Viewpoint Solutions
Learn More About Viewpoint Project Management Solutions
Previously, we looked at the complexity of construction projects and the importance of the folks working on project teams—especially the project manager who has to keep all people and processes moving on a daily basis. Now it’s time to look at some of the technology tools being used.
All battle plans are perfect—until the battle begins. Construction project managers probably relate to that statement more that anyone. A construction project can be planned out down to the very last nail, but even in the best-planned project, something always goes awry.
Construction projects have so many people involved and so many moving pieces of data flowing at any given time that something is bound to get missed. Effective project management means controlling the data flow and staying on top of transmittals, submittals, RFIs, email communications, change orders, materials, inventory, job cost and WIP reports, labor hours and wages, union rules, safety regulations, insurance and bonding, compliance data and a whole lot more.
Still, that does not mean planning should go out the window just because even the best-laid plans will always change. Technology is helping project managers plan better, work smarter and be more adaptable during the project. It provides the ability to change on the fly without negatively impacting end goals or bringing projects to a halt.
“Because of the size of our industry, there is a momentum and a demand from our customers to innovate and provide more value, more cost-effective solutions, reduced timeframes, higher quality. Probably what's enabling that more than anything right now is technology. Technology is quickly changing our industry in ways we haven't seen before,” Dan Johnson, president of Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction said in an interview with Construction Dive. “Right now, the one that’s having the most impact for us is building information modeling (BIM), virtual design and construction. When you combine that with the collaborative tools that are now available in the advent of mobile devices, we are literally collaborating real-time, anywhere, out on the job site with all the stakeholders. That's accelerating a lot of the innovation.”