Business Continuity in the New Construction Normal

The construction industry is a fast paced, challenging environment. Each project has its own unique challenges and special requirements that construction professionals are required to address daily. The recent COVID-19 pandemic presents a whole new challenge for contractors — how to keep employees safe from the pandemic while keeping to a tight schedule and budget.

To meet the COVID-19 challenge, contractors are using digitized workflows of connected, cloud-based construction software suites to replace older, manual processes and safely address consistent project issues and needs in the new normal. These workflows include safety talks, timecard collection, purchasing and invoice approval.

In order to maintain a safe jobsite, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) requires social distancing of at least six feet apart. At many jobsites, the foreperson or superintendent starts the day with a toolbox talk. Contractors that utilize Trimble Construction One use the Daily Huddles tools to digitally share content with employees. Back-office safety departments can create content and digitally distribute it to the jobsites. Forepersons and superintendents receive digital copies of the information, display it onscreen to jobsite employees and keep digital records of those in attendance.

Timecard collection has always presented challenges in construction, but with COVID-19, collection and approvals become a new ballgame. The end goal with timecards has always been to accurately record the work done by employees in an efficient fashion.

The traditional method involved a foreperson collecting timecard information from employees and capturing the employee signature ensuring the data was correct. The piece of paper was then handed to a supervisor for approval then transmitted to the back office for payroll processing and accounting.

In the new normal, contractors utilizing Trimble Construction One take advantage of digital workflows and streamline their timecard process. Users can capture their timecard data on mobile devices or laptops, submit the information with digital signatures and route the cards for approval and processing. This accelerates job cost accounting, visibility and productivity to the field in real time while following the new safety guidelines.

Social distancing does not remove the need for quick communication and transfer of knowledge. In order to adapt to the new environment and maintain a clear communication, contractors are accelerating their digital transformations.

Using Trimble Construction One, contractors are removing paper and human contact for processes like purchase orders and invoice approvals while also increasing efficiency. The historic workflow of green book records of purchase orders (PO) with manual paper transfer to managers for accounting is replaced with digital creation of PO in the field on mobile devices. This provides real-time approvals and accounting. This not only achieves a safe social distance, but improves productivity.

Likewise, invoices sent to the office can now be routed digitally and approved without the inefficient paper handling and transfer from person to person.

The new normal also comes with additional security challenges. As the world shifts to a more digital communication architecture and data transfer paradigm, digital security becomes a serious consideration for the construction industry.

Hackers, phishers, and other malicious entities have increased their attacks in the digital space. However, successful attempts are down as more and more businesses move to the cloud and take advantage of the latest security and data protection measures.

Trimble Construction One users are protected from these malicious attacks because the solutions are built with security as part of the design. Trimble Viewpoint’s hosted environments are SOC Type 2 compliant. Trimble Construction One solutions enable customers to keep their employees safe, increase efficiency of workflows, and keep their digital data secure.

Want to learn more about how Trimble Construction One can help your organization succeed in the new construction normal? Contact us today for a first-hand look.