Though common data platforms (CDP) are not new on the government construction scene, they are certainly proving to be one of the most effective and innovative drivers enabling more connected and efficient construction sites. Gone are the days of teams working with outdated data, documents, and plans that are riddled with version control issues. By connecting stakeholders across all construction project disciplines, CDPs are transforming how teams communicate and collaborate in the field.
In its newly released eBook, “A Beginner’s Guide to Connecting Construction Data and Documents,” Autodesk examines how cloud-based CDP tools are tearing down data siloes, boosting visibility into key project information, and delivering projects on-time and within budget.
Here are four ways that CDPs are the future of connected construction:
1. Streamlined document access and sharing
Sixty-three percent of construction professionals rely on manual processes, rather than digital systems. When project workflows solely depend on paper-based exchanges, document managers can become overwhelmed with backlogs of files and information, leading to delays, added project costs, and subpar quality in the field. And in cases where digital workflows are implemented, teams may not be utilizing the same applications or software, creating a document integration nightmare.
CDPs eliminate these roadblocks by streamlining document access and sharing across all teams. Regardless of a document’s native-file formatting, CDPs serve as both a software integrator and unified repository of all project files. And since CDPs are cloud-based, stakeholders can access, mark up, comment, and share documents from any geographic location in real-time.
2. Efficient workflow management
Only six percent of contractors report that all of their applications integrate in the field. When teams lack a standardized document management strategy, holdups are frequent, approval processes come to a halt, and the overall workflow suffers.
A CDP removes these integration challenges completely by streamlining the easy exchange and approval of project tasks, documents, and information into the workflow. When all members of a construction project are able to access, collaborate, and work off the same documents, workflows drastically improve, and benchmarks are met on-time.
CDPs allow control over workflows by collecting, tracking, managing, and disseminating project information from multi-disciplinary teams. This facilitates more effective and efficient approval processes, allowing projects to proceed on-time, on-budget, and without errors.
3. Increased project issue visibility
Eighty percent of owners believe that design errors and omissions are the main causes behind added project costs. When teams have poor communication and collaboration, project issue visibility falls through the cracks, increasing the chances of mistakes in the field.
Teams that implement a CDP have enhanced visibility into project issues. CDPs allow stakeholders to see which problems are resolved or still outstanding, enabling them to execute data-based corrective actions early on. CDPs also eliminate version control confusion with their built-in standardized document structure and rationalized, automated naming conventions.
4. Enhanced data security
Inefficiency and ineffectiveness aside, construction project teams that do not have streamlined, integrated document sharing platforms also run the risk of data security issues. When teams across a project are unable to share documents due to incompatible software or applications, they may turn to unsecured cloud sharing or storing “work arounds,” leading to possible theft and/or loss of sensitive project data.
CDPs provide an integration capability that allows teams to safely and securely share and store all project data. User identity authentication and permission-based features allow access or restriction of project information based on a user’s role.
