{"id":8640,"date":"2021-02-15T10:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T10:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=8640"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:35:06","slug":"collect-distribute-key-data-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/collect-distribute-key-data-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"How construction firms can collect and distribute key data to deliver on KPIs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStrategy, Legal & Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow construction firms can collect and distribute key data to deliver on KPIs\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Susie\t\t\t\tSusie Carter<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

It’s no secret that coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused a rapid acceleration of mobile working for the UK construction industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, back office staff, often working on site, would be key in processing physical documents and helping to manage authorisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the ‘new normal’ world of reduced physical contact and mobile working, teams across multiple trades and services need to ‘self-serve’ administration on projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to control potential risk and cost in mobile teams is to put in place a management system that generates a ‘single version of the truth’, with maximum visibility of data and processes across disparate groups of staff and subcontractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By enabling people to input data, you can reduce time and cost, track and mitigate potential problems, create a digital ‘paper trail’ to streamline critical reporting, understand performance, build resilience and develop actionable insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read this article to find out how to digitalise your construction business<\/a>, and learn how a data-led approach could be your secret weapon for maximising performance, productivity, resilience and profit, so you can successfully deliver on your key performance indicators (KPIs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Download your free copy of The handy guide to VAT reverse charge for building and construction<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why data is so important<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an industry as complex and interconnected as construction, businesses should be cautious about going with a gut feeling and instead look to data to make robust decisions and optimise resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data-driven organisations are three times more likely to report significant improvements in decision-making compared to those that rely less on data, according to a survey of more than 1,000 senior executives conducted by PwC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvard Business Review<\/a> adds that this approach enables you to make more confident decisions, become more proactive, and realise cost savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, businesses that implement digital practices have seen savings of up to 20%, according to McKinsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s a statistic to take seriously when the construction industry has long-suffered margins of around 2%, where even small slippages on time or cost can have knock-on effects that determine whether you make, or lose, money on projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the benefit of insight and digital systems, you’ll be able to spot patterns and trends, helping you to navigate a business landscape and get ahead of the competition, as coronavirus<\/a> continues to reshape the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data to collect and distribute<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most construction firms are familiar with Lean working \u2013 a way of systematically reducing waste from every stage within a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support this, and minimise costs and risk, it’s sensible to collect and manage data relating to the seven main areas of waste: transport, materials, waiting, motion, re-work, overproduction and over-processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll also need to collect and analyse day-to-day data relating to critical aspects around approvals, budget control and work in progress (WIP), including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n