Putting information into the hands of the people closest to the action is not a revolutionary idea. When the action takes place at multiple locations and involves constantly changing conditions and participants, the flow of information becomes even more crucial. This environment is what most contractors have faced every day long before smart phones, tablets, the Internet, and even computing technology in general.
Today, we face something more than the emergence of a new technology. Three fundamental aspects of information management – mobility, computing, and software – are transforming together. And it is when technologies come together and reinforce each other that they have the biggest impact on the way people live and work.
A New Level of Mobility
Although relatively new to the marketplace, tablet computers and smart phones now account for a significant amount of computing. These devices not only provide users with more ways to communicate, they provide access to powerful applications and large amounts of data. Project managers, job site supervisors, and other field staff have access to more information than ever before – information they can access from wherever work takes them.
A New Type of Computing
New mobile hardware puts information and applications in your hands faster and easier. But to do so, there has to be a source that these devices can tap into for the processing and data they need. Enter cloud computing; a term surrounded by much hype and confusion but one that is really quite simple. Instead of counting on the user having the computing horsepower to display and process complex job information, all the computing work and storage is done by centralized machines built for the task.
A New Way of Working
We expect to be able to deliver data and documents to each other wherever we are. We need to work together with many people from different locations but still all access the same and most updated information. So the software we use cannot be tied to any one device or operating system, nor can we hope (or insist) that everyone will load the same software on their devices.
Mobility solves the challenge of access, and cloud computing provides a platform to connect everyone to the same applications and data. But dropping traditional windows-based software into a web-enabled cloud does not work. Because the way we work is changing, our software has to change. Applications that anyone can access and use from any device are defining the next generation of construction software – software that is easy to use and designed specifically for mobility and for the cloud.
Building Profits with Technology
Contractors who take advantage of these transformations in technology will improve the flow of information throughout their organization and with their collaborative partners. Done with a plan in mind, an improvement in information flow can translate to better workflow. And more efficient work translates into better cash flow. The window of time to take advantage of the next generation of information technologies - to create a more connected organization and more efficient jobsite - is right now. And as with everything involving technology, what is an advantage today will become a requirement tomorrow.
