{"id":1505,"date":"2017-05-30T07:30:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T11:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=1505"},"modified":"2026-02-16T05:28:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:28:49","slug":"new-ways-overcome-todays-construction-mobility-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/new-ways-overcome-todays-construction-mobility-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"New ways to overcome today\u2019s construction mobility challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNew ways to overcome today\u2019s construction mobility challenges\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Mobile technology has had a significant impact on construction over the past few years. Just about every contractor has basic construction mobility where, at a minimum, workers in the field use smart phones to take pictures, text message, and send and receive emails. The majority of construction companies are also using some of the numerous cloud-based mobile solutions that are available specifically for managing construction projects. Even with these advances, however, many contractors are still faced with one of two mobility challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Many mobile tools don\u2019t integrate with the back-office system contractors use to run their businesses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Mobile systems that do integrate are often full-blown collaboration products that can be too heavy weight for some projects, adding a level of technical complexity and costs that isn\u2019t needed on every job.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Mobile technology is evolving, however, to address both of these concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Connecting the field and the office<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The majority of mobile applications available to contractors today are known as \u201cpoint solutions<\/a>.\u201d They usually do a good job of solving one particular problem but don\u2019t connect their data with anything else in the organization and, therefore, the information cannot integrate with the back office to create a more holistic view of work done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Take, for instance, project managers or superintendents on the job site. They\u2019re busy fighting fires and keeping the project moving. When they use a mobile app to handle things like change orders, they don\u2019t have time to make sure the details get processed and filed correctly back in the office. The best mobile strategy is to have this done automatically for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The step change for construction mobility is to tightly link apps used on the job site with the project information stored in a contractor\u2019s main software system. When this type of integration occurs, you have a much more holistic picture of what is happening with a project, so everyone associated with the job\u2014in the field and the office\u2014can make better decisions. You also have a reliable audit trail of what happened on the project, especially important to protect your company in case of litigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Right-sizing the mobile solution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Increasing back-office integration to mobile solutions also gives contractors more integrated options to choose from to best fit a project\u2019s needs. Many jobs need only light mobility to more easily view drawing changes, handle RFIs, and submit daily field reports.  Other projects are more complex and require more robust collaboration systems to make sure all the players\u2014owner, architect, engineer, and subs\u2014stay in sync. With back-office integration available for either of these scenarios, contractors can tier their projects in terms of which will require a heavy collaboration system and which will need only a light mobility tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You wouldn\u2019t use a pin gun for the same work that you\u2019d use a nail gun. Similarly, there isn\u2019t a universal mobility tool for every project. With the next generation of mobile solutions, you should be able to choose the right tool for the job at hand. And, with tighter back-office integration, you can incorporate the information from your mobile app into a more holistic view of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n

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