Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Management Software
Contents
Challenge #1: Creating A Reliable And Undisputed Single 1. Is It Easy To Learn And Use? 11
Source Of Truth Across Organizations 4
2. Does It Offer A Single, Integrated Platform Inclusive
Challenge #2: Aligning New Tech Tools With Existing Processes 5 Of Your Key Processes? 12
Challenge #3: Driving Standardization Across A Portfolio Of Projects 6 3. Is It Neutral, With Security By Default? 12
4. Advanced 10
5. Transforming 10
Executive Summary: The construction A recent Aconex survey reveals that similar patterns hold true across major
construction firms. In August 2016, we polled more than 70 firms that handle
industry is ripe for disruption projects ranging from under $10 million to just over $100 million. We learned that
these organizations face three key challenges:
We live in a time of both great opportunities and great challenges for the
construction industry. Oxford Economics Global 2030 forecast predicts that 1. Establishing a single source of truth a reliable source of information all project
construction will grow more than 4 percent annually over the next 15 years. partners can draw from
In the US, the news is even better: the construction market is projected to grow 2. Ensuring solution flexibility integrating technology into their day-to-day
6 percent per year, reaching US$1.5 trillion by 2020. Asia will also see major processes
growth, with China, India and Indonesia alone along with the US - accounting
3. Standardizing portfolio management and reporting applying standardized
for 64% of the $8 trillion increase in global construction output between 2014
processes and measuring performance across a portfolio of projects
and 2030.
Similarly, the greatest promise lies in technologies that are just beginning to take
The outlook in Europe is mixed. In a Eurozone still recovering from the global
hold, such as cloud-based project management platforms, 3D Building Information
financial crisis, governments are looking to large infrastructure projects
Modelling (BIM), and big data analytics. A cloud-based platform gives you instant
to reignite demand. In the UK, after a Brexit-related wobble in mid-2016,
access to all project information from any device, so you can take action much
infrastructure is again on the upswing. The Markit/CIPS UK Construction
faster. BIM lets you construct a building as a computerized 3D model long before
Purchasing Managers Index rose to 54.2 in December 2016, up from 52.8 the
site work begins, so you can make changes and correct mistakes without wasting
previous month.
labor or materials. Big data gives you a high-altitude view of your projects, so you
At the same time, however, big construction projects are taking longer to can anticipate problems, perfect processes, and make better decisions.
complete and exceeding their original budgets more than ever before. According
Construction firms are embracing these new technologies, but at different speeds
to the McKinsey Global Institute, capital projects take up to 20 percent longer to
and levels of sophistication. Understanding and evaluating your own organizations
finish than scheduled and run as much as 80 percent more over budget.
technological maturity is the first step toward digital transformation. Weve
A key reason is that construction firms are often slow to adopt technologies that outlined the three biggest challenges construction firms face today and the
would enable them to cash in on this growth. greatest opportunities for transformation. We also include eight key questions to
be answered when evaluating construction management technology.
Through their failure to optimize project portfolios and
streamline delivery techniques, global firms leave more than
$1 trillion on the table every year, according to McKinsey.
Firms can mitigate these difficulties and do a better job of keeping projects
on track if they establish a single source of truth across key contractor
processes such as budgeting and forecasting, contract change management,
Bottom Line
When software cant adapt to a contractors business,
performance suffers. And if the technology isnt relevant to
their partners day-to-day needs, they simply wont use it.
Their tech investment isnt delivering the return it should.
Challenge #3: Driving standardization across a
portfolio of projects
Contractors almost never work on one project at a time. Nine out
of ten we surveyed say managing a portfolio of projects is critical
to their success, and more than three quarters of them say this is a
significant concern.
One big benefit of adopting a portfolio view is taking the lessons learned from
completing one project and applying them to the next one; this saves time and avoids
mistakes that arise from having to reinvent the wheel on every new project. Applying
standard processes and procedures across projects introduces immediate control and
delivery discipline, improves efficiency, and reduces costs.
Bottom Line
To maintain flexibility, reduce risk, and unlock the performance
improvements born of project-to-project learnings, construction
firms need to take a portfolio-wide view across all of their
projects.
Key Trends
The construction professionals Aconex surveyed are focused on the bottom
line and keenly interested in cutting costs and gaining efficiencies through
standardization and improved collaboration. But many are less aware of changes
to the technological landscape that could dramatically affect their future success.
They may be unprepared for an increasingly digitized, mobile, data-driven future.
Here are three trends that will radically transform the construction industry over
the next decade.
A 2013 US study of information mobility by Dodge Data & Analytics found that
contractors benefited most from the move to mobile devices, citing improved
communication and collaboration, as well as the ability to access key project
documents stored in the cloud from the job site.
According to 2015 study of more than 300 BIM users by Dodge Data & Analytics,
70 percent reported fewer RFIs, 54 percent reduced the amount of waste material,
51 percent got projects done more quickly, 48 percent were able to cut costs, and
25 percent reported fewer on-site injuries.
Mandatory BIM use is also growing in the US, albeit more slowly. Some federal
agencies like the General Services Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, and
Department of Veterans Affairs now require BIM at some level. Globally, BIM use
is expected to grow by a compound annual rate of 21% through 2022, reaching
nearly $12 billion in sales by 2022.
Bottom Line
BIM and 3D offer clear cost and time advantages to early
adopters and will rapidly become a requirement for major
infrastructure projects.
Trend #3: Big data + predictive analytics Workflow & Mail Processes
40
Many contractors are not yet aware of how much it is costing them to resist
adoption of a single unified platform for their entire project portfolio; they dont
35
realize the efficiencies to be gained. Once they standardize and combine data
collection, they can use the patterns that emerge to evaluate project partners
30
performance, predict outcomes, and boost productivity.
25
Many companies are already making gains from crunching large data sets.
The case study graph illustrates the results since one international contractor
20
standardized their portfolio of projects on the Aconex platform in 2005. They
have consistently driven operational excellence, reducing both their process
15
cycles and mail response times through process visibility and insights, optimizing
and standardizing processes across their portfolio. The single platform 10
enables them to keep their projects moving while implementing lean process
improvements company-wide. Some additional benefits include workforce 5
mobility, faster subcontractor and supply chain ramping and performance
analysis, and a significantly reduced risk profile (compared to doing things 0
2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
differently on each project).
Bottom Line
Big data has the potential to reveal cost, productivity,
and safety gains not yet imagined but only if companies
implement systems that can capture and analyze this data
across their key processes.
1. Manual of effort and puts additional strain on IT, as it still must support multiple systems.
At the most basic level, many contractors technology use has been virtually 4. Advanced
unchanged over the last 20 years. They use paper, email, and spreadsheets to
When a contractor brings all participants and projects onto a single, unified
manage project communication across RFIs, change orders, bids, submittals,
platform, real collaboration begins. Now all drawings and documents are in one
drawings, payment applications, site instructions, forecasting, and so on.
place, BIM model management is centralized, and project communication is truly
Theyve invested in technology for corporate purposes like finance and
improved. Instead of focusing on a handful of critical processes, every process can
accounting, but typically dont use project management tools. As a result,
now be tracked and measured, with full visibility - from bids and tenders all the way
these organizations waste precious resources shuffling paper, searching for
to handover of the built asset. Turnaround times decrease, increasing productivity
information, and chasing down individuals to get status updates. Errors are
and boosting the quality of deliverables. Organizations that have deployed the
common, documents get lost, and disputes inevitably arise. With no way
solution across their full project portfolio have reduced the time needed to process
to accurately measure many key performance metrics, these organizations
RFIs and approve design changes by 50 percent versus the industry average.
never improve.
Theyve shaved two days off the dispute management process and four days from
These organizations recognize the potential of technology and usually have 5. Transforming
implemented some form of project management software, but they still rely
This is the level most contractors aspire to reach. Here, project collaborators are
on multiple point solutions for things like planning, contract management,
all connected on a single technology platform, sharing information freely among
or site inspections. These applications often dont talk to each other, which
different partners and across different departments within the same company.
means each organizations IT staff spends a lot of time and money struggling
They can identify high-performing subcontractors, standardize processes, and
to integrate systems after the fact. It may take months to get the system up
continuously improve, cutting time and waste out of each process. Adopting a
and running, and years to map it to the companys unique processes. And
connected construction management platform offers organizations visibility across
without a party-neutral single source of truth, companies continue to be
a portfolio of projects, enabling them to make better strategic decisions and get
plagued by disputes.
warned before little problems turn into big ones.
Selecting the right construction
management software
Not all connected platforms offer the same benefits. Before you make a decision
about which one to adopt, you need to answer these eight questions.
The real power of construction management software comes from its data is secure. Look for a technology partner whose security model ensures
ability to create a single source of truth that all project participants can that uploaded data is private to that organization until shared with others.
access. The platform should include most of your key processes, with the Unfortunately, most vendors expect the system implementer to set up the correct
ability to integrate to other systems when needed. More data capture permissions on each new project. This increases the risk of the wrong information
enables greater visibility into bottlenecks and project progress, so you can getting into the wrong hands. The other component of neutrality is that no
take action faster. A collection of point solutions that must be stitched super user can alter or delete the trail of communication or documents shared
together on the back end does not offer the same power and flexibility. between organizations. Without neutrality, project members will keep duplicate
Need a checklist? records to protect themselves from potential litigation, which creates multiple
versions of the truth. Other simple security questions are: Is the technology ISO
Contract Management Plan Management 27001 certified? Is there a two-step verification process? Data security is job one,
RFIs & Change Orders Project Cost Management and the platform should provide an indelible audit trail that helps you build trust
Transmittals & Submittals Project Scheduling with your supply chain.
Design & Shop Drawing Reviews Handover to O&M
Inspections, Quality & Safety Project Reporting Want to learn more about neutrality? Download the whitepaper.
Aconex has become the industry standard Lisa Dorrance, Program Manager,
Regional Transportation District
and our exclusive choice.
Some contractors want a platform that works straight out of the box, with becoming essential. The platform must include mobile access and apps for all its core
minimal tweaking, so they can get an upcoming project up and running fast processes to support your field team, enabling you to reach the right decisions faster.
using minimal IT resources. Others want the ability to configure software to Empowering job site workers starts with ensuring they get the right information when
their unique business processes (especially for high-volume processes). The they need it, to act faster and minimize stalls.
ideal platform allows you to do both, with a focus on fast and easy workflow
configuration. It should also support different types of projects (different Aconex allows us to access our documents and
delivery models, contract types, level of complexity, and project size) so you
correspondence anytime, anywhere, from a single
can report across your diverse portfolio, standardize processes, and extract
login.
project learnings or best practices for continuous improvement.
Aconex Limited (ASX: ACX) provides the #1 cloud and mobile With more than 70,000 user organisations and over US$1 trillion of project
collaboration platform for the global construction industry. This platform value delivered in more than 70 countries, Aconex is the industrys most widely
connects owners, contractors and project teams in the construction, adopted and trusted platform. Founded in 2000, Aconex has 47 offices in
infrastructure, energy and resources sectors, providing project- 23 countries around the world. The companys ordinary shares are traded on
wide visibility and control between the many different organisations the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the ticker code ACX and are
collaborating across their projects. included in the S&P/ASX 200.
aconex.com