Forget AI - It’s the Data Gap That’s Slowing Down Construction Companies

Read Time: 3.5 Minutes

We’re in the age of AI where everyday something new is happening. All companies are worried about the impact on their business and how they can best leverage AI. But here’s the harsh truth: it isn’t a silver bullet and using it is probably going to cost you more than it’s worth… for now. 

It feels similar to the early commercial internet days. Being “on the web” was super helpful for a small handful of businesses that could best capitalize on the trend. But for most of them, it made little difference - at the start. AI is in a similar spot, for some companies it’s super useful and is core to business but for many others it's an anxiety inducing distraction.

AI is a solution to be used once more simplistic solutions have been exhausted and proven to fall short. For most problems, it’s overkill, much like a CNC machine is overkill for cutting extrusion and you’re better off using a chop saw. The good news is those simple solutions are much easier to implement and can have massive impact. There’s a reason that all large companies have Data departments now, despite most of them only emerging in the last decade or two.

So how do you know which company you are?

Leveraging your data to make better decisions is a start. Short of 3rd party tools like ChatGPT, which can supplement decisions and help with common, everyday tasks, AI isn’t likely to be core to your business for a while, if ever. 

But the good news is that you can start preparing to take advantage of it now, by leveraging your data to make better decisions and finding out where you might have data gaps.

This requires much less data than you think. Now you’re probably thinking “But I don’t collect any data right now”. And you’re likely wrong. You may not realize it, but your systems and programs are collecting data for you. And you can use that to make faster decisions, have a better picture of your business, and even automate some of the tasks your team groans about every week. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Here’s an easy example - timecards. If you’re tracking just the date of each timecard and when it was submitted then you can build an on time % metric and track that across your company. It’s simple, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have an impact. Going a step further, you can create alerts for when any timecard is beyond due, allowing you to only prompt those foremen who are late. No more checking over every timecard, you can just focus on the few that need attention. 

This is data augmented decision making in action. Using data to help make decisions, not going all in on data alone and allowing it to make choices for you. You’re still in charge and can do as you please, but you have an advisor to let you know what the data says. At times you’ll ignore it, knowing that a certain job site operates outside of the standard rules, but at other times it’ll remind you of your rules and guidelines. And without you doing anything - it just pops up as a reminder when you need it most. 

That’s the beauty of data. We can look at all of it and create rules, just like you’d do for any human task. But the rule stays constant and isn’t affected by emotions, which can’t be said for humans. 

Contrary to popular belief, data isn’t an inherently complicated field, we just tend to use it in complicated ways. Because so much data is collected in technology fields, which tend to enjoy deploying complex solutions, we associate data with them. But data is just another word for information.

Information about a job site and how many workers are active on it is data.

Collecting that in a spreadsheet is a way to collect data. And it doesn’t need to be moved to some fancy data warehouse that costs you thousands of dollars each year just for you to get some initial value out of it. Spreadsheets can deliver immense value when used correctly.

That’s where we come in. Our focus is on getting value out of your current data and systems BEFORE you go off and spend money on fancy tools. We’ve experienced both sides of that coin and have learned to squeeze more value out of your current setup than you think. And only once you’ve experienced that value and need to move to the next level will we suggest more advanced tooling.

We hate unnecessary costs and know that you do too.

For many companies, this advanced tooling is years away. For some, it’s a future that will never come. Which is great news for you - you can get value from data without paying through the nose for it.

You don’t need the latest tech to see results. Start by unlocking the power of your existing data, and you’ll find it has more to offer than you realize. If you’re unsure of where you’re at, reach out to us. We love a challenge and are happy to guide you even if you’re not yet ready for a full solution!