The construction sector is being introduced to new issues daily – be it fragmented data, slow digitization, data integration, and more. Let’s focus more on data integration.
There is no doubt that the lacking of data integration has led to numerous errors and inefficiencies in construction projects, costing additional money and time. But there is hope on the horizon. Today, new technologies are emerging that open doors to more efficiency and improve data integration in construction.
In this blog post, find out what data integration is, its importance, and how it becomes the primary key to managing construction data more effectively. Discover its benefits and learn some of the best tips to help you get started in data integration.
What is Data Integration?
Ever since digitalization started to take over in the construction sector, business leaders, project managers, and contractors are constantly bombarded with an endless stream of construction data. A portion of this collective data is put to use, while the rest (most likely a major chunk) of it is not used properly.
The thing is, this collected data sit in various silos. Oftentimes, this data is completely disconnected and not fully accessible to the stakeholders, causing the data to be ineffective. One way to turn this the other way around, making the data more actionable and useful, is to bring them all together in one place.
This is why integration plays a crucial role in managing your data. In fact, as your construction business seeks speed, reliability, and efficiency, data integration is becoming your main focus.
But Why Does the Construction Sector Needs Data Integration?
In this section, allow us to share some vital statistics to answer this question. See below:
- In the last three years, the available construction project data volume has doubled.
- Almost 40% of contractors share the same findings that non-streamlined data input usually leads to inaccurate, inconsistent, unusable, and incomplete data.
This only brings a closer focus on data integration. Multi-solution integration boosts collaboration and overall productivity, as well as solving flaws in the system. With construction data integration being the main focal point, you and other stakeholders can supervise workflows from start to end most seamlessly.
Moreover, it is crucial to make the integration work for you. And this can only be done when you have a thorough understanding of it and work yourself together with your construction team. Ensure to focus on the data in hand and implement the right processes. Doing so will help you reap many benefits, which we will outline in the next section.
Benefits of Data Integration In Construction
1. Enhance operational efficiency
Proper data integration minimizes how long it takes for construction professionals to gather, analyze, and prepare data. Having a streamlined and unified view eliminates manual data gathering. Selecting the right automation tools improves overall efficiency and resource allocation for your people.
2. Improves overall business success
Data integration mixes various types of data to ensure your company has access to all critical information. Access to integrated data streamlines your operations, prevents employees from having to log in to different accounts, and reduces potential conflicts between data sets.
Data integration truly provides your organization with a more reliable and comprehensive analysis of its performance that significantly helps in the decision-making process.
3. Minimize data errors
Data integration minimizes the possibility of errors by eliminating manual data tasks. And if you are intentional in deploying the right cloud-based construction management software, a more organized data set is guaranteed with better accuracy and data synchronization.
Such software solutions are jump-packed with sophisticated features that help you determine issues in your data and solve these problems in real time.
4. Provides more valuable data
Successful data integration enhances the value of your company’s data. A deployed centralized system improves the capacity to determine quality issues and encourage improvements. When everything is regularly monitored and improved, you will get more valuable and accurate data as a result.
Pro Tips for Construction Data Integration
As a starter, with no technical knowledge about integrating data, we compiled some basic tips that you can follow when you decide to structure your data properly.
- Change data capture: You can start with determining data changes within your databases before integrating them into your other existing data.
- Data replication: This method involves replicating all your data in one data to other existing databases. Ensure that everything is synchronized so that other stakeholders can access and use it in time.
- Data virtualization: This refers to combining construction data from multiple systems to achieve a more streamlined view instead of loading all the data to a new storehouse.
- Extract, load, and transform: This method is short for ELT. It requires loading as-is data into a huge data system to convert at a certain time for future analytical purposes.
- Extract, transform, and load: ETL, this method is obviously the opposite of ELT. This method involves collecting copies of datasets from multiple sources to integrate and load them into your current database.
- Streaming data integration: This real-time data integration strategy consistently integrates and feeds different data sources into databases.
Three Major Barriers to Adoption
While data integration and the software solutions designed for it look promising, there are still pushbacks. And we want to share this reality to you to develop an awareness of it. As you consider this technology, or perhaps you adapt collaborative online construction scheduling software, for instance, know that its game-changing potential in the sector is yet to be fully known.
Here are some barriers to this widespread adaption of data integration solutions in the construction industry:
- High-costs: Highly streamlined and sophisticated platforms will be necessary for all business leaders who own small to large firms. Such platforms require reasonable investment. In reality, the sector is a low-margin industry, so investing in techs is a big hurdle.
However, despite the high costs of implementing software solutions, it always remains the same fact that it is worth the investment. This is where you should be smart and do some research to rightfully pick the best technology for your needs at an affordable price.
With the number of construction management solutions today, Pro Crew Schedule is one of the most affordable software. With its top-tier features, you can get the most out of this web-based construction management software at an affordable price.
- Sharing data: Most construction companies today lock their data in data silos and are not always keen on leveraging info. This ongoing reluctance can stem from the fact that so many parties are involved, storing information in various structures. As a result, this makes the accessibility of current and reliable information extremely difficult.
- Efficient data collection: The construction sector must still conduct data collection, assessment, and industry-specific integrations. All industry experts, including business leaders and project managers, should be able to interpret all data found in dynamic databases to employ integration solutions.
Today’s construction sector is a different kind of a beast – comprised of shorter deadlines, changing plans, stakeholders, tough urban environments, and more. The opportunity to digitize information and integrate data can help the construction sector realize major benefits, including more comprehensive risk mitigation and risk management, worker safety, and more.
Simplify Your Data Integration Process with Pro Crew Schedule
The use of new technologies and strategic ways to integrate construction data from multiple sources is the new frontier of innovation in the industry.
Start your data integration journey with Pro Crew Schedule – a versatile cloud construction scheduling software with both scheduling and integration features – a unique attribute missing in other project management tools today. This cloud-enabled software can seamlessly integrate into your existing software, with over 3000 integrations, to be exact. Isn’t it amazing? Pro Crew Schedule is an obvious choice.
It is easy to deploy, user-friendly, and seamlessly streamlines your data integration process. Get ready to reap its other advantages once you finally implement this software solution to your system:
- Seamless information and data flow: Experience a better flow of your data, seamless tracking, shorter resolution periods, and better decision quality with this online construction project management software.
- Connected construction team: This all-in-one platform serves as everyone’s central hub. Everyone can connect, communicate and share updates about projects and tasks. This promotes strong connections and collaboration with your team members.
- Cloud-based storage: Pro Crew Schedule is cloud-enabled software. All your data is stored in the cloud, making it accessible anytime and anywhere.
- Centralized project plans: This fully-integrated digital solution allows you to modify, add, and share project information in real-time, even in different formats.
- Scheduling and inventory: Two of the best features of Pro Crew Schedule integrate into one. You can seamlessly do scheduling while doing your inventory.
- Office-to-field real-time communication: Communication becomes consistent since everyone is connected via this software. Whether your people are at the office or in the field, there is nothing to worry about regarding updates.
- User-friendly: Pro Crew Schedule is for everyone. It is very easy to navigate and understand by your aging workforce, known as non-techy.
Find out how perfect Pro Crew Schedule is as your go-to project management tool.
