Digitise your building process in four simple steps

While construction lagged behind in the digitalization process for a long time, the sector is catching up considerably. Digital twins become forJudging from their physical counterparts, more and more use is being made of the available data on a construction site and many builders can no longer do without a document management system. However, the process of digitization remains a significant change and digitizing the entire construction process does not happen overnight. 

The benefits of digitization

When you want to get started with digitization, it is useful to keep the benefits in mind. Not only does this motivate you to make the change, but if all stakeholders see the added value of digitization, it is easier to get them on board. 

Construction companies that have successfully digitized their processes, see that it provides more overview, works faster and reduces failure costs. 

With a free trial you can click through the product yourself and see if it meets your expectations.

Step 1: Identify the challenges

Think before you start: what challenges do you expect to encounter in the digitalization process? This provides an overview of the problems you want to tackle and prevents surprises. The most common challenges in the digitalization process are: 

• Analogous habits: Builders are often still used to working a lot on paper. Quickly writing something down or calling in is deeply ingrained in the system and is therefore difficult to replace by entering something on an iPad. 
• Implementation: When implementing a new problem, you also have to teach yourself a new way of working. When different teams or individuals all use a different system, you can be sure that things will go wrong. So make sure that the new working method is implemented throughout the company. 
• Everyone is on the same page: it was mentioned earlier in this article: you want to ensure that everyone is on board when implementing the new software. 
• Security: at a time when a cyber attack is in the news almost every day, you want to know that your data is in safe hands. Therefore, choose software with an extensive rights structure, so that you determine who can see what, from a party that ISO certified is. Then you can be sure that your sensitive company data will not just end up on the street. 

Step 2: Map out the wishes

Not only the challenges are important. Think about the question: for which problems are you actually looking for a solution? Do different versions of a construction drawing often exist side by side, causing errors and are you looking for a document management system with good version management? Do you not only want to manage the documents, but also guarantee quality and generate automatic reports? Or are you looking for an extensive one? reporting modules, so that you have all project communication in one place? 

All these types of questions are important to ask yourself. Based on this, you can take a tour of the fields and see which features are a strict requirement for you or which ones nice to have. This checklist will help you make a decision. Not only can a provider’s website tell you a lot, it is often also possible to request a free trial. This allows you to click through the product yourself and see whether it meets your expectations. 

Ultimately, the best way to learn something is to just do it.

Step 3: Run a pilot project

Now that you have clearly identified the challenges and wishes, you may already have a preference for a particular software package. Just try out this software package by starting a trial project. By choosing a smaller project, you run little risk, but you will immediately get to know the software well. 

Running a pilot project has a number of advantages. This way, not only you, but also a group of colleagues, will immediately get to know the software well, you will immediately know whether all your wishes are met and how difficult it is to master the software. During the project you can regularly collect feedback to see what people think, so you can make an informed decision. 

Step 4: Get started! 

Ultimately, the best way to learn something is to just do it. Of course, you don’t have to jump straight into the deep end, but from the pilot project onwards, the new way of working will continue to be expanded to other projects. By doing this one at a time, you ensure that no one gets overwhelmed and that you implement the new software correctly. This way you can keep your finger on the pulse. You will see that the new way of working offers you numerous advantages and that your projects are becoming increasingly streamlined.