The power of the platform

As the world continues to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses—including those in the construction industry—are reassessing their strategies, investments and resources to set themselves up for success through the crisis and beyond.

In this new normal, moving from manual processes to a digital platform is no longer simply about time and cost savings but also about staying connected in a disconnected world. Construction businesses are rethinking how they can leverage technology to make sites safer, enable remote work (when possible), and ensure compliance with social distancing requirements. They’re using data to better understand current complexities, reduce risk, and minimise project delays.

Completing projects safely, on time and within budget—especially during times of crisis—requires seamless collaboration among all stakeholders. More importantly, it requires a solution that makes it easy for teams to stay connected, regardless of their location.

That’s why Procore Technologies, a leading construction management software provider, has put together an ebook entitled The Power of the Platform in which their experts take readers through what a platform is; what features to look for; and, how it can help you boost productivity, efficiency and collaboration—ultimately saving time and money.

The Procore platform is a streamlined system that connects solutions instead of fragmenting them. All project information lives in one place. That means all stakeholders—from the site to the office—have one source of truth, helping ensure information is accurate, up-to-date, and efficient. What’s more, by enabling teams to make faster data-driven decisions, businesses reduce the risk of error and rework throughout the course of a project.

You may be more familiar with digital platforms than you’re aware—think Google, Facebook, Amazon, Uber and Airbnb—and, similar to a physical platform, these digital platforms provide a base structure, or scaffold, onto which multiple components, or apps, can attach. Like its globally recognised counterparts, the Procore platform is designed to be open and flexible so it can intuitively address the needs of everyone who engages with it, which means head contractors, subcontractors and owners can all seamlessly connect and collaborate on the same infrastructure.

Across industries, and especially construction, platforms are the preferred tech solution for businesses—and for good reason. By boosting efficiency and improving communication, platforms give businesses a competitive edge over those relying on slower or more outdated construction management methods. This is especially true when it comes to the industry’s massive productivity gap.

Every year, construction represents about 13 per cent (around $15 trillion) of global GDP and employs 7 per cent of the global workforce. But, despite being one of the world’s largest industries, its labour productivity rates lag behind other industries—in large part due to manual processes or disparate solutions that don’t integrate. As businesses transition to more remote work as a result of the pandemic, manual processes become an even greater challenge. Information dissemination between the site and office can take days, or even weeks—resulting in more downtime on site and rework.

Selecting the right technology for your business is a big decision. With so many solutions out there, it can be a challenge to decipher the right one for you. Here are a few questions to consider:

• How much time is lost due to double entering data or trying to locate information in multiple systems?
• Is poor communication between the site and office increasing rework?
• If you are already using various point solutions, have employees fully adopted them?
• How might this improve with a single, user-friendly platform?
• How would connecting people and processes in a single system improve collaboration?
• What are the costs associated with current business inefficiencies?

Procore covers the entire lifecycle of a project including preconstruction, project management, resource management, and financial management—all in one, user-friendly platform. Plus, it’s built for construction, by construction, so our tools are specifically designed for your teams both on and off site. By keeping stakeholders accountable and responses quick, your projects are delivered on time—or sooner—and on budget.

Learn more about how the Procore platform could benefit your construction-related business by downloading The Power of the Platform ebook.