According to a recent report by Deloitte, the construction industry lost almost $61 billion in GDP in the latter part of 2020. Despite construction being deemed essential in most cases, it was not immune to the negative effects of the pandemic.
There’s room to be optimistic, though. In the 2021 Dodge Construction Outlook, Chief Economist Richard Branch says that industry recovery will happen, but the road “will be long and fraught with potential potholes.”
The potholes may include some of the challenges that construction companies have already been facing, such as project delays and cancellations, permit challenges, increased material and equipment costs and labor shortages.
So how do construction companies overcome these potholes and find success? By investing in a digital strategy that includes industry-specific Cloud software.
Below, we look at some of the barriers to construction success and how Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software built for the construction industry can help bulldoze these barriers to ensure growth and profitability.
Barriers to Success in Construction
The construction industry has always dealt with barriers to success. One of the biggest and hardest to overcome has been the continued reliance on manual, paper-based processes and multiple, disconnected systems to manage operations.
These disconnected systems – or legacy solutions – are often outdated and require manual workarounds to get a job done. Construction companies that rely on these solutions suffer from data silos, multiple versions of information, poor visibility, poor productivity, human error and a lack of control over business operations.
The result is almost always the same: a lack of communication between the field team and front office, late, over-priced projects and dissatisfied customers.
Alternatively, companies who have been able to digitally transform their operations and implement a Cloud-based, modern construction management ERP solution are able to seamlessly integrate all departments, processes and data from across the business into a single solution. With one source of information, business leaders are then able to make better, faster, more informed decisions based on the health of their operations as a whole.
Modernizing Your Business with Construction Management Software
To effectively compete in the construction industry, companies need to invest in modern technology. When they do, they can achieve the following:
- Streamline and enhance communication
- Track projects in real time
- Eliminate costly delays
- Automate workflows
- Gain access to data from anytime, anywhere
Modern construction software helps companies keep projects running smoothly and profitably by helping them connect teams, manage cash flow and access critical business data from any location at any time. This gives construction companies a powerful edge over competitors.
Acumatica Construction Edition provides business leaders with all the features needed to modernize their operations. Features including accounting, project management, field management, Customer Resource Management (CRM) and mobile access are all seamlessly integrated into Acumatica and provide complete end-to-end visibility and operational control.
To learn more about how you can go about modernizing your construction business with ERP software, download our guide, How to Compete in Construction with Modern Software. To take the next step towards digital transformation, reach out to us. We’d love to show you what our software can do.