I was recently given a research paper by our great partners at Motion Computing (makers of Tablet PCs). The VDC Research Paper called Mobile & Wireless Solutions In Construction: Driving Improved Decision Making, Speed And Scalability, provides an overview of the challenges and possibilities for mobile technologies in construction. It’s really worth a read and here are my quick observations on the piece.
Pros
There's good data on the construction industry’s (ahem) challenges when adopting technology. According to the paper, “the construction sector has historically ranked 80th or higher among industries in the adoption of IT solutions.”
- My first question is 80th? Out of how many industries? I’d bet it is 80th out of 81 segments because some data from the US Census has shown that healthcare and construction are typically either last or second to last in percent of company sales spent on technology.
The paper then does a good job of connecting this to potential improvements. It cites a NIST study finding where “the US construction and engineering industry is losing over $15 billion per year as a result of the industry’s continued paper-based business processes, lack of standardization and overall lack of consistent approach to technology deployment.” That may seem like a lot, but it may be low when you think of the scale of the industry which represents only 1.5% of total US construction spend.
Lastly, the paper makes the connection between BIM and field information. We’ve been on the leading edge of driving that connection.
Cons
I found the research paper fell a bit short when quantifying the benefits of the field technology. For example, what does it mean to have 30.1% improvement in productivity and reduced operating costs of 14.1%?
- We’ve found that there are both job-specific and enterprise benefits that can be quantified, but that it’s not always easy to figure out. One good example can be found in a recent DPR Construction case study where researchers from Stanford quantified the time and cost savings of a BIM-enabled solution.
Overall, the research paper is a good read and nicely summarizes some of the challenges facing the industry. More importantly, for all of us working in construction and technology, it reiterates the tremendous opportunity for productivity and profitability improvements that come from innovations in field hardware and software.
VDC Research Paper on Mobile & Wireless Solutions in Construction
Get the Free VDC Research Paper >>
“Mobile & Wireless Solutions in Construction - Driving Improved Decision Making, Speed and Scalability"
Let's face it, mobility in construction definitely is a time saver, and the more that can be accomplished, signed off and implemented in the field, right there and then, the better. The modern Tablet PC is replacing the clipboard of old, with all the technological advantages the Tablet brings to the table.