Real-Time Collaboration for the Construction Industry

Historically, the construction industry has been mired by fragmentation, miscommunication, delays, disputes, and competitive and adversarial conditions.

In addition to that, the complex and ever-changing nature of construction projects makes them highly unpredictable and unmanageable. However, many modern construction agencies are now leveraging the power of digital solutions that offer real-time collaboration to eradicate these downfalls.

Such construction companies are reporting amazing results that are the courtesy of real-time collaboration. From increased profits and lowered risks to better project quality, the benefits of real-time collaboration seem endless. It seems crucial to examine these impacts in depth so more construction companies can make the most out of real-time collaboration.

KanBo is the platform that can help build and drive a smarter, faster, and easier way to communicate for construction companies to leverage the power of real-time collaboration.

Sustainability Goals and Targets Set by the UN for Construction Organizations

One of the vital purposes of large enterprises, including construction organizations, is to seek functional excellence through robust infrastructure to meet their sustainability objectives. As we move into the future and comprehend the meaning of adaptive and agile business activities to attain our sustainability targets, the more assets, concentration, and energy we really want to spend to ease the effect of how we treat this planet. That is the motivation behind why the United Nation's Department of Economic and Social Affairs has presented a bunch of targets and pointers that must be accomplished by large-scale organizations. The key goals incorporate the following.

Developing Robust, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

The essential objective characterized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs is to create dependable, strong, tough, and sustainable framework to convey needed support in terms of monetary developments and general human prosperity. The companies should focus on guaranteeing impartial and reasonable access to work along with products and services for everybody.

Encouraging Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialization

During the next 10 years or so, the UN expects large enterprises including construction organizations to effectively support feasible and comprehensive industrialization to upgrade the business' portion of GDP and work. These goals ought to follow local conditions and the companies should set the target of multiplying their contribution in non-industrial nations.

Enhancing Access of Small-Scale Enterprises

In a greater part of agricultural nations, individuals have restricted access to products and services. The construction organizations should empower the entrance of small companies so the nearby people can have quick access to economic opportunities inside their circle.

Improving Resource Efficiency and Adopting Eco-Friendly Technologies

Another goal illustrated by the UN for large enterprises, for example, construction organizations is to retrofit enterprises and overhaul their framework by 2030 for improved sustainability. They likewise need to zero in on presenting clean and eco-accommodating advancements and guaranteeing improved asset effectiveness alongside upgraded modern cycles.

Promoting Innovation and Scientific Research

In the following 10 years, large enterprises including construction companies should mean to work with advancement, work on scientific innovation and research, and upgrade the innovative limit of their modern areas, particularly in non-industrial nations.

• Advance and give assistance in creating strong and practical framework giving better specialized, monetary, and innovative help in agricultural nations.
• Give help to homegrown advancement, research, and improvement in immature nations.
• Work on fast and simple access to correspondence and data innovation and endeavor to give reasonable and boundless provision of the internet.

What is the definition of real-time collaboration?

The concept of real-time represents simultaneous work while collaboration refers to the interaction between multiple individuals. Real-time collaboration enables multiple individuals to interact and work simultaneously as they collaborate on a project.

This is an essential capability for all functional industries in the fast-paced, technology-driven world of today. Real-time collaboration is of even greater significance in industries that rely on the success of large projects with multiple stakeholders, workers, and many moving parts. One example of such an industry is the construction industry where projects are complex and require constant collaboration. In the context of construction, real-time collaboration allows everyone on the team to be on the same page. The real-time aspect ensures that all members have access to an updated pool of resources and knowledge that allows them to achieve common goals with greater efficiency.

Why real-time collaboration in the construction industry is important?

Construction is traditionally known to be a highly fragmented industry. This is due to the competitive nature of the industry that makes team members more interested in short-term gains rather than long-term project goals. While contractors may work well individually, there’s little encouragement or initiative to promote effective teamwork and collaboration among different parties.

With stakeholders, contractors, subcontractors, workers, and other members working as a single unit, construction projects can quickly go haywire. In addition to that, construction projects rely on several different parts that need to fit together perfectly to be successful. Real-time collaboration fosters the alignment needed by such hugely complex and ever-changing projects.

Not only does real-time collaboration ensures that multiple individuals work harmoniously together, but it also lets team members know what their colleagues are doing at every moment. With real-time collaboration, the construction industry can build a single source of truth for their construction projects to ensure all activities are aligned towards a common goal.

With real-time collaboration construction businesses can:

• Effectively meet project goals without the need for changes and rework
• Deliver projects on time without added delays
• Promote working towards a shared goal instead of working on individual goals
• Maximize profits
• Minimize expenditure to stay within the budget
• Save money, manpower, and materials
• Satisfy stakeholders and owners
• Build a spotless brand reputation
• Gain more long-term business connections and referrals
• Establish better knowledge sharing solutions among team members
• Avoids conflict and adversarial situations

Is real-time collaboration in construction effective?

Real-time collaboration fosters a work environment with streamlined workflows, clear roles, a consolidated knowledge base, and the right communication tools. All of these can lead to successful and smooth-sailing construction projects. Here are some reasons why real-time collaboration is an effective tool for the construction industry:

Builds Trust

Since construction has traditionally been a very fragmented and competitive field, most construction projects suffer from team members’ trying to earn individual credit instead of focusing on their share, long-term goals. There’s also a lot of distrust involved in the industry as most stakeholders and contractors are wary of others. Real-time collaboration is all about transparency that builds trust and respect among the different members of a team. This helps teams bridge trust gaps to focus on the overarching goals of the project that leads to success.

Simplifies Work

In construction, a lack of collaboration can lead to some costly mistakes. Unorganized projects where individuals don’t know their responsibilities can do more harm than good for a construction company and its project budget. Real-time collaboration allows everyone to be on the same page at all times and includes smart approaches to streamline workflows and make work easier.

Clarifies Roles and Responsibilities

Through collaboration, construction projects can be more organized as each individual knows their clear responsibility and role that leads to the big picture. This mitigates all the confusion from the equation, making employees more self-assured and motivated to work towards shared goals.

Promotes Better Communication

In the multi-disciplinary world of construction, communication gaps can cause delays, cost overruns, project reworks, and other undesirable results. Real-time collaboration is impossible without great communication. The construction industry can adopt cutting edge technological solutions to promote lightning-fast communication at all levels.

Does construction software offer real-time collaboration?

More and more construction businesses are now looking towards digital construction solutions in the form of construction software that can help them introduce real-time collaboration. Such software not only acts as management solutions for companies but also help individuals collaborate in real-time regardless of how far away they may be. This can effectively bridge gaps between field workers and office-based employees, enabling superior real-time collaboration to make construction projects an amazing success.

Here are some capabilities of construction software that help promote real-time collaboration:

Round the Clock Access

Construction software allows your employees round the clock access to data across multiple devices. Cloud capabilities further allow real-time editing that provides each member with up to date information that enables fast-paced, real-time collaboration.

Provides Document Access Control

Real-time collaboration is made more secure and private through document access controls. Personnel can utilize passwords to manage access controls and ensure that only authorized employees can view sensitive documents.

Boosts Communication

Most construction software with cloud capabilities allows you to interact in the context of each file and document. Through mentions or comments, team members can communicate in real-time without any added delays.

Real-Time Checklist Support

Construction projects require daily updates regarding the progress which is often done using a survey or checklist. Construction software supports project checklists that can easily be shared among project managers and general contractors. This can help bridge communication gaps for a more successful project.

Removes Data Silos

Construction management software can help eliminate the data silos which are so common in the construction business. Such software stores information in one consolidated location to create a single source of truth that everyone has instant access to. This improves knowledge sharing among stakeholders and crew members, accounting departments and estimators, and designers and sub-contractors to optimize the flow of information.

What is the impact of real-time collaboration for a construction business?

In recent years, the construction industry has been focusing on making collaboration a more natural part of construction projects. More and more construction companies are now taking help from cloud-based construction software to boost real-time collaboration. Many businesses that have introduced such real-time collaboration measures have noticed a far-reaching impact on their project quality, profits, and risks.

• According to a study, 91% of general contractors and project owners believe that real-time collaboration helps reduce risks on the construction site. Since real-time collaboration allows instructions to reach the right people at the right time, on-field workers are made aware of the risks and safety issues before any real damage occurs.
• Another study highlights that increased coordination and collaboration between the designers and builders from the beginning of the project can reduce uncertainty, risks, delays, disputes, and cost overruns later on in the project.

As the world becomes more reliant on digital solutions for lightning-fast communication and collaboration, construction companies also need to utilize these tools to make an impact. The businesses which are still choosing to rely on primitive pen and paper methods will surely be left behind as others accelerate towards the top.

How your organization can ensure security and data protection when collaborate in real-time?

As construction companies adopt digital solutions to boost real-time collaboration, many security concerns come to the forefront. This can turn off many businesses which value their client’s and stakeholders’ privacy and can’t compromise on security for better performance. Fortunately, ensuring security and data protection while collaborating in real-time is not an impossible feat.

KanBo is a work management software that settles naturally into the workings of the construction industry. As you boost real-time collaboration through KanBo, you don’t have to compromise on security and data protection. Securing your crucial data and sensitive information remains KanBo’s top priority. Here are some security and privacy features that make KanBo a completely secure solution for your construction projects:

Store your Data on Your Terms

KanBo seeks to integrate seamlessly with your IT infrastructure. Whether it be hybrid, cloud storage, or on-premise, KanBo provides an all-around solution that does not disrupt your existing architecture. This allows construction companies to enjoy real-time collaboration without any of the risks involved in changing their IT infrastructure.

Put Active Directory at the center

If your construction company has embraced Azure Active Directory for security purposes, KanBo can utilize Azure AD groups to assign permissions in KanBo. With KanBo’s own external KanBo User Groups (eKUG), you can put Azure AD in control of KanBo. This makes it much easier to add KanBo’s real-time collaboration tools to your resource pool without any added security concerns.

Stay in Control of Access Levels 

As you work with different stakeholders and contractors in a single construction project, you need some form of access control to secure sensitive information. KanBo easily lets you maintain control over who can access which resource depending on their security group. With groups such as visitors, members, and owners, you can organize your team according to access levels and control the security and privacy of your information.

Never Lose Important Information  

Each construction project comes with countless valuable lessons that can add to your experience and knowledge base. KanBo ensures that all your work contexts are preserved by allowing you to disable the deletion of cards and boards. To remove a card from the board, you can archive it. This allows each context to remain hidden but available when the need arises. Reactivating archived boards and cards only take a single click and reactivated entities are all available in their preserved states.

Ensure Compliance and Proof of Process Powered by Blockchain  

Blockchain is being used across many different industries to establish good compliance and security practices. KanBo utilizes the powerful blockchain technology to provide a step-by-step accounting of each transaction to develop a chain of custody through its board and card streams. With KanBo’s special blockchain module, construction companies can ensure the immutability of their transaction records to quickly resolve disputes and reduce any risk. Blockchain allows KanBo to ensure the legitimacy of inputs and actions, the accuracy of reported figures, the immutability of records, and safety from illegitimate actions.

How KanBo ensure real-time collaboration for the construction industry?

For construction companies that want to introduce real-time collaboration into everyday work, KanBo is the best solution. With a special focus on going beyond real-time and effective collaboration, KanBo can be the perfect real-time collaboration software for the construction industry.

Going Beyond Real-time

KanBo bridges the gaps between the field and the office by encouraging lightning-fast communication that is only possible through KanBo’s real-time capabilities.

Always Stay Up-to-Date

Recent developments, may they be on the field or in the office, are instantly available for all to see without any delay on KanBo. May it be the card level, the board level, or the board collection level, KanBo makes all the recent actions, documents, and involved people very transparent so you can see how work is progressing in real-time.

Find Out Who’s Active for Collaboration

For a fragmented industry such as the world of construction where employees are often dispersed in different physical locations, it is important to know when someone is available for collaboration. KanBo makes it easy to see who’s active at the moment with its Activity presence functionality. Find out whether your colleagues are active, busy, or unavailable to streamline work.

Improve Visibility and Transparency

As you enter a card or work context in KanBo, you can see all the current visitors who are present on that card with you. This can not only increase the sense of connectedness within the team but also help colleagues find others who are working on similar projects. This also helps construction employees work towards a common goal without prioritizing personal aspirations. In addition to that, it can supply the synergy and teamwork that is often missing in distributed construction teams.

Work in Parallel

On KanBo cards, multiple people can work in parallel and each person can see the changes made by others as they occur. KanBo’s action indicators take real-time communication to the next level by signifying when users are typing, editing a note, adding subtasks, or making changes to the due date. This adds the powerful capability of co-authoring that is highly useful in ever-changing, high-velocity construction projects.

Keep Everyone Up to Date with Latest Developments

Effective collaboration is all about having everyone on the same page which can only be done through perfect transparency and visibility of work. KanBo captures the true essence of transparency with read receipts that show how many members are up to date with the current status of the work context.

Effective Collaboration

KanBo is modeled to work as a real-time collaboration tool that is ideal for the fast-paced and ever-changing nature of the construction industry. By promoting effective collaboration through its robust features, KanBo ensures that construction companies maximize profits and improve the quality of their construction projects.

Effectively Managing Work Contexts

Working in KanBo is made easy with the KanBo Card which is the most useful source of work insights, updates, and recent developments within the team. the card encapsulates each of your work contexts and updates them in real-time, ensuring full transparency that helps you work out loud. With the KanBo card by your side, collaborating on large construction projects has never been easier.

Relevant and Structured Documents with Document Groups

From design plans and floor plans to guidelines and contracts, your construction projects often have an increasing number of documents. KanBo’s document groups give you full control over how you organize, view, and personalize these documents to collaborate on them in real-time.

Card Activity Stream – A Newsfeed for Work Contexts

As construction projects grow bigger and lengthier, the work contexts can also become highly complicated. KanBo gives you an opportunity to make sense of these complex areas of work at a glance. The card activity stream gives you a birds-eye view of all the work that has been taking place inside a card. Now you can follow all the card activity in real-time to see how the project is progressing, which actions were taken to get to the current state, and by whom.

Not only does this improve overall collaboration, but it also provides an added layer of traceability and documentation that can be used to benefit your other projects or resolve disputes in the future.

KanBo Provides Support to Construction Companies at Every Level of Management and Operations

A multi-level infrastructure is required by every organization that intends to improve operational efficiency, embrace collaboration and digitalization, and go big on work and informational transparency across the board. It becomes more difficult to monitor work and information when infrastructure is spread across teams, resulting in inefficiency and duplication. In a similar manner, KanBo's fundamental building blocks assist managers, executives, and workers in developing and optimising their work processes and project plans. KanBo provides all the building elements you need for all types of hierarchical structures, whether you're a CEO or merely a team member.

As a digital headquarters for C-level executives

A wide vision of the company and a bird's eye view are important to top-level management. KanBo gives consumers instant access to strategy, tasks, projects, information, expertise, documentation, internal communication, and the organization's community, as well as important applications. They can make important choices on the go rather than needing to schedule meetings and video calls every day.

Citizen Developers as a Platform for Low-Code Development

Low-code platforms are a visual approach to software development that eliminates the need for manual coding and enables for rapid application delivery. Low-code platforms were developed to make app creation more accessible to the general public, particularly citizen developers, who are essentially business users with no prior coding skills. Project managers and business analysts, for example, are among these individuals. KanBo's low-code platform enables customers to have a significant impact in a variety of areas, including lowering IT department backlogs, eliminating shadow IT, and gaining control over BPM workstreams.

Citizen Developers as a Platform for No-Code Development

Non-coders and coders alike may utilise graphical user interfaces and configuration tools to construct application software using NCDPs (no-code development platforms). They don't utilise traditional computer programming, which might be difficult to learn. KanBo and other no-code development platforms, such as low-code development platforms, claim to accelerate application development. As organisations cope with the concurrent trends of an increasingly mobile workforce and a limited supply of experienced software engineers, these platforms have grown in popularity.

Platform for Information Workers to Organize Their Work

A process is a set of actions that must be followed in order to achieve a certain result. A project, on the other hand, is a short-term strategy for delivering a one-of-a-kind product, service, or outcome. KanBo brings together all of the tools that workers, managers, and executives need to manage many processes and projects in one place.

Conclusion

Construction is incomplete without the collaboration of different entities that make a project successful. In today’s age, most of this collaboration needs to be fast and adaptable to meet the changing needs of the market. In short, it needs to go beyond real-time.

This has made construction software and digital work management solutions highly important for the construction industry. While the construction industry has been slow to adopt these digital solutions, the progress is already underway. Construction companies that plan to make a mark in the future need to think ahead and grow according to the pace of the world by embracing real-time collaboration powered by digital solutions such as KanBo.