Impacts of Technological Advancements on Construction Industry

Dustin Burns, vice president of information technology company, McCownGordon Construction.

Dustin Burns works as thevice president,information technology at McCownGordon Construction. His responsibility entails overseeing all aspects of the company's technology infrastructure, including hardware, software, telecommunications systems, and construction technology. He is also responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency, communication, and growth initiatives.BurnsLeverages tech models from healthcare, manufacturing, fintech and more to create a robust technology suite at McCownGordon.

What are some of the challenges in the construction industry?

One of the challenges in the construction industry is labor shortages and supply chain problems, which have been exacerbated by global issues. To mitigate these challenges, construction businesses are increasingly turning to technology and data-driven solutions.

Modern data lake houses are being built by businesses so they can gather and analyze data from numerous sources, including financial systems and project management software. Additionally, they are employing business intelligence reporting to develop data-driven decisions. Executives can now make decisions in real-time that will help the business's bottom line.

Another technology that is gaining popularity in the construction sector is computer vision. Computer vision can be used to track a project's development, confirm its completion, and produce digital twins of the project using sensors and cameras. Instead of depending on subjective assessments of the degree of completion from personnel on the ground, this technology offers a more precise and objective means to monitor project progress.

“The human piece of technology (how they interact with it, if they’ll understand it, what training will be needed, etc.) is just as important as the technology itself. In construction we often look at the “left of launch”, what needs to happen before we start a project. Technologies and applications should have the same pre-launch considerations. Have you communicated the change? Did we test it with multiple parties? Who will these changes affect and will they need training?”

To improve their control over supply chain challenges, construction companies are adopting new measures. To ensure that materials and equipment are available when required, companies are procuring these resources earlier during the project planning phase, considering their longer lead times.

Furthermore, they are utilizing analytics to optimize scheduling and estimate project requirements more accurately, which may help alleviate supply chain issues.

What would be your advice for budding professionals in the field?

The construction industry has witnessed a surge in technology adoption in recent years, with organizations employing a variety of one-off applications and tools. This approach, however, has resulted in data being dispersed across multiple platforms and organizations having limited influence over it. To address this issue, I would advise my peers and colleagues to prioritize the enterprise value of technology and reduce their tech infrastructure. This requires adopting tools and applications that can be utilized across all regions and initiatives, as opposed to a siloed approach.

Organizations should prioritize employee experience and avoid overburdening teams with too much change, particularly given the already prevalent change fatigue in the industry. Before implementing technology across the enterprise, organizations should evaluate the efficacy of tools and applications through pilot programs. This will ensure that the proper type of data is provided for decision-making at the highest levels and for driving accountability further down the organization.