Why most construction software has not gained adoption with frontline staff on projects

Construction Workers using a mobile tablet on a project

Written by Padraig Reilly
Founder Boxcore

Construction Safety manager on a Construction Project with a mobile device

It’s no secret that construction lags behind other Industries in terms of Productivity and the rate of Digital adoption. These two items are deeply correlated. It’s well recognized by Leaders in the Construction Industry of the need to prioritize Digital transformation to streamline excessively burdensome processes. Despite this focus, and many efforts over the past decade, most digitalization efforts on projects have failed to gain traction on sites and, in particular, concerning streamlining workflows for frontline staff.

This article seeks to discuss the poor record of construction software companies gaining traction with frontline staff.

Lack of Interoperability to accommodate the complexity of Supply Chains.

Major Construction Projects require a complex web of interacting Contractors, Subcontractors, and suppliers working together to deliver a required outcome. As every Construction project is a prototype with a dynamic and constantly changing flow of subcontractors and suppliers, it’s challenging for a client or general contractor to get all supply chain participants to change their way of working. For certain site-based information flows, such as sharing key safety data like worker's training, equipment inspections, method statements, and permits, companies generally default to manual means of capturing, sharing, and tracking this information. The use of emails, manually updating spreadsheets, and safety data stored in silos is still commonplace on large projects, resulting in excessive manual admin tasks, delays to work for crews on site, and poor visibility of crucial safety data.

To be successful on projects, construction software must accommodate this complexity and enable interoperability with contractors existing processes.

Not viewing problems from the perspective of frontline staff.

Successful construction management comes done to completing complex tasks with the minimum amount of human effort. Construction crews are deeply aware of this and must make decisions daily to keep work progressing with minimal disruption. Site teams do not have the luxury to spend efforts on items that don’t directly help deliver the work in front of them.

Many providers and companies have sought to drive digital solutions that would produce better outcomes for head office and backoffice based staff; however, they often increase the work burden of supervisors and frontline staff. This can’t work as frontline staff can’t deprioritize progress on-site just to satisfy a reporting requirement.

To gain adoption on sites, software solutions must eliminate human effort for frontline staff and make their life easier, rather than add an additional burden.

Boxcore provides a practical, easy-to-implement solution for capturing, storing, tracking, and sharing project safety data. Our Cloud-based solution eliminates admin tasks, reduces worker downtime, and simplifies safety compliance.

Boxcore has been built by experienced Construction Managers, helping ensure we understand the challenges Construction companies face to deliver significant benefits with a quick time to value.

Contact us today at info@boxcore.com and we'll arrange a demo to show how our solution can make your teams safer and more productive.


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