Harvey | Harvey-Cleary Builders

Peyton Spivey

Technology has become ubiquitous in our lives. This point is made evident through the technology landscape, an illustration of an industry’s tech solutions represented by company logos. I serve the construction industry, and with approximately $10 billion of targeted investment over the past two years, it is experiencing these technology tectonics at a rate never before seen. This influx of capital has led to an exciting yet dizzying number of new applications coming to market, and there is a price for all of this progress. A 2022 report by Harvard Business Review introduced us to the “toggling tax”; the average user studied switching between apps and websites nearly 1,200 times each day, consuming 9 percent of their time at work.

Interestingly, the annual Construction Technology Report from JB Knowledge reports that the average number of software applications in use by respondents has changed little over the past decade, in large part due to the growth and consolidation among platforms that feature many products. That average is holding steady over three, though, and over 23 percent of those surveyed in 2021 shared that none of their apps integrate. The unique processes and workflows present in construction and real estate often necessitate that data be available in multiple platforms and point solutions, for example, employee information is needed for human resources, accounting/payroll, operations, and resource scheduling functions.

The lack of connection between applications creates data silos, and having to manually refer or transfer information can take significant time, is prone to human error, and can lead to improper or delayed decision-making.

Thankfully, many of today’s technologies can integrate and lower the effective rate of the toggling tax, and this application integration can be accomplished in many ways. There are application programming interfaces, APIs, or protocols that allow different software to communicate. Ever looked up local restaurant options on your favorite delivery app? APIs are the bridge that provides you with details. 

There are also webhooks, sometimes called Push APIs, which send data based on an event rather than relying on requests. Did you decide to order takeout? Webhooks can trigger notifications as the order is received, prepared, and delivered. There are even WebSockets that provide real-time bi-directional communication, so you can watch your driver move along the delivery route.

"Businesses that invest in application integration can increase employee productivity and morale, eliminate errors, improve reporting, and reduce costs"

These integration tools are changing the way we ideate, create, and manage the built environment. Historic data can be brought into analytics tools to provide insight into concepts throughout the preconstruction phase. Business development teams can efficiently track and transfer awarded project details to project delivery teams, and those constructors can seamlessly convert estimates and bids into budgets and contracts. Project stakeholders can collaborate on RFIs and submittals, each from their project management system. Timesheets and invoices can be routed to accounting and payment software. Closeout can be simplified by plugging submittal documents, as-built models, point clouds, and/ or site imagery into client applications. Through the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), models can become digital twins providing real-time asset conditions. Property managers can pass service requests to technician scheduling solutions.

Businesses that invest in application integration can increase employee productivity and morale, eliminate errors, improve reporting, and reduce costs. Not sure where to begin? Like the toggling tax researchers, develop a work graph for your organization. Work graphs tell the story of how people, processes, and technologies come together to execute work. The proper use of application integration will transform your landscape of silos into a connected technology diagram.