New Study: Why Construction Owners Want New Software

When it comes to the deployment of new software, I usually speak directly to the project managers. Today, I want to reveal some insights based on a new study that I’ve come across by Software Advice, a company that reviews construction software solutions. The facts and insights here are relevant and valuable for PM’s and any other profile or professionals in the company.
Most of the construction owners ask WHY I need new software? To depict the answer to this question, I will use the finding of the study, presented by Software Advice. This is valuable for you because you can see how your industry peers are thinking when it comes to new construction software adoption.

Benefits

Improving the organisation

According to them, 24% of the business owners are interested in new construction software to improve their organisation. The improvement can come in different departments and various part of the workflow execution.
When one organisation lands more projects, the organisation starts to crack under the workflow pressure. That is why you need new software that can support the backbone of your business.

Grow the company’s profit margin

On the other hand, 24% of the construction owners want new software because they believe it can help them grow their company’s profit margin.
Optimisation is an area where new construction software can really contribute in. Have in mind that, when you optimise your workflow, you can charge bigger price….or when you optimise your costs, you are banking more money from your projects.

Avoid limiting practices

The third main benefit or reason is because 18% say their current solution is limiting their business.
I think you can relate to this. Most of the businesses are “used to” one way of doing things.
That lock-in on a certain software is the “silent killer” that can really hurt and cripple your company.
Here is the graphical showcase of these findings:
As a summary: We found that business owners are specifically looking for new construction software to improve their organisation (24%), grow their company’s profit margin (24%) and because their current solution was limiting their business (18%).

What the Researcher-in-Charge is Saying

“When construction companies make an investment into a new software solution, it is important to think about how it might impact a project’s decision makers. Sometimes the functionalities desired by different team members in a firm might not perfectly align, so it’s important for the final decision maker to identify the best fit solution to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
Project managers often see the most immediate upside from implementing a good software system. For them, it means fewer manual processes, less double data entry, better organisation—all of which lead to smoother project execution. It means less time is spent in the office, and more time is spent out in the field. Once owners see this, it’s much more clear that leveraging a new system will generate a large ROI.” – Forrest Burnson