Author: Laura Black

Time tracking in construction is not a new concept—the technology has been around for more than two decades, and the practice has been along longer than that. But are construction companies really leveraging the data that comes along with time tracking? Let’s take a look. Naturally, one of the main reasons many construction firms track time is for payroll purposes—but the benefits extend much further than that. Raken App sums the potential benefit up in one sentence: “The whole story, collected from the field.” Using the app, construction professionals can track time, safety talks, production, and more—all from a mobile…

Time blocking is a principle that is as old as time—or at least as old as Benjamin Franklin who was known to be an early adopter of the practice. Franklin detailed the activities he would undertake every hour of the day, including rest and chores. This practice has reportedly been repeated today by people such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Cal Newport, just to name a few. So, what exactly is time blocking and how might it be helpful in construction? The whole concept behind it is you give every hour of the day an activity. Time blockers, as…

Today on The Peggy Smedley Show, I am sitting down with Peggy to discuss my new book, Becoming Resilient Parents, How to Thrive as a Caregiver with a Disabled Child. I have been thinking a lot about some of the principles in the book and how some might apply in construction. The book is divided into two halves: take care of you and take care of your child. While the second half of the book is about the basics of caring for a disabled child (i.e. – IEPs, (individualized educational plan) long-term planning, etc.), the first half is all about…

Inflation is on the rise, and that leaves many businesses with a big decision to make—including those in the construction industry. In order to deal with the steep rise in inflation, is your company increasing prices or investing in the analytics that will ultimately increase productivity and lower labor costs? One analyst has weighed in, with results from a recent survey. In December 2021, Gartner surveyed 400 finance executives. Here’s what it found. The most selected combination of value and technology was self-service data and analytics as a driver of employee productivity. Roughly 49% of respondents indicate this perception of…

The use of construction technology is on the rise in homebuilding specifically, according to a new study. For construction professionals, this will mean new processes, new technologies, and new opportunities. Between February 7-11, 2022, Mosaic surveyed 600 industry professionals about the use of technology in the homebuilding process. The results of its quarterly Homebuilding Tech Survey show homebuilding professionals are more readily willing to adopt new technologies. Founded in 2017, Mosaic builds technology solutions to make residential construction more scalable. As a tech-enabled general contractor for the residential industry, Mosaic’s platform standardizes the construction process, allowing it to deliver places…

The road to net zero is an ambitious and much-need one. But are some of the deadlines realistic? And perhaps more importantly when will we truly see the widespread rise of net-zero homes? At its core, net zero is the aim to be negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity. Quite simply, it is the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere, thus equating to net zero. For many the ambition is to have global net emissions of carbon dioxide to reach net zero by 2050. Many homebuilders, in…

There has been a lot of talk about what impact the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) will have on the construction industry in the months ahead, but one thing is for certain. Construction companies will need to adhere to requirements, which will likely require the use of technology. One company recognizes this and has introduced a new solution. But first the basics. Signed into law in November 2021, the five-year $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act aims to rebuild America’s roads, bridges, and rails; expand access to clean drinking water; ensure every American has access to high-speed internet;…

With a rise in inflation, global geopolitical conflict, labor shortages, and supply-chain disruptions, have we finally reached the impetus where technology is no longer optional, and companies must now accelerate investments to remain nimble in a competitive market? One analyst firm recently threw its forecast in the ring for what’s coming next with technology. Earlier this month, Gartner predicted worldwide IT spending will reach $4.4 trillion in 2022. It anticipates we will see the rise of enterprise application software, infrastructure software, and managed services in the near and long term and suggests the trend toward digital transformation is not a…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused headaches for nearly every industry. One place this is evident is in cities, as a large question mark was placed in front of many initiatives. Now, it is time to look to the future and uncover what the true “city of the future” will look like. GlobalData points to one very specific challenge for cities: infrastructure. Technologies such as 5G, AI (artificial intelligence) and the IoT (Internet of Things) will underpin our global infrastructure including health, water, broadband, and more. This won’t be an easy feat. The pandemic’s economic fallout means municipal government often don’t have…

If we want to attract and retain the right employees, we need to make some big changes. Both employees and employers need to come to the table to rethink what it looks like to work today. For construction, in particular, if we want more women in the workforce, businesses need to redesign the employee experience. The reality is this: Gartner says 65% of women report the pandemic has made them rethink the place that work should have in their lives. Nearly 70% of women with children agree the pandemic has changed how they value certain aspects of their life outside…