Rising from the debris of one of the worst economic downturns, the construction industry has seen a gradual uptick in business since 2012. Coming out of this prolonged economic crisis, AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) players started exploring ways to develop a more efficient and productive system—to not only deliver projects on schedule, but also ahead of time. To pursue these objectives, the AEC industry has started adopting new technologies. Cloud and mobile are at the forefront of this change, and are key components of moving the needle to a more efficient process.
A myriad of software solutions have emerged to manage a construction project’s life-cycle. Surprisingly, there has been a void in technologies that manage end-to-end document sharing and collaboration for the AEC industry. This is especially intriguing considering that a document is the engine that drives construction. Documents are also the principal mode of communication for the AEC industry.
We at ARC Document Solutions commissioned an independent study to understand the effects that document management has on the productivity, efficiency, and overall costs of construction project management.
We partnered with market research company Newlio to conduct the study, which surveyed architecture, engineering and construction management professionals. Forty percent of the respondents had more than 15 years’ experience in the construction industry. The executives came from both large enterprises of 1,000 people and more, to mid-size companies of 10-50, and small boutique firms of ten people or less.
The finding of the study clearly establishes a need for an industry-specific document collaboration and information management solution.
According to the study of seasoned AEC professionals:
- 75% said up to 1/3 of project cost overruns are due to project document difficulties and issues
- 33% found accessing the latest set of documents and having the most current information to be a challenge in completing an AEC project
- Nearly 4 out of 10 (39.8%) said online access for all documents on any device platform is one of the most important factors in increasing their company’s productivity or in reducing costs
- 25% said inaccurate project paperwork or too many versions of documents has contributed to a construction delay
The need for a specialized industry solution is made more apparent from these findings:
- Nearly one in three (30.1%) AEC professionals said current cloud technology tools that are not designed for the AEC market made completing a project on schedule a challenge
- Nearly one in four AEC professionals (22.3%) said the use of multiple technology tools without streamlined integration negatively impacted project efficiency
- Nearly a third of AEC professionals (30.1%) said using multiple software tools during a construction or design project caused duplication of data
- Nearly a third of AEC professionals (29.1%) said multiple software programs caused redundancy and wasted staff time
- Document security is a key concern, with 32% of respondents concerned that someone will use the wrong revision; 30% were afraid they will be erased or not backed up and 25% responded that they won’t be kept confidential
AEC Professionals identified the following challenges to completing their projects:
- Communicating with project members that are in the field – 37.9%
- Accessing the latest set of documents and having the most current information – 33.0%
- Using technology that isn’t designed for the AEC market – 29.1%
- Keeping up with a high volume of paperwork – 33.0%
These findings throw up obvious questions on ways the AEC industry is managing construction documents and information and the way they are communicating with various project stakeholders. It is obvious that the AEC industry is in need of an industry specific document collaboration and information management solution.