According to a report carried out by McKinsey & Company in 2015, construction is one of the least digitized industries. Wistfully, things have not changed since then. As stated in the report “Digitalization of the Construction Industry ”, by Roland Berger, less than 6% of construction companies make full use of digital planning tools, while 93% of industry players agree that digitization will affect every process.
Some of the major pain points of the construction industry are:
- Complicated project planning due to large-scale projects.
- Inefficient coordination between back office and field due to delays in information sharing.
- Predominance of paperwork. Paper documents are still commonly used in many companies.
- Poor performance management due to difficulties in data analysis
- Inadequate risk management
Construction companies not embracing technology are more vulnerable to be left behind. Due to new challenges and demands, the industry is adopting digital technology and innovative tools to move forwards. Many companies are looking for digitization opportunities but, some of them don’t know how to start. The answer is pretty straight forward: aim your attention at transforming your paper forms into digital assets. Why? Forms and checklists are essential to get any work done.
Digitize your construction forms
Paper forms digitization is the best way to move your company forward. To digitize your construction forms, you should follow these steps:
- Review your goals
Common goals for construction companies are increasing efficiency and revenue and improving employee retention. Digitizing construction forms is one of the most important ways to achieve these goals. Switching to digital forms will also enhance your sales and marketing activities because will help your company to win more construction bids.
- Identify the forms your company use most often
Focus on the construction forms that you use most often in your work, such as weekly construction safety checklists or accident reports. To activate your business and increase productivity, you should start using digital forms. Sooner than later you will see that your efforts pay off in time savings.
- Create versions based on the feedback
The easiest way to create a digital form is using a form builder. Many of these use a drag and drop interface, which makes creating forms rather simple.
Mobile forms solutions are designed to work on mobile devices, making them efficient to collect information on the field. Form data is later connected directly to your workflow. After testing your construction digital forms, you can get valuable feedback to choose the most appropriate versions. So, for the best results, encourage your staff to test the form on their smartphone while at the construction site.
- Repeat this process to keep digitizing other paper forms
Once you have digitized your first paper form you will see the benefits of digitization. The next step is continuing doing the same with other forms to improve your workflow and your production system. Remember, forms need to be easy to understand and to fill it, especially if they are to be used widely in the field.
- Integrate your tools with construction technology
Digitization demand that all of your tools work together. Therefore, you need a process centrally managed and streamlined. Appropriated construction digital tools will make worksites safer, more efficient, and will increase ROI. They should be easily integrated into your operations standards and provide information in real-time.
Digital forms not only transform your documents management system, but also the entire productivity and effectiveness of your operations. By digitizing your construction forms, data and processes, your business will operate in a more efficient way, one step ahead of the competition.
Digitization opens up all kinds of ways to boost their productivity in the construction industry. Companies face the challenge of deciding which approaches suit them best and how they can be implemented. Therefore, ignoring digitization is not an option. The “construction firms of the future” will use digital tools to have materials supplied just in time, cut storage and transportation costs and to increase efficiency.
In the next few years, mobile solutions for construction will change everything. All construction companies will start digitizing sooner or later. The profound impact of digitalization will have an effect in the entire construction industry.
At DataScope, we have developed software, mobile applications and mobile forms for the construction industry. Contact us to find out how we can help your construction company.
DataScope is a platform which allows various industries to streamline, organize and evaluate the work of their field staffs thanks to online forms which provide real time indicators 100% adaptable to any field.
