Strong teamwork between field and office teams is essential to a smooth-running project, yet it is one of the biggest challenges faced by many modern-day construction businesses.
On average, large construction projects are taking 20% longer than anticipated to complete and can go up to 80% over budget, so something needs to be done if businesses want to remain competitive in today’s day and age.
Outdated processes are no longer enough, which is where centralized management plays a key role.
The Long-Standing Divide Between Field and Office
Construction businesses have long faced challenges related to field and office collaboration. Since the team is normally split across different work environments, it can be difficult to effectively align workflows.
One of the key issues is slow updates. From an office perspective, as the workers who are responsible for managing the scope of the project and updating the client, the focus lies on timelines and budgets. This can be tough to stick to if they are not made aware of the goings-on that are occurring on site. If there are unexpected hiccups or miscommunications, it can quickly turn problematic if everyone is not up to date on the real-time updates.
Let’s talk about some of the biggest consequences of these divides.
- Missed deadlines. If there is no strong collaboration between the field and office, it’s bound to lead to slower outcomes. This is likely to result in overall project delays that will require an explanation to the client.
- Working from old timelines. A common cause of error is field workers using outdated documentation. If they have been basing their tasks and timings on a document that has since been updated, it’s going to result in incorrect outputs.
- Going over budget. Many construction projects are working to tight budgets that have been carefully allocated, so any diversions from the initial plan can be costly. This can be especially problematic if the added costs are not communicated to the office team.
- Employee frustrations. If regular check-ins are not carried out and field and office teams are unaligned, it’s going to be frustrating for both parties. Whether it results in the blame game or confrontations, these incidents can cause a drop in morale.
Introducing Centralized Management into Construction Projects
The nature of modern-day construction projects is only becoming more complex, meaning poor collaboration is going to have a bigger impact than ever.
Relying on phone calls and paper documents may have worked once upon a time, but it is no longer enough to remain competitive in such a fast-paced industry. This is where centralized management comes in.
What is centralized management?
Centralized management refers to the digital solutions that can be introduced to help construction businesses manage all of their projects in one central place.
Many leading construction companies are using a field service management software that has been specifically designed to improve construction workflows. This means that all of the project timelines, budgets, and documentation are stored online and can be accessed by everyone who is involved in the project.
The easy-to-use dashboards give access to all of the necessary information about a project and can be accessed on both desktop and mobile, ideal for those who are out on site. If there are any updates, these can be added to the system to ensure that they are seen by everyone and don’t get muddled up with older versions.
Since all messages, updates, and documentation are kept organized in a dedicated project tab, it makes it easier to keep track of recent updates and find relevant information without trawling through old messages or paper trails.
How it can improve collaboration
When both the field and office teams have access to the same system, visibility is instantly improved. Since any project updates will be shared in real-time, everyone will get the information through instantly and be able to act accordingly.
As well as making sure the entire workforce is on the same page, using centralized management can save hours of admin time every single day. Since the office team doesn’t have to chase field workers for site updates and field workers don’t have to worry about sourcing the latest documents, everyone can focus their efforts on their project-related tasks.
Managing all aspects of a project in one simple place not only reduces admin and improves the flow of projects, but it can also be transformative for the team dynamic. Having everyone work on the same page massively improves collaboration and creates stronger working relationships, helping projects get delivered successfully and on time.
Building Stronger Construction Teams
The divide between field and office is one that’s long been known in the construction industry, leading to countless daily frustrations that can cause havoc on a project.
Switching to centralized management systems is a game-changer for construction businesses in the modern day, allowing them to streamline their operations and make daily life easier for employees both on-site and in the office.
By keeping everyone involved through a central system, a much more united workforce is created. Instead of field and office teams being two separate entities that lack strong communication, a project can feel much more collaborative.
