With the disruption caused by COVID-19, digitalisation has become a priority for many construction companies as a way to optimise manual processes and improve efficiency. Digitalisation is also key for boosting collaboration. This is particularly important, seeing as 62 percent of respondents in our recent research of construction leaders said a lack of collaboration was the biggest cause of delays to projects – delays which impact bottom lines. Considering our research also found construction firms’ profit margins averaged just two percent (before COVID-19), it’s clear that using digital tools to improve efficiency will be key for the sector’s recovery and profitability.
Digital platforms and apps, like Finalcad, are a great way of tackling barriers to collaboration as they offer a central space to easily share and view information and site data. However, such tools often have a small user group, limited to site workers and engineers. To get the full value of a digital app and to maximise collaboration, construction companies should encourage wider use among more stakeholders both off and on-site.
Who can use the app?
There is a whole ecosystem of stakeholders involved in a construction project and all can benefit from using a digital app like Finalcad:
- Main contractors:
Through Finalcad, main contractors can share and view centralised information to see if a project is on track. If there are any unforeseen delays – caused by product unavailability or slow installation, for instance – main contractors will have enough information to resolve issues quickly and ensure continued profitability.- Subcontractors:
- By using Finalcad, subcontractors can collect and share data easily and quickly between other partners. The ‘issues’ function in the app, for instance, allows them to show a main contractor that the service they have provided has adhered to specific guidelines.
- Developers:
- Developers need to be able to closely follow the progress of a project, from budgets to timeframes and quality. Through Finalcad, they can view this data in one place and be reassured that a project will be delivered as planned without unforeseen problems or delays.
- Architects:
- For architects, it’s mandatory to track a project’s progress and ensure any defects are corrected. As Finalcad allows workers to report problems, architects can immediately see via the app where defects have been flagged and whether they have been resolved.
- Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Managers:
- Finalcad makes the jobs of QHSE inspectors faster and easier. The ability to share and view information in the app means inspectors can quickly see if health and safety measures are being followed. This is particularly important in light of new COVID-19 measures, such as daily ‘deep cleans’ of facilities.
When all of these stakeholders collaborate through the Finalcad app, the benefits are also felt by others. For instance, the end customer will be able to view in-depth project progress reports created in-app by contractors; audit and assurance workers will also benefit as the issues, control and progress functions let them check that work has been carried out in accordance with regulations. Construction companies should not limit use of Finalcad to only a few workers. Instead, by widening the net and including more stakeholders, they can enjoy improved collaboration which will in turn help to boost profit margins.
To find out more about how Finalcad can help support company wide collaboration, request for a demo:
