Seamless workflows and optimal communication are the keys to proper construction administration, but it’s not always that easy
Despite their best efforts, stakeholder groups ranging from general contractors, design teams and everyone in between often need to wrestle with each other for key project information necessary to take next steps.
It creates communication bottlenecks, logjams of key information and leads to the deterioration of stakeholder relationships and lost time.
Time is not only of the essence, but it’s the most vital resource we all strive to have more of; be it in the AECO industry or anywhere else.
And fostering seamless collaboration requires more than just the right frame of mind; it requires the right tools to keep stakeholders involved and informed with the right amount of information at the right times i.e. whenever they need it!
So how can you claw back valuable time in your construction administration workflow without sacrificing quality or deteriorating relationships with other stakeholder groups?
First, let’s take a closer look at certain problems that regularly arise in the day to day.
The challenges of construction administration
- Inefficient Coordination: Difficulty aligning team roles, leading to delays and information loss.
- Workflow Issues: Varied team processes and software causing synchronisation problems.
- Communication Delays: Traditional methods leading delays and costly human error.
- Visibility & Access: Siloed or duplicate data that create confusion and delays.
- Resistance to New Tools: Industry hesitancy towards embracing new collaboration tools.
In a lot of projects, getting everyone on the same page and sorting out who’s in charge of what can be a bit tricky. You’ve certainly experienced delays in sharing info and bits of the project getting lost in the shuffle. It’s like a never-ending loop – the more unclear things are, the more questions pop up, which means more meetings, and before you know it, the project is dragging its feet.
Making matters even more problematic is that different teams have different workflow processes and software. It’s like trying to dance to different beats – they rarely sync up seamlessly.
Before, a contractor would need clarity from an architect (ex: an RFI), they would normally have to prepare their question, send it through email (often through an intermediary like a project manager), and wait for the architect’s answer before completing the task at hand.
It isn’t just about the chance that these important emails might get lost in the chaos, buried under a pile of other urgent stuff. It also meant delays in the project, and you know how that can mess with the bottom line.
The risk of error in document workflows increased even more as the many stakeholder groups were often times working in different platforms that didn’t talk to each other.
And hey, let’s not undercut the power of teamwork in this whole mix. Lack of visibility and access to information is like a giant roadblock, making it a real pain to collaborate smoothly during the design and construction review phase.
It’s no wonder that many in the AECO industry are hesitant to embrace new collaboration tools: it’s hard enough already, they don’t want to risk even more complications with needing to learn a new tool!
Figuring out what documents to share, how to share them, and handling comments and design tweaks across all parties? That’s the secret sauce for a successful project. So, finding a tool with a low learning curve needs to be a priority!
But you aren’t alone.
A recent study from Autodesk found that 72% of AECO professionals have made digital transformation a priority moving forward.
Competitive firms are ensuring they retain their competitive edge within the market by seeking out the right digital tools to help streamline their workflows and coordination.
Centralised project information management platforms are helping to pioneer this push into the future. It acts like a trusty sidekick, helping them tackle these tasks smoothly and keeping everyone in the loop.
