“Operations keeps the lights on, strategy provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward.” Joy Gumz once so astutely said these words, and they are so apropos for construction where project managers are tasked with managing time, cost, and quality of often billion-dollar projects. If project management is done well, then the project is often a success, but if even so much as one ball is dropped, then time, cost, or quality could be sacrificed. There is perhaps no greater area of a construction business that technology is needed to keep projects humming along. For today’s blog, let’s dig into the state of project management in construction, the need for technology, and projections for the future. Construction project management involves directing and organizing each part of the project lifecycle, from ideation to completion. Project managers are responsible for planning, scheduling, and reporting project status. These individuals are often responsible for seeing that billion-dollar projects are carried out. The software, then, provides the means to plan, track, and manage projects. It centralizes the data for teams the understand the state of the project and what needs to happen next. Project managers are able to use this information in order to make decisions. The technology is evolving as well. With the advent of AI (artificial intelligence), the technology itself is becoming smarter. Data collection, analysis, and reporting are a large proportion of project management. AI will improve the outcomes of these tasks, including the ability to analyze data faster than humans and using those results to improve overall performance. Things like conversational AI and chatbots are emerging on the scene to use voice commands, rather than keyboards to enter data. Gartner suggests this world of AI-led project management is coming sooner than we think—and in some cases it is already here. The analyst firm projects by 2030, 80% of the work of today’s project managers will be taken over by AI, helping with mundane tasks such as data collection, tracking, and reporting. This would enable project managers to get back to the task at hand—construction. Another trend to watch, according to McKinsey, is the near-realtime collection of project data coupled with the integration of design, project management, and scheduling tools, which will further unlock the promise of platform solutions as companies strive for truly end-to-end digital projects. This trend isn’t necessarily a new one. Technology providers have long been aiming to provide an end-to-end solution for construction professionals, whether that be through an acquisition or product development. As the technology continues to evolve, so too will the way project managers interact with it. Here’s hoping the project-management technology of the future will give project managers the means to complete projects on time and on budget, all while meeting quality and safety goals. After all, isn’t that the true objective of any construction company? If you are a technology company offering truly innovative project-management solutions to the construction industry, we want to hear about it! Consider entering it for the Constructech Top Products award. Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #construction #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #futureofwork #infrastructure #projectmanagement The post Hot Construction Technology: Project Management appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/hot-construction-technology-project-management/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/hot-construction-technology-project.html
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In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the homebuilding industry remained strong, but in the past few months, we have been talking about an impending downturn. Has it happened yet or is it still on the horizon? To identify the state of the homebuilding market, let’s start by looking at one metric and then I will give you my thoughts on what needs to happen next. The monthly BTIG/HomeSphere Homebuilder Survey seeks the perspective of approximately 50-100 small and mid-sized tract homebuilders nationally about sales, customer traffic, and pricing trends. It received 113 responses for the month of July. Here is what it found. Only 17% of builders reported increased sales orders per community, while 60% saw a decline. Sales and traffic relative to expectations also continue to be poor despite builders readjusting business plans to lower expectations. Another trend to watch is base prices are moving lower, which isn’t a great sign for the overall economy. 38% of builders lowered at least some base prices vs. 22% in June. 41% of builders increased sales incentives on at least some homes vs. 27% in June. The survey also suggests the number of builders raising prices decreased in July, while the use of sales incentives pick up. Specifically, 26% of builders raised some, most, or all base prices in July from June, which is down from 45% last month, and 86% last July. Yikes. That is quite the shift in one year. Comparatively, 33% of builders increased “most/all” or “some” incentives vs. 19% last month and 8% last year. Looking at this from a geographic standpoint, while weakness was widespread, the survey notes the weakest is the Pacific northwest and the strongest is the southeast. All in all, we are seeing July was a weak month for homebuilders, according to this survey, with price cuts and incentives picking up sharply. New home demand continues to soften, and builders are beginning to now react more aggressively with price changes/sales incentives, as we enter a typically slower seasonal time of the year for homebuyers anyway. Here at Constructech, we always say if there is a market downturn coming, now is the time to prepare by implementing technologies that can improve profit margins and heighten efficiency. Best to prepare for the storm before it happens. What are you doing to prepare your business for a potential downturn? I also want to say if this downturn gets a little hard for the industry perhaps contractors, trades, and owners need some responsibility for how they have been responding and how this has left a very sour taste in the mouths of homebuyers—the very people you need to purchase your homes. There has been a plethora of stories in the mainstream media reiterating frustrated homebuyers who have been dealing with builders who have been acting against the norm. So poorly, in fact—like spoiled children—because demand was so high, they had forsaken their key customers. This created an industry that was almost unrecognizable. Contractors and builders refused to complete jobs. They ignored customers and didn’t care if they received bad reviews. They failed to communicate because they recognized the cost to litigate for their clients was higher than if they left them in the lurch. Isn’t that a punch in the face for paying customers? Some of the small ones have been ignored all together. Just like in manufacturing or in any business if the supply chain fails, if logistics fails, the whole system fails. The homebuilding industry has suffered declines in the past, but this is perhaps the first time it has been blatant, leaving customers at the altar even though these are the same ones that helped build the industry’s reputation. This is a multi-generational business that might see a rapid decline if it doesn’t do something quickly to address the problem. This is a powerful industry that needs to regroup, refocus, and frankly rally to show the rest of the world why it’s one the hardest working of them all. It is time to retrain the trades and the staff and to turn to technology. Technology is not for everything, but the tech will certainly make a huge difference for sure. The real question now is do you believe technology needs to come into play? Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #construction #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #futureofwork #infrastructure The post Homebuilding: Weak or Strong? appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/homebuilding-weak-or-strong/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/homebuilding-weak-or-strong.html Gartner says worldwide PC shipments experienced the sharpest decline in 9 years in the second quarter of 2022. The post Fact of the Day – 8/23/2022 appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-8-23-2022/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/fact-of-day-8232022.html The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed in 2021, is starting to get its funds spent. Almost $1 billion has been earmarked for renovation and other improvements at 85 airports across the country. The U.S. DoT (Dept. of Transportation’s FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will award funding to improve terminals of all sizes to increase energy efficiency, promote competition, and provide greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Two grants will also be awarded to build new air traffic control towers. Historically, the FAA has invested in runways, traffic-control towers, and “back-of-house” infrastructure, areas out of sight from the flying public. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, there is dedicated funding to support modernizing airport terminals, the areas that passengers know best. 70 grants contain an element that will expand terminal capacity. Among them are:
Seventy-six grants contain an element that will increase terminal sustainability. Among them are:
Other grants contain an element that will go to improving airport access to historically disadvantaged populations and rural airports. Among them are:
Two grants are awarded to airports to build new air traffic control towers at:
One grant will increase multimodal transportation access:
The funding is from the Airport Terminal Program, one of three aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law provides $1 billion annually for five years for Airport Terminal grants. The law will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, upgrade and expand public transit, modernize the nation’s ports and airports, improve safety, tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #construction #sustainability #infrastructure The post Money Flying to Airports appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/money-flying-to-airports/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/money-flying-to-airports.html ABI Research says Industry 4.0 adoption drives industrial cybersecurity to $21 billion by 2027. The post Fact of the Day – 8/22/2022 appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-8-22-2022/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/fact-of-day-8222022.html ![]() Nearly any device or appliance in your house, such as your air conditioner, lighting, or thermostat, can be connected to the Internet. The post 5 Ways to Turn Your Home Into a Smart Home appeared first on At Home in the Future. from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/08/5-ways-turn-home-smart-home/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/5-ways-to-turn-your-home-into-smart-home.html The trend is toward making low carbon a reality in construction. Whether moving to electric powered equipment and vehicles or finding ways to minimize or eliminate CO2 in the concrete used onsite, contractors know that the future will be constrained by energy and emissions issues. But how can you find suppliers offering low-carbon materials? Building Transparency is a nonprofit organization that provides open access data and tools to foster a better understanding of the low-carbon materials available. Building Transparency is the result of nearly 50 industry partners coming together to develop the EC3 (Embodied Carbon in Construction calculator). EC3 was initially created by Stacy Smedley of Skanska and Phil Northcott of C Change Labs. Initial funding and piloting came from Microsoft, MKA Foundation, Charles Pankow Foundation, Interface, and Skanska USA. The Carbon Leadership Forum incubated the tool up to public beta launch in November 2019. ![]() In early 2020, Building Transparency was established as a Washington State 501 C(3) nonprofit to continue the management and development of the EC3 tool, as well as provide the resources and education necessary to ensure its adoption. Support from global technology and building industry leaders demonstrates ongoing interest and awareness of the importance of addressing the impact of embodied carbon emissions within the built environment sector in the fight against climate change. The latest list of Pilot Partners demonstrates the growing awareness of embodied carbon emissions and their impact, with new global organizations signing on and others extending their partnership from last year. It’s promising to see this support and learn how these companies will be driving the trend of clean construction. The new Pilot Partners are:
In addition, Lehigh Hanson, Perkins&Will, Turner Construction, and ZGF Architects renewed their Pilot Partnership for the year, signaling their continued prioritization of open-access data and tools for decarbonizing the building sector. The following companies continued their Lead Partnerships, and work closely with the nonprofit to inform and provide feedback on the EC3 tool and its development, as well as other programs and initiatives that Building Transparency is working on:
These partner organizations are driving the continued support and development of EC3, a free and easy to use tool that allows benchmarking, assessment, and reductions in embodied carbon, and focuses on the upfront supply-chain emissions of construction materials. The partnership enables companies to support material transparency, while also improving carbon accounting efforts to make it easier to set and achieve emission reduction targets for our built spaces. Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #construction #sustainability #infrastructure #cloud The post Building Low Carbon Buildings appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/building-low-carbon-buildings/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/building-low-carbon-buildings.html Parks Associates says 50% of U.S. internet households earning more than $100,000 annually say their electricity costs are too high. The post Fact of the Day – 8/19/2022 appeared first on Connected World. from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-8-19-2022/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/fact-of-day-8192022.html ![]() Are you looking for a rugged eBike with upgraded components, a mid-drive motor system, and an insane range of 60+ miles? The post REVIEW: The Mod Bikes Black is an Adventure Machine appeared first on At Home in the Future. from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/08/review-mod-bikes-black-adventure-machine/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/review-mod-bikes-black-is-adventure.html ![]() Tiny homes are becoming more and more popular as people across the world struggle to get on the housing ladder and support a conventional lifestyle The post The Benefits of Living in a Tiny Home appeared first on At Home in the Future. from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/08/benefits-living-tiny-home/ via IFTTT Via https://theartofallen.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-benefits-of-living-in-tiny-home.html |
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April 2023
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