Lucas Hayden, director of AEC Strategy for Unanet, reveals six signs that your AEC firm could benefit from automation
Even the best-run architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms have them: clunky processes that require awkward manual work-arounds or navigating multiple systems; blind spots caused by a lack of visibility into projects; or, frustrating delays due to difficulty finding timely information for a project or proposal.
However glaring or seemingly minor these inefficiencies may seem, in the big picture they can add up to a competitive disadvantage, inconsistent project outcomes and lower profit margins for firms. So the question for as AEC firm becomes, when are we going to call out and commit to addressing these issues, and how are we going to fix them?
In many cases, the answer to the latter part of that question can be found in the automation capabilities embedded within some of today’s digital business software. Below are six all-too-common symptoms that, when present, suggest an AEC firm could be a good candidate to seek out new automation capabilities, with details on the specific automation tools that a firm can use to alleviate those symptoms.
It’s time to automate your workflows
THE SYMPTOM: Project managers, proposal-creation teams and others throughout the organization are spending way too much time hunting for information. When business systems aren’t well integrated, when it’s difficult for the finance side of the business to see what’s going on with specific projects, or when information is siloed and doesn’t readily flow between applications, that can create data and information bottlenecks that hamper collaboration and cause time-consuming inefficiencies, and frustratingly redundant work.
THE SOLUTION: Connect apps with integrations that automate workflows and enable data to flow freely across the business. So for example, the hand-off of a new project from business development to project management could be automated and seamless instead of requiring multiple emails, spreadsheets and double-entry data dumps. Or, subcontractor time and expense data could flow automatically, in real time, into your ERP system. What you want is the ability to automatically collect, upload and synch data into one system of record. That’s a much more straightforward proposition when your core digital business software (ERP, etc.) readily integrates with the apps on which your firm relies, from inventory management to payroll and beyond.
Automation can resolve order delays
THE SYMPTOM: Project managers feel like they’re flying blind. Change orders, material, equipment and product delays, reprioritizations, unanticipated leave or team-member departures — adjustments like these are inevitable. Yet as much as changes can impact a project, project managers may lack the visibility to understand exactly where the project they’re overseeing stands financially with respect to resource usage, budget, etc.
THE SOLUTION: Automation to ensure that changes register when and with whom they need to, giving PMs a clear line of site into project activities and changes, without cumbersome, time-consuming paper shuffling or combing through multiple systems in search of the right information.
The best-run AEC firm is able to capture and tap into institutional knowledge
THE SYMPTOM: Uniquely valuable institutional knowledge is escaping your firm — and in some instances, landing with a competing firm. The subject-matter expertise, relationships, experience and know-how that your people store in their brains is among a firm’s most valuable competitive assets. Unfortunately, it’s liable to escape uncaptured when employees leave unless you have the means to extract and document it.
THE SOLUTION: The best-run AEC firms are consistently able to capture and tap into institutional knowledge to connect the dots between the past, present and future of their business. What you want are systems that include automated mechanisms for capturing and sharing information, insight and experience from past projects, along with customer and vendor relationship background and other tribal knowledge.
Automate proposal creation process
THE SYMPTOM: People are working nights and weekends to keep up with proposal workload. A common refrain from the people responsible for assembling proposals at AE firms is that chasing down information to generate proposals takes way too much time, and that they feel like they’re reinventing the wheel every time they create a new proposal.
THE SOLUTION: Automating parts of the proposal creation process not only synchs teams to deadlines and deliverables, it also helps with quick-turnaround RFPs. With automation tools, the teams involved in proposal creation can have ready access to data, information and individuals across the business. Proposal templates also can help to automate, error-proof and speed the proposal-creation process. One of our clients, UMC, estimates that its marketing team works 20 to 30% more efficiently as a direct result of having automated tools for proposal creation, résumé trafficking and the like.
Adopt digital tools that improve user experience
THE SYMPTOM: A disjointed, manual-intensive and sometimes glitchy user experience with business software translates into low user adoption/engagement. In a research report issued by Unanet in Fall 2021, we found that AEC firms are challenged by both a lack of adoption of business development tools (50%) and siloed, disparate business development information (41%).
THE SOLUTION: Employees love tools that relieve them of the hassle of working with disparate applications to clunkily manage processes and information. So look for digital systems (ERP, CRM, etc.) that offer an open platform for integrations and automations. As an employer, this is how to deliver the workplace experiences that your workforce demands.
Upgrade your legacy software
THE SYMPTOM: The legacy software you’re using (for CRM, ERP) lacks modern automation tools, putting your firm at a disadvantage against competing firms with more advanced digital business systems.
THE SOLUTION: Be open to upgrading your legacy CRM and/or ERP systems with the latest generation of solutions that include more advanced automation tools. With the right solution and provider, switching away from your legacy systems may not be as difficult and time-consuming as you think.
