Skip to main content

Is the Construction industry ready to shift gears and overcome productivity issues?

According to a construction productivity report from McKinsey & Company, Global infrastructure investment will double in the next 15 years, yet 98% of mega-projects face cost overruns or delays. The average cost increase is 80% of original value. The average slippage is 20 months behind the original schedule. While productivity in manufacturing has nearly doubled in the past 20 years, in the construction industry it has remained relatively flat.

The causes of these productivity issues have been identified as following:

  • Inconsistencies in reporting mean that subcontractors, contractors and owners do not have a common understanding of how the project is faring at any given time leading to poor Collaboration
  • Unresolved issues stack up because of lack of communication and accountability.
  • Contractual misunderstandings
  • Poor decision-making and procurement processes
  • Mismatch of high-end preparation to day-by-day programs - If the daily work is not finished, schedulers need to know—but often don’t—so that they can update priorities in real time.
  • Poor short-term planning and Insufficient risk management

Courtesy: McKinsey & Company

Majority of the problems have their root in the lack of collaboration and miscommunication. Trimble Inc., with its 45 years of history in industrial technology innovation and providing practical solutions, has created a cloud-based tool to manage the problems related to miscommunication and the lack of collaboration on construction projects.

Trimble Connect (TC) is a cloud-based common data environment (CDE) and collaboration platform that helps to connect the right people to the right data at the right time, and to bring people, technology and information together to deliver what you need, when you need it.
Trimble Connect solves a number of problems for construction and engineering teams, such as:

File Sharing & Version control 

Trimble Connect makes it easy to share files with several project teams, and allows them to track changes and revisions to those files over time. This helps to ensure that everyone is having the latest version of the project files. This eliminates the confusion among the stakeholders and gives a broad understanding of the project and its status.
Trimble Connect keeps track of all changes made to files (even if the file is not from Trimble’s software), so teams can always compare it with the previous version and can revert if needed. This helps to prevent data loss while streamlining workflows and reducing errors and rework. 

Collaboration

Trimble Connect makes it easy for teams to collaborate on projects, regardless of their location and the software they are using. It provides a central place for team members to share project data, including the ability to comment on files, assign tasks, and track progress. This helps to keep everyone on the same page, and to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Team members can access and share files, drawings, and models in real time, and they can leave comments and annotations on each other's work. This helps to ensure that everyone is working on the latest version of the project, and that there is no confusion about who made what changes. This is specially useful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders and data sources.

Document management

Trimble Connect provides a central repository for all project documents, including drawings, specifications, reports and photos. This helps to keep all of the project information in one place, make it easy to find what you need when you need it, and keep track of changes to documents over time.

Project management: 

Trimble Connect can be used to track project progress, manage and assign tasks and communicate between team members who are working in Design, Fabrication, Shipping, and the construction site. This helps to keep projects on track and ensure that everyone is aware of their responsibilities and update their status. This enables data-driven decision making and problem solving while improving communication and coordination among project teams

BIM Collaboration

Trimble Connect can be used to collaborate on BIM projects. This includes the ability to view and edit 3D models, to track changes to models in real time, and to share models with team members. This helps to ensure that everyone is working on the same model, and that there is no confusion about who made what changes. This helps teams to visualize projects, identify potential problems, and collaborate more effectively by providing real-time access to project data and 3D models and to speed up the design and construction process.

Field data collection

Trimble Connect can be used to collect data in the field, such as survey data, GPS data, and ability to capture images, videos, and measurements. This data can then be shared with team members and used to update project models. This helps to improve the accuracy of the project models, and to make better decisions about the project.

Mobile access

Trimble Connect is accessible from mobile devices, so team members can access and collaborate on projects from anywhere using tablets and mobile phones. This is especially useful for teams and field crews that are working on remote projects who can use Trimble Connect to collect data, update construction status and to collaborate with team members in the field.

Security

Trimble Connect is a secure platform that uses industry-standard encryption to protect data. This helps to ensure that project data is safe from unauthorized access.

Overall, Trimble Connect is a powerful collaboration platform that can help construction and engineering teams to be more productive and efficient throughout the project lifecycle. It solves a number of problems that can arise when working on projects, and it provides a number of features that can help teams to work more effectively together.

The only question remains: Is the Construction industry ready to shift gears and overcome productivity issues by making the best use of Trimble Connect on their projects?

If you would like to learn more Contact us today.

About the Author

Nishakar has been affiliated with Trimble's Tekla software since 2007, Presently, he serves in a Business Development capacity, dedicated to ensuring that Trimble's cutting-edge solutions reach the student community. With his extensive experience and passion for technology, he aims to empower the next generation of professionals with the tools they need to excel in their respective fields.