Dodge Construction Network, in partnership with Trimble, recently released a Dodge SmartMarket Brief based on a comprehensive study of owners, architects, engineers and contractors, according to www.construction.com. The study and resulting report evaluate the use and benefits of digital workflows in the construction industry.
The report reveals the degree to which owners already have embraced digital workflows for multiple design and construction processes and suggests owners’ influence will drive greater use of these tools in the industry.
An owner’s design and construction process requires data to be shared with internal stakeholders, external project teams and supply chain participants during the project. Traditionally, individual parties use their own software systems or rely on manual rekeying of data into spreadsheets and other document-based formats, which can be inefficient.
Key findings form the report include:
- Owners are more deeply engaged with digital workflows than other project team members; 54% of owners have integrated software solutions or are using a single, connected construction management solution.
- Owners realize the need to improve the flow of communication and data between themselves and other project team members; 59% of owners report frequent breakdowns in communication between themselves and other project team members, and 45% report are satisfied with their connectivity with external companies.
- Sixty-six percent of owners using digital workflows report they frequently result in better-informed decision-making on their projects because they can trace the root causes of delays and errors.
- More than two-thirds of owners contractually require contractors to use some digital documentation and practices.
- Sixty percent of owners report they have digital workflows for at least half their project data between departments within their organization. However, only 28% report a similar level of digital data exchange with external companies.
“Owners have the greatest influence on the project team,” says Steve Jones, senior director of industry insights at Dodge Construction Network. “If they decide that digital workflows will improve their projects, the rest of the industry will embrace them as well. This study clearly reveals that owners are already deeply into their own digital transformation, and therefore, we expect to see wider use soon of these valuable tools.”
