Four ways process automation can prevent construction project overruns

Construction projects are extensive and complex, involving many moving parts. It can be a challenge to stay on top of everything as a project advances.

Project overrun, also referred to as “cost overrun”, occurs when either a project’s duration or its costs exceed what was in the project plan or budget.

Due to project overrun being such a common occurrence in construction, it is often scheduled in ahead of time to mitigate the risk. Essentially, it is seen as unavoidable and the prudent approach is to work around the inevitability as best as possible.

There are ways to mitigate the risks and avoid the most common causes. In the past, this may have meant planning for the possibilities of scope creep and inaccurate estimates, but now process automation solutions can offer a more substantive arsenal of tools to stop overruns from happening.

Process automation can help to streamline the workflows, apps and systems that determine how your teams work, whether that is on-site or in the office. By increasing process efficiency, consistency and visibility, organizations can optimize the mechanics that fuel project success and catch overruns before they run all over them. The emergence of no-code tools means anyone in the business can use and benefit from automated solutions.

Streamlined workflows, accurate and instant document generation, and easy-to-use mobile forms are just some of the automations that can take construction projects to the next level. With 65 per cent of construction organizations saying they are impacted by project overruns, it is time to unleash the digital transformation in construction companies that their workers need.

Say goodbye to project overruns

Process automation technology offers a way to revolutionize the approach toward project overruns. What if you could automate core processes that lead to project overrun and remove inefficiencies and human error? What if you could give employees tools to record and monitor project progress instantly and accurately? What if you had clear dashboards providing real-time data and flagging unexpected changes as they emerge, not afterward?

This is what process automation in construction promises. With access to up-to-the-minute project data, you can react and solve issues immediately.

Digital transformation, construction-style

There are four ways process automation services and solutions can help combat project overruns.

Efficient processes

Process automation removes manual, paper-based processes that hold construction projects back in what is now an increasingly remote or hybrid working environment. By connecting the people, processes and technology involved in projects, companies can become more efficient and remove human error, make sure data is consistent, and free up employees to focus on more valuable tasks.

Document generation and e-signature is an obvious example, perhaps. But when processes around communication and collaboration are digitized, rather than being paper, excel or email-based, it radically increases productivity in a remote workplace.

Digitization at scale

Process automation tools allow every department to lead and engage in the digital transformation they want to see. Every team knows its own processes best. They know which workflows run smoothly and which tend to end up in bottlenecks.

With no-code solutions like FlowForma Process Automation, organizations can decentralize digital transformation by giving everyone the ability to automate processes.

This is the quickest and most effective way to drive digitization around the organization. And it is crucial for preventing project overruns because companies need to monitor such a wide range of moving pieces to avoid it completely.

Any small increase in material costs needs to be flagged as soon as possible by employees on the ground. For instance, recording broken equipment or an overestimate on materials through mobile forms on-site can help back-office staff act accordingly immediately.

Process consistency

When processes are managed and automated in a standardized way, using the same tools and methods, then the organization effectively starts singing from the same hymn sheet. Rather than everyone working independently, everything is joined up.

Information silos are removed, data moves smoothly from A to B and everyone has the same experiences. This makes it far easier to communicate and collaborate, and makes it much less likely for errors to go unnoticed.

Another area automation can help with is onboarding new staff so it becomes much more efficient. New starters automatically receive everything they need, from knowledge to equipment. Workflows can be created to ensure this happens smoothly. An upshot of this is that everyone knows what is what and how everything works from day one, reducing the risk of errors that might lead to project overruns.

Reporting

The key to avoiding project overruns is visibility over data. When data is recorded and reported accurately companies can start to spot irregularities with ease. Whether that is through automated systems to flag anomalies or just because everyone has user-friendly dashboards which make it easy to monitor progress, organizations can always on top of what is going on. This way data-driven decisions can become an integral part of everything you do.

A good example of this is how greater visibility over data can help Just In Time (JIT) delivery. JIT is a crucial part of how construction companies cut down on waste and optimize material costs. With processes around estimating and ordering automated companies can ensure that mistakes are not made. With workflows around sign-off, you can make sure everything passes through rigorous standards and checks.

For further insights into the application of process automation in the construction industry, download this ebook now.

This article was originally published as 4 Ways Process Automation Solutions Can Prevent Construction Project Overruns.