “Schedule a New Meeting” and generate the URL that you will provide to open the video meeting and join the call. Once you add the general settings for the name and time of the new meeting you will be able to provide more specific details. Below you will find the default settings where you can add or remove a Meeting Password. You will also be able to control video, audio, and general meeting settings that affect how your attendee’s meeting experience.

For existing Zoom meetings you’ll need to have a Zoom URL You might also be prompted to enter a meeting password if set up by the meeting host. Examples of both below.

Once the meeting has launched and Zoom is open in the meeting panel – you may need to adjust the size of the screen to see the meeting options along the bottom (or click the more button to see any that are hidden). You can reposition this screen by clicking and dragging the top of the box. You will also be able to adjust the size of this panel in the bottom right-hand corner.

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“Peer to Peer” Jitsi Meet Integration

To launch a meeting, open “Plan Actions” in the top right-hand corner and select “Open Video Meeting.” A new panel will open up within Touchplan where you will select “Peer to Peer” as the Video Host, and then click on “Start Meeting.” This will allow you to start meetings in real-time without having to pre-schedule or provide any links.

You can reposition this screen by clicking and dragging the top of the box. You will also be able to adjust the size of this panel in the bottom right-hand corner.

By clicking on the ellipses in the bottom right corner you will see multiple other settings that can be utilized during this meeting period (Shown Below).

Vital Actions Every Construction Project Needs to Take to Tackle COVID-19 Now

Every country, industry and person is feeling the impact of COVID-19, and the construction industry is no exception. The ramifications from a flailing, “essential-only” economy will only be heightened with an estimated 34% drop in US GDP in Q2 2020. Current health and safety precautions are driving jobsites to engage in social distancing practices or even shut down altogether. And projects that were scheduled to start are seeing those start dates put off indefinitely. Post-virus, the construction community must brace for a surge in resource demands like materials and personnel.

One way to survive during these seemingly impossible times is to keep teams intact, replan and prepare, regardless of your construction project’s situation. It is also a great way to help alleviate the anxiety everyone is feeling. Here are some actionable steps every project can take right now to tackle specific issues COVID-19 is forcing us all to grapple with.

Project Scenario 1: Your Project Ordered a Social Distancing Requirement

Of all the situations, this is likely the most challenging. Why? Since you and your team are still allowed to be in the field, it might seem almost like business as usual, but keeping six feet of separation can be more difficult than you think. If you drill down into the proximity you and your team works within, you’ll quickly recognize that even a single foot seems like a mile. The best way to go about social distancing measures is to reduce on-site crew sizes overall. Consider the following to make keeping a safe space between team members manageable and productive:

Assign Detailed Shift Work: Have half the crew work in the day, and the other half in the evening. Adding hours and changing up work schedules might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s better than downsizing the team, or falling behind on the project. Be sure to devise a way team members will understand how plan changes affect staffing across the entire project.
Work in Parallel Locations: Get more work going on separate floors at the same time. Similar to assigning detailed shift work, this solution will automatically decrease the number of bodies in one spot, but keep the teams working safely and effectively.
Conduct More Work Off-Site with Prefab: Offsite construction will undoubtedly help with on-site crew sizes, and prefabrication will force teams to think about what materials are absolutely necessary, and their sequence. Good demand signals — planning and doing things at the rate which people need them — are crucial for impactful prefab work to ensure seamless production and installation. This will boost trust and reliability in the workflow now and in the future.
Explore a Variety of Scenarios: Advise the team to create a few situations so that a hitch in the first plan doesn’t derail the entire job. Thinking ahead with demand signals is one thing, but being prepared to switch the entire process on the fly will solidify minimal disruption, no matter what transpires.

Project Scenario 2: Your Project Ordered a Complete Stop to All Work

Boston was the first city to completely shut down all but emergency construction projects amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. But why did they stop? The unknown risks and lack of information caused immediate action for inaction. There were not enough conversations to derive alternative ideas and plans on how to keep working given the rapid spread of the virus. It’s okay to stop planning temporarily, but discontinuing all work is not the complete answer. How projects and teams adapt, and the action taken to do so, is the best way to jumpstart teams to regain momentum.

Visualize Success: Athletes often ready themselves through visualization techniques; thinking through their situation to first understand it and ultimately prepare how to get through it and succeed. The exercise of mentally going through situations will put you and your team in a better position to take action rather than succumb to a complete standstill.
- Adapt: Think through the project shut down by talking the team through the environment you’re encountering and be prepared to start planning.
- Take Action: To begin planning, start by making assessments of the challenges and risks that you and the project face. A good way is to get people thinking and sharing together. Now is a perfect time to circle up with team members you may not always get the chance to work alongside. This will help open up the project to new possibilities from voices that may otherwise never be heard.
Make People a Part of the Solution: Let your team know that the goal is to find ways to recover lost time. This needs to be a collective effort, so include design colleagues and trade partners along with other field team members. Making sure that the entire team is a part of the solution will increase accountability and provide innumerable ideas. Be sure to also leverage technologies that facilitate collaborative planning with remote team members.
- Set a Cadence with Tighter Handoffs to Recover Delays: Come up with the right pace for your project by identifying the smallest crew that does the most work and their pace. Have everyone staff for that pace while simultaneously removing any float to establish a better rhythm and flow. The idea is to collapse the schedule so teams can shave time off of the delayed project.
- Create a Reasonable Plan: The mission is to put together a plan to tighten up the process. Make a plan that’s not overly complex so the team can assess and adjust quickly. Be inclusive but mindful of how many people are invited as a part of replanning to keep things streamlined.
- Consider Alternative Plans: Try to anticipate any future roadblocks by looking several steps ahead. Ask additional people to review proposed plans to identify alternatives and challenges that you and the original planning team missed. Additionally, be sure to have a way to communicate and track plans electronically so that the process isn’t impacted by the lack of being on-site.
- Track the Plan and Learn from the Data: Almost as important as the plan execution, is tracking how it’s working. Be critical about the assumptions that were made and the success or areas for improvement. If changes are needed, be sure to alert the team and adjust as you learn. Be prepared to make modifications swiftly so the team can keep moving.

Project Scenario 3: Your Project Has an Indefinite Delayed Start

The project has been postponed indefinitely before you even had a chance to break ground. Don’t let the delay in starting construction impact crucial preparations that were underway. While the expectation is that the project will come back, the timeline is uncertain. During this state of uncertainty, there are still ways to proceed.

Prepare for Tomorrow: Encourage design and precon teams take extra time to prepare. Conceptualize alternate situations and solutions knowing that projects will start to materialize again, and when they do a rush for resources like materials and personnel will create a shortage. Increased foresight and contingency plans will also help limit the anxiety felt by owners and banks who are funding the projects, successfully solidifying trust in your teams and organizations. Finally, take the time to utilize solutions you might not typically consider. Teams that engage in unconventional strategies will come out on top.
Tap Into COVID-19 Experience: Projects in preconstruction and planning phases have a unique opportunity to learn and plan based on what other teams are encountering today. Most likely, your future team is preoccupied with an existing project; just because they’re on another site, doesn’t mean they can’t impact the plans for future jobs. Explore scenarios the incoming team is facing by having them share their current COVID-19 experience and knowledge. Figure out ways to replicate positive accounts, and how to create solutions for areas that need improvement.

This is a moment for the industry to level up in a variety of ways. Whether it’s putting work in place, learning a new skill, or taking a chance that ordinary circumstances don’t always favor, there are hundreds of ways to boost people, teams and jobs now that will help revive the industry when the economy bounces back.

For more ways to help project teams adapt during this unprecedented time, click here.

How Project Teams Can Adapt During COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 is being felt on a global scale. While no one can predict its outcome, every project team must introduce changes to their daily routines to maintain health and safety and cooperate in slowing the spread of the virus. One of the most crucial adaptations is keeping communications and collaboration consistent regardless of where team members are physically located.

The only way projects and organizations can work through this period and emerge successfully is through remote-based work strategies and solutions. Some jobsites are experiencing complete shutdowns, some are implementing changes to their workflow to practice social distancing, and others need to adjust their planning and scheduling operations. Normal interactions like meetings in the trailer, in-person discussions and just being within an arm’s reach of crew members are stifled by social distancing efforts. Contingency plans for projects are no longer a luxury, but a necessity. A new era of remote-based work is upon us, and no job is immune.

So, how can you continue working together to keep momentum going and stay efficient in a remote environment? Here are some ways you can act now to keep your teams healthy and your projects up and running amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connect With Your Teams Every Step of the Way

During this shift, individuals may start to feel isolated from their teams and jobsites. Digital communication tools are plentiful to support critical conversations and allow for valuable face time. Try a blend of conference capabilities and planning tools to keep teams active and engaged. Consider conference tools that give teams the power to connect with multiple people both telephonically and with video components. This mimics the experience they’re used to in the field, making the change feel slightly more natural. Investing in planning tools will amplify the conversations, tracking teams’ thoughts in order to build out important contingency plans.

Touchplan is an example of a construction-specific collaborative platform to ensure every team member is sharing their best ideas every step of the way. When adopting new tools, consider things like:

Is it web-based and accessible from anywhere?
Does it allow you and your team a place to plan, schedule tasks and see updates in real-time?
Does it provide analytics or facilitate conversations to better understand areas for improvement?

It’s paramount that teams stay connected to chat, check-in and exchange ideas with one another, just as they would in the field. Make time for conversations and planning to empower teams to continue collaborating and communicating throughout the day.

Build or Join a Community

Our environment and industry is changing by the minute, and it’s important to bring communities together in ways that are manageable for our current reality.

Organizing virtual meetings with colleagues is only half the battle. Take the time to prioritize building relationships and staying connected with other teams and individuals facing similar industry threats amidst this pandemic. Here are some ways to stay connected with them virtually:

Discussion groups: share ideas on agreed upon topics, ask questions, and learn from one another
Free time to “be together”: breaks and meal times during the work day don’t have to be isolated. Call a co-worker or an industry friend and casually chat as you would in-person
Digital happy hour: cap off the week by recognizing the progress made as well as share some needed bonding time

Interested in joining a community? Touchplan will be hosting virtual meetings to dedicate time to share ideas, ask questions, and learn from one another.

What to Look for in ConTech in 2020

A new year. A new decade. A new tech stack?

According to McKinsey, ConTech companies have attracted over $10 billion in investment since 2011, a level of engagement that has visibly changed the industry.

This impact comes as a welcome change. According to the same McKinsey report, if the construction industry were to increase its productivity by even just two to three percent, overall output would skyrocket by $1.6 trillion a year. But in order to achieve those productivity gains, it’s imperative to identify your particular pain points.

Whether your goal is to improve project coordination, increase efficiency, incorporate off-site construction, gather more data or take on more work, this guide will help you focus your technology adoption strategy for 2020.

1. Collaboration Tools

Whether for scheduling, planning or resource allocation, solutions to streamline collaboration are taking off in a big way. The use and availability of tablets and other mobile devices on the job has made it much easier for information to be distributed in real time (often through dashboards), enabling teams to respond faster to changes on a project and minimize delays and rework. Our work here at Touchplan falls into this category.

2. Sensors and Wearables

In order to provide teams with accurate information, huge amounts of data are collected on an ongoing basis. On a jobsite, one of the most efficient ways to collect that data is through the use of wearables, drones and mobile sensors that can measure and report on a project’s progress. A cutting-edge example in this category is OpenSpace, which has created AI-powered jobsite documentation through the use of wearable 360° cameras.

3. Automation

Automation covers any manual processes that can now be done using machines. Robotics and 3-D printing have enabled major changes to the way repetitive tasks are completed and have the potential to alleviate construction’s labor shortage while also increasing safety by outsourcing particularly dangerous tasks to machines. The self-driving construction vehicles being developed by Built Robotics offer one vision of an automated future.

4. Material Innovation

Not all ConTech fits on a tablet. Building materials themselves are getting an upgrade as old materials are improved and entirely new ones are created. Concerns around sustainability have spurred many inventions such as self-regulating solar facades and plastics made from recycled components. Other innovations, such as the translucent concrete manufactured by LUCEM, offer more aesthetically motivated shifts.

5. Off-site Construction

Pre-fab or off-site construction enables significant cost and time savings and minimizes waste and disruption to the jobsite. By assembling components of a building elsewhere, a project’s duration can be shortened, increasing profit margins. While the idea of pre-fab construction has existed for years, today’s labor and housing shortage are fueling demand in this sector and motivating new entrants to the industry, like Katerra.

Whether or not you’re implementing any of these technologies this year, sticking to business as usual is the most expensive option in the long run. Identifying the tools that will impact your business the most and experimenting with new approaches will help you make strategic investments to boost your bottom line and stay ahead of the competition.

Image Credit: Katherine Van Adzin

Data-driven decisions drive better project management

Good data, when harnessed, enables better decisions and can dramatically simplify project management. At the same time, collecting and accessing high-quality data has long been a challenge in the AEC industry.

Business leaders in construction are often required to make critical decisions based on limited supporting data. While this is sometimes unavoidable, new technologies aim to make this a thing of the past.

Here are five things business leaders can do to refine their project management strategies through the use of data.

1. Capture More Data

The more data, the better. Standardize business processes to minimize the use of customized, one-off solutions and spreadsheets. This will also produce standardized and well-structured data.

Moving from analog to digital will amplify these benefits. Analog data can’t easily be used in the digital world, and often lacks consistent structure, making it cumbersome to use even if someone takes the time to put it in a digital format. Look for systems that offer the benefits of analog in a digital format.

2. Ensure Data Quality

All the data in the world won’t help if it’s inaccurate. Ensure data quality through the following steps.

First, automate data collection wherever possible. New technologies like sensors, wearables, mobile devices and drones are vastly expanding the possibilities when it comes to data capture.

Second, get data straight from the source. Don’t collect it and make it someone’s job to enter it into a system. Not only does this make for a lot of unnecessary work, it also opens up the possibility of introducing transfer and interpretation errors and it reduces people’s level of concern in the accuracy of their data because they feel disconnected from it and less personally responsible.

Third, enable community validation if possible. The more people who see the data, the more likely errors are to be caught and fixed. This helps to flag errors and get them corrected.

Finally, incentivize accurate data reporting by making sure everyone derives benefits from it. Use the data to eliminate steps that teams would otherwise have to perform, or give them new insights that can inform their decisions.

3. Make Data Accessible

Good data isn’t very helpful if it’s all stored in different places. Making it accessible is key.

First, look at storing data in the cloud. This makes data readily accessible and provides commercial-grade server redundancy, data backups and security that are often lacking with private hosting.

Second, seek out software applications able to integrate and share data with other applications. Software integrations in construction are relatively new, so many applications are still developing them. But do make sure that it factors high on their development roadmap.

4. Invest in Data Visualization

Dashboards enable data visualization through different lenses. Without them, it’s difficult to make sense of data and draw any real conclusions from it.

Just like the dashboard in an airplane or a car, business dashboards need to present information that’s clear, concise and actionable. Here are eight things to look for in a dashboard:

Fresh, actionable data. Data latency should match or better the decision cycle.
Dynamic data that reflects the current state and shows how it’s changing.
Carefully selected metrics that reveal and magnify issues to focus on.
Comprehensive coverage without any blind spots.
Interactive filtering and drill-down capability to zero in on areas of interest and understand driving factors.
Intuitive presentation that conveys information at a glance.
Shareable information that the entire team can distribute and use when needed.
Timely alerts that can be set to prompt the team when the data shows something designated as important.

5. Develop a Data-Driven Culture

It’s important to instill an appetite for data in the organization so that people are encouraged to continually look for new sources of data and ways to apply it. A data-driven culture seeks out ways of using data to inform decisions, highlights good results, defines success metrics and starts measuring them to gauge performance.

When people directly benefit from providing accurate data, more care is taken to ensure that the data is good. With higher-quality data and more organizational emphasis on its value, a team will be able to make better, more informed decisions. As the team sees the benefits of the data they collect, they’ll become increasingly invested in its accuracy, analysis and ongoing development.

(This article first appeared in Construction Executive)

Image Credit: Alain Pham