Owners, Contractors Need Data Connection

As one of the industries slowly adopting technology, the construction sector is learning what does and does not work, the former being project management solutions. For contractors, many factors must be considered when selecting this software, specifically, coordination between contractors and project owners.

In September, Dodge Data & Analytics released a study analyzing technology's connection between both parties. Project management software has revolutionized how contractors and owners store and share project information, however, things become tricky if each party uses a different program. The project may not only have two sets of data, but also decreased data productivity and accuracy, therefore, increasing costs, risks and likelihood of schedule delays.

"The need for contractors and owners to use their own project management applications has always been there," Steve Jones, senior director of Industry Insights from Dodge Data & Analytics, said in the study. "The problem is [the two applications] have not worked together well. The data in this research quantifies the impact of the data silos between contractor and owner."

Issues such as double-entry of construction data reportedly had a medium or high impact on 73% of surveyed contractors. Furthermore, 70% said duplicate data makes information workflow slower, while 62% said it increases the number of errors.

—Andrew Michaels, editorial associate