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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

pg. 1

2. Be a Champion

pg. 3

3. Know your Numbers

pg. 5

4. Establish Clear Goals

pg. 6

3 SIMPLE MOVES FOR

GETTING NEW SOFTWARE
BUY-IN FROM THE OFFICE

delivered, youre going to need a plan for what

happens once you finally find that perfect
solution.
No matter the kind of solution you select, the one
important piece of the puzzle that often gets

Are you a busy construction Project

Manager, Site Supervisor, or Project
Coordinator looking to streamline
processes on-site using software or
technology?
Kudos to you! Simply identifying the need for
improved efficiency and starting to investigate
potential solutions is a huge step. The type of
process you are trying to improve will dictate the
types of solutions you are investigating (mobile
apps for better collaboration, tablets for increased

overlooked is management/office buy-in. Because

of the perceived risk factor associated with rolling
out new technology on-site, this is often a process
that calls for some advanced preparation. When
youve spent weeks or months investigating
solutions, the worst thing that could happen is to
have the idea shut down or postponed internally.
For the purpose of this eBook, we will focus on
software buy-in specifically.
Properly managing the internal buy-in process can
be the make or break for successful software

mobility, etc.) but regardless of how the solution is

rollout overall, so its important to have a game

plan.
In this eBook, we will cover 3 simple moves for

Always remember, to be an internal champion you

gaining fast office buy-in for your solution of

dont need to be a tech wiz. You just need to care

choice. These strategies will not only help you

about finding new ways to help your team be their

secure faster office buy-in, they will help position

best.

you as a true innovation leader within your

company.

Always remember, to be an internal champion

you dont need to be a tech wiz. You just need
to care about finding new ways to help your
team be their best

Once an organization realizes that in

1. BE A CHAMPION

order to stay competitive they need to

update their processes, the topic of

With the above described fear in mind, its easy

software quickly gets raised.

dedicated to making the new software rollout a

to see how having an internal champion, who is

success, would ease the minds of many in-office

However, even once a team acknowledges that

decision makers.

updating (or just starting to use) software is a

necessary step; there are still many factors that

While presenting a sales deck from the software

contribute to reluctance towards rapid change.

vendor, chalked full of powerful examples, ROI

Typically, this reluctance is born from a fear that

statistics and case studies is useful, nothing will

the team will not embrace the selected software

compare with the effect of on-site teams (led by

and therefore all promised cost savings and

efficiency will be untapped. At the end of the day,

their champion!) presenting their experiences to

the office. When you are trying to prove that you

software is only as good as the people using it.

have found the right solution and that this solution

will work well for you team its important to have a
number of on-site people who are willing to
present their support to the office, and explain
where the current solution is failing them. Its

incredibly hard to argue with a solution when the

the kind of company you will enjoy working

companys own people are asking for it.

with in the long run?

To help craft this message, here is a list of

When youre looking for resources to help support

questions to ask yourself. The answers to these

your position on the software, reach out to the

important questions will be key to building your

vendor to see how they can help you. The right

pitch.

software vendor will partner with you in this

conversation and provide you with plenty of

What alternative solutions have you looked

helpful resources.

into and why is this software the best

option?
What prompted you to start investigating
solutions for this specific pain point? This is a
great place to pull powerful anecdotes from
that will help you sell the solution.
How much interaction have you had with the
vendors team (sales, support, etc.)? Are they

In addition to showing your support for the

2. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

solution, explain to the office team just how much

involvement will be required on their part once the

The next important move is to know your numbers.

pilot is approved. Historically, software has been

You may have found a solution that youre going

very difficult to set-up and roll out -- requiring lots

to love using, but if it wont actually save you

of help from the in-house IT team.

money on-site then its going to be hard to secure

buy-in regardless of how well you sell it. In

Luckily, this is no longer the case. Thanks to cloud-

construction, cost savings can come from a variety

based software and more niche solutions, set-up

of places such as increased efficiency, less re-

can typically be done a lot faster and with little to

work, cheaper materials and labour, etc. No matter

no assistance from the office. Make sure they

the source of the cost savings, money saved is

know that!

money earned and an explanation of how you

plan to do so will get the attention of the office
team.
Typically,

software

is

great

at

solving

communication and collaboration issues, so the

biggest area of cost-savings will normally fall
under the increased efficiency header. Because it
is very difficult to properly estimate the actual

amount of time you will save without having fully

Here are the base numbers you should have in

tested the software, it is good to start with

your back pocket when speaking to the office

understanding

about rolling out new software:

how

long

you

are

currently

spending on the tasks in question.

For example, if you do a full site walkthrough two

times a week at the end of a project, and each

How much time does the process currently

take?

walkthrough takes you two hours, then you may

be spending upwards of 16 hours a month

How much time do you think the software

conducting site walkthroughs. Now imagine the

will save you? At this stage, the number can

software you are looking into promises that your

be an educated estimate.

total walkthrough time will be reduced by 30%. All

of a sudden, the numbers start to become a lot

How much does the software cost?

What are the additional value adds? Such as

easier to understand.
The same way these numbers make a lot more
sense to you when compared with your current

free set-up, support, etc.

time expenditure, they will make quick sense to

the office team.

3. ESTABLISH CLEAR GOALS

metrics on how the software helped you, and

strong personal anecdotes about the success you

The final important move for securing easy office

saw using the new solution.

buy-in for your software of choice is to go in with a

list of clearly defined goals. By setting these goals
upfront, it will be easy for the rest of the team to
visualize the end of the software rollout test and
understand how they will judge its success.
During a new software rollout it is common place
to test the solution with a smaller group (in
construction, a full project or group of smaller
projects usually works well), evaluate the success
of the pilot based on the pre-established goals
and then continue company wide rollout if all went
well.
This batched rollout approach further allows you

The initial goals that you establish for your

software pilot will vary depending on the solution,
but here are some important areas to measure:

to sell the solution internally because by the

second round you will be able to provide detailed

Time Saved

Data Created

Quantifying time-saved is one of the easiest ways

Data and quantifiable information about how your

to understand the ROI of software because there

team works on-site is invaluable for making better

is a value (salary) already placed on time. By

decisions down the road. The type of data you

measuring the time saved you can calculate either

create using software will depend on the solution

the additional work that one person can complete

you are using but you could measure things such

or the dollars saved in not having to hire an

as subcontractor performance (in terms of speed

additional person to fulfil outstanding work.

to resolve issues), deficiency trends and more.

Access to this information will allow you to make

Communication

data-driven decisions in the future about a variety

of things on-site.

Improved communication can play into ROI in two

ways. Firstly, improved communication often leads
to time being saved in the constant back and forth

Reputation

on-site. Secondly, improved communication can

contribute to less errors being made due to a

In construction, more and more contractors are

better understanding of the work that needs to get

done. This is likely the highest source of ROI

using the fact that they use software as a

differentiating factor amongst their competition

under the communication header.

and software is often even called out in RFP

documents for new projects. Additionally, if the

CONCLUSION

software you are using enables you to deliver a

higher quality final product or a better owner

When you become an internal software champion,

experience throughout construction than this will

know your numbers and have clearly defined

contribute to an improved reputation.

goals to backup your plan then obtaining office

buy-in for your software of choice should be a
quick task. Your on-site team will love you for
bringing more efficient processes to the job and
the office will sing your praises for making new
software rollout so simple.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE eBOOK

EMAI
LTO A COLLEAGUE

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