Our last blog entry in this series focused on the need for construction firms to embrace technology. In this entry we look at the next step — embracing an array of technology that works together.

There’s a lot that goes into any construction firm’s information technology (IT) system. Ensuring that everything in that system operates smoothly — at both the front end and the back end and with little or no inconvenience to all users — can be quite a challenge. If addressed properly, though, a nicely integrated IT system can provide a huge return on investment for a construction firm.

In The IT System ROI Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask About Your IT System, Bassem Hamdy of CMiC provides a handy checklist for fellow construction owners on how to evaluate the ROI for IT systems.

Some key points include these three:

1.      Is the system integrated? While the phrase “integrated system” seems to be almost cliché nowadays, Hamdy describes it as a product “that runs all applications on a single, scalable database.” He cautions readers not to confuse this with other programs that offer workarounds or data bridges because these system store information in multiple locations. Ultimately, this can lead to hiccups when trying to pull all the information together for business critical decisions.

2.      Does the system reduce data entry points? This one is pretty self-explanatory: The more times that data needs to be re-entered into a system, the more likely mistakes will occur. Therefore, an easy way to improve the ROI is to invest in a system that reduces unnecessary data entry. 

3.      Does the system provide standardization? While every project manager may have a different way of going about a task, any platform that provides a uniform process for completing a project will save everyone headaches. 

Of course, Hamdy goes into greater detail on how each of his 10 points can maximize the ROI. Ultimately, he argues that if construction executives invest in sound IT software, their employees can spend more time being productive and less time performing tedious data entry and fact-checking tasks.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 11:26 am and is filed under Construction industry news and trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.