Steven Gross, vice president of client solutions, Computer Guidance Corp., recently took time out of his busy schedule to catch up with Constructech Editorial Director Peggy Smedley to talk about the importance customer environments, the value of workflows, and how emerging technology solutions are impacting construction.
Peggy Smedley: What are some of the biggest needs in the construction industry today?
(Steven Gross): Efficient and integrated capture of critical information from the field. This information should only be entered once, it must be captured on a timely basis, and be subjected to the necessary controls to ensure accuracy. It should then automatically flow to the system of record so that all users are operating from the same playbook. Off-line spreadsheets and disparate systems requiring re-entry of the same data are a recipe for inaccuracy and lower levels of productivity and profit margin.
Workforce tracking. With the scarcity of available skilled workers that has plagued the construction industry since the pandemic, software to easily on-board new employees, and to track and manage them from that point forward is more important than ever.
Stringent controls over procurement of materials and services. Whether purchasing is centralized or in the hands of project management, efficient and accurate tracking of requirements, pricing, delivery schedules, and compliance items are key to efficiently managing projects. Workflows should be in place to electronically identify requirements, approve them, and communicate with vendors. And of course, this information must flow directly into the system of record as it directly impacts project performance.
(PS): Is worker productivity a big priority? If so, why?
(SG): Absolutely. There is no industry more directly impacted by worker productivity than construction. Productivity directly impacts both profit margins and the project schedule. The adage “time is money” applies more directly to construction than many other industries.
(PS): How can construction companies maximize productivity and profitability with technology?
(SG): Through accurate and timely reporting of actual levels of productivity (as in units complete per man hour) as compared to estimated. Construction should know the man hours and/or resources required to complete a task and be able to track actual performance on a frequent basis—ideally daily or weekly. To do this they need software tools and workflows in place for accurately capturing this performance data and pushing it to their system of record for timely reporting. Once these workflows are in place, management will have the tools to manage the work in ways that impact margins and profits overall.
(PS): Mission-critical data is central to all of this. How can companies capture and manage this today?
(SG): In short, effective, easy to use software tools for field users. Construction firms should have software in place to capture man hours, quantities installed, procurement requirements affecting committed cost and potential changes to project budget and contract price. This data must flow to the system of record on a timely basis.
(PS): Is security a priority? How can we secure all this?
(SG): Security is a very high priority. Ransomware attack occurrences have increased exponentially during the last two years and construction companies large and small have become targets—especially those firms that maintain systems and server equipment in-house. Priority one should be to migrate to comprehensive ERP (enterprise-resource planning) software in the cloud, which inherently provides much stronger security and protection against attacks such as this.
(PS): What should construction companies do now to best prepare for what comes next?
(SG): Invest in software and related infrastructure that is expandable and adaptable to future requirements. These tools should support future growth objectives, provide the proper levels of security, and be able to integrate with other third-party software tools and do all of the field data capture described above. If these are in place and are running smoothly, they will be well prepared for evolving changes in the construction vertical market and in technology.
More about the Guest:
Steven Gross, vice president of client solutions, is responsible for leading initiatives designed to maximize the effectiveness and utilization of Computer Guidance software applications at customer environments. His focus is on assisting Computer Guidance customers in realizing the highest levels of ROI from the Computer Guidance eCMS enterprise resource planning solution by delivering expert review and analysis of system usage, gap analysis, and best practices consulting.