GOING MOBILE: THE BENEFITS OF MOBILITY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Construction was challenging before the economy tanked; now pent-up demand is exploding into multiple concurrent projects wherever you look. The Orange Barrel Festival has definitely hit town. It’s unfortunate you can’t be in more than one place at a time…or can you?

What’s that in your hand? Why, it’s a smartphone! And maybe you have a notebook computer or tablet you carry around with you as well. These are the tools that are going to turn your construction company into a lean, mean, competitive machine.

BIG CHALLENGES IN THE INDUSTRY
Everything is bigger in construction, even the challenges. These days you have to contend with:

The real estate market in general
Civil engineering coordination
Environmental concerns
Energy costs
Inventory and logistics management
Utility and transportation management
And, of course, the weather
Plus, there is all the paperwork involved: blueprints, timesheets, requirements, contracts, and on and on. Today’s construction manager needs to access information from multiple sites while maintaining a grueling schedule.

Mobility, the use of mobile devices and technology, is the only way you can keep up.

Over 75% of respondents to a Bureau of Labor Statistics study had used a mobile device to access work-related information. Employees from the sales department to manufacturing and distribution had accessed company information via mobile device while engaging with a client, providing them with immediate access to real-time information. The use of mobile devices also increased the organizational time for both sales and the clerical staff.

THE BENEFITS OF MOBILITY
The biggest benefit of mobility and the use of mobile devices is that it makes management possible in real time with anytime, anywhere access to data. Geography doesn’t matter. You can use your smartphone or notebook to access and use solutions created to engage in most construction-related activities, even from the jobsite and without the need to travel to the office.

Mobile has been widely deployed in the past few years and is a familiar technology to most people. Managers, in particular, appreciate the ability to access:

Project plans
Budgets
Resource requirements
Issue status
Contact information…
…and much more. They no longer need to carry bulky project binders full of specifications, or unwieldy plans and blueprints from site to site.

There are five areas in which mobility has become a requirement to function and compete in the construction environment.

Improved communication
Mobile devices enhance the ability to share and exchange data, images, and other information. They keep the field and office connected and provide the entire staff with updated project information to streamline the workflow.

Improved workflow analysis
Mobile devices give you’re the power of actual, rather than estimated, data. It is available in real time and can be rapidly updated and shared. Collaboration is easy when everyone can access information this way. Payroll and accounting are just two areas that benefit from a mobile process. You can review project performance as well as look at your company as a whole.

Save and transfer information
If you are in a remote location you may not have the latest data, or you may be gathering data that you have no way to share because there is no coverage or no web service. With mobile solutions, you can receive updated information as soon as you re-enter a coverage zone. You can also transfer saved information the moment you can get back online. No need to run to the office or cause a delay due to travel.

Increased productivity
With this in mind, you improve your efficiency in data transfer and you free up employees from manual data entry. Your time and theirs can be better used elsewhere to keep your construction company running efficiently.

Easy integration
Most of today’s construction software solutions contain a mobile component, but if not it is still easy to tie your mobile device into existing systems:

Payroll
Sales and CRM
Logistics
Supply chain management
Mobile is particularly beneficial for simplifying the payroll process. You can integrate a mobile time clock with your payroll software. It saves the time of manually filling out a timesheet and allows workers to report immediately to the jobsite without the delay of clocking in elsewhere.

Just about anything you could do from your desktop can be tied into your smartphone, tablet, or notebook.

MOBILE APPLICATIONS ARE STEADILY INCREASING IN POWER
Mobile applications have become available to help manage either part or all of a project. Apps are available for:

Calculating complex measurements
Sharing and altering blueprints
Synchronizing information
Scheduling meetings
Managing budgets
Organizing contacts
Creating and assigning task lists
Some of these applications have already undergone extensive updating as the technology improved. Everything in construction’s mobile arsenal was created to fill a real need. You can find applications that give you access to any regulation you care to review. There are applications that are complete project management suites. You can even get an app that makes a second line on your phone so you can separate your work and your private life.

Mobility solutions add value and reduce risk at every point in the lifecycle of a construction project. Project managers, architects, and engineers often have multiple projects they are working on. Any tool that can help keep everything straight not only improves their production, it helps your construction team out as well.

You are all people who spend a majority of your time on constructions sites, in the office, or traveling. You don’t need to leave active management behind. Mobile devices and solutions have exploded onto the construction scene every bit as powerfully as the internet itself. Mobility is simply the next step in improving your IT infrastructure and your market competitiveness. You will save money, increase productivity, optimize your operations, and reduce travel costs while remaining in control.

Mobile can even help you protect your jobsite and materials from robbery and thievery with mobile surveillance apps.

Mobile construction technology has become as much a part of today’s lifestyle as personal computers. In fact, mobile devices are well on their way to displacing many workstations and other devices that bound you to your desk. Without the need to check in at the office, you can manage your time better as you move through your day.


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