Enabling Digital Transformation in the Construction Industry

1 A Serious Need for Innovation

When it comes to digital transformation, the For this reason, there remains a significant lack construction sector is lagging behind many of coordination between construction managers other industries. and field workers. Critical information tends to move slowly across departments and employees. According to McKinsey, large construction This results in missed orders, mistakes, and projects typically take 20 percent longer to finish project delays. As a result, many contractors than scheduled and wind up 80 percent over typically underperform financially. budget. As a whole, the construction sector has failed to Despite all of the technological advancements keep up with the pace of innovation that we have that have emerged over the last three decades— seen in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, like mobility and the cloud—productivity has and utilities. actually declined in some construction markets since the 1990s. Add it all up, and there is a serious need for innovation and disruption in construction. And There are several reasons for this. one of the best ways to get started is to create custom apps. First and foremost, it’s rare for construction companies to reward risk-sharing and innovation among rank-and-file employees. As a result, workers tend to stick to tried-and-true processes that they are comfortable doing.

At the same time, McKinsey continues, construction companies often lack digital tools for managing supply chains, projects, and performance. Most construction companies are still using paper-based management systems to organize and track workflows—just like they did in the early 1900s.

2 Leveraging Digital Transformation Using Apps

Custom apps help construction firms complete projects 67 percent of them agree that enterprise mobility is a much faster and more cost-effectively. growing priority.

In the tech industry, this is called digital transformation, In the past, building a custom app required hiring a which refers to the process of solving everyday business trained software developer or a third-party agency. Both challenges by digitalizing workflows instead of relying on options are very expensive and inefficient. The average paper-driven systems. U.S. software developer, for example, now makes $103,035 a year. An app, meanwhile, can take six months Custom apps are one of the central components of digital or longer to develop. transformation. A well-designed custom app can help construction companies enjoy a significant edge over Recent advancements in no-code and low-code app competitors as they help teams solve problems related to development make it possible to circumvent this process, inventory management, supply chain logistics, equipment slashing the time and cost of production. and safety inspections, and daily reports.

Demand is therefore growing for business apps across all vertical markets. In fact, 66 percent of companies plan to invest in enterprise apps within the next few years and

3 Building vs. Buying

One of the most common questions that construction companies provide the apps that workers need and make companies ask when searching for a vendor is, “Why build them readily accessible anywhere, at any time, and across an app when we could buy an off-the-shelf solution like any device. ProCore or Fieldwire?” What’s more, there is often a glaring disconnect between There is no right or wrong answer here. It depends on the management and rank-and-file employees regarding key size and scope of your operation and your needs. apps. For example, 47 percent of CIOs strongly agree that they give employees the apps they want. Yet only 24 There are three things to consider when deciding whether percent of employees strongly agree with that sentiment. to build or buy an app: budget, timing, and adaptability. An application development platform will, however, The main reason why companies choose to build custom empower traditional developers or business users to apps is because the traditional top-down approach to the quickly design and deploy applications that can help them technology acquisition process is ineffective. do their jobs better. Taking a proactive approach to these problems prevents companies from having to wait for a One study, for example, revealed that 59 percent of solution—thereby reducing backlogs, improving customer companies provide the apps that workers want and need satisfaction, and making life easier for workers and but don’t actually make them easily accessible. Believe management alike. it or not, that same study found that just 18 percent of

4 No-Code vs. Low-Code

Returning to the topic of no-code and low-code: Even if you have a technical background, it makes Which option is better for your construction business? more sense to stick with a no-code app platform for a Let’s take a look. construction setting. The design process is much more efficient and intuitive and will allow you to deliver apps Low-code and no-code app development platforms are faster than you would be able to with a low-code solution. similar in that they both rely on a methodology called rapid application development (RAD). Both systems eliminate the Of course, not all low-code and no-code app development need to manually write lines of code when designing apps. platforms provide the same level of quality, customization, and security. The main difference is that low-code platforms require at least a base level of coding knowledge. For this reason, low- It’s important to thoroughly vet a vendor when making a code platforms are generally better suited for companies selection to ensure you zero in on a solution that meets with IT teams that know how to code and can ideally handle your company’s exact requirements. all app requests. Let’s take a closer look at why AppSheet is gaining traction Conversely, no-code app platforms like AppSheet require among today’s leading construction companies. no coding experience whatsoever. Many of AppSheet’s most prolific app creators, in fact, are “citizen developers” who come from non-technical backgrounds.

5 Why Construction Companies Choose AppSheet

Managing construction processes can be very complex. Managers must oversee a variety of tasks such as building material delivery, daily scheduling, safety reports, employees, machine maintenance—the list goes on.

Managing even basic projects with a or on paper can expose a company to countless risks, which is why a growing number of companies are starting to explore digital solutions.

Many companies are learning about the shortcomings that exist in some of the most widely used off-the-shelf apps.

Off-the-shelf solutions can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Yet they typically lack the features and functionality that managers and end users require to do their jobs.

“Most platforms are meant for general contractors or larger operations,” says AppSheet customer Scott Nance of Front Range Excavating. “They offer a lot of features. But most of them don’t apply to what we do as a specialized subcontractor. We wanted something that could go deeper. ”

In Nance’s app creation story, he points out how standard construction apps typically fail to capture critical data like tonnage or yardage when hauling items and load counts. It can be very difficult to accurately track advanced metrics for trucking, materials, and subcontractors.

6 This same complaint was recently echoed by John Brodksy, AppSheet serves a global market of construction providers who is a business manager at Brodsky Construction and and has a customer base that stretches from North America switched to a leading pre-built construction app because he to Asia. was “chasing paper all around the countryside.” AppSheet’s construction customers include both general Unfortunately, Brodsky ran into the same problem that contractors running large, complex operations and smaller Nance experienced. subcontractors.

“[The apps] just didn’t do what we needed them to do,” Custom apps can be created for any company, regardless of Brodsky says. “So I was exploring all over the place, and I size or budgetary constraints. No construction project is too finally came across AppSheet and realized I could probably big or too small for AppSheet. figure out how to do exactly what I wanted to do with it. And it turns out I could build us an app that did everything we needed to.”

Construction companies use AppSheet for a variety of different purposes. AppSheet is commonly used to run field reports, organize and track project workflows, conduct safety inspections, and share updates with team members.

There is virtually no limit to what you can create using AppSheet, or how much data you can use. Apps can be very simple or highly complex depending on your needs. 7 3 Common Problems You Can Solve with AppSheet

Here are some of the top challenges that construction companies are solving with the help of AppSheet:

1. On-Site Audits

Audits can be stressful and time-consuming, eating up on-site technicians. At first, the company was using paper valuable hours that could otherwise be spent moving forms to assess the level of service, suitability, and quality of projects forward. Still, it’s one of the most critical parts of its materials and the workmanship of its laying contractors. the construction process. Now, the company collects and manages this information in a single, centralized app. This ensures greater accuracy and

TARMAC, the largest building materials supplier in the U.K., saves time. created an app to streamline construction audits for its

AppSheet Sample App 8 2. Dispatch and Delivery

Dispatch issues can have a big impact on a project, leading to delays and unhappy customers and partners.

A few years ago, Calgary-based construction company DIRTT started having problems with its email-based dispatching system; important were not getting delivered. DIRTT employee Leigh Cooper automated the dispatch process entirely with apps.

Cooper created an advanced platform that provides metrics to DIRTT’s five distribution centers. The app now provides real-time insight for KPIs like the busiest day of the week, how many deliveries are being made, the average delivery size, and how big deliveries are.

3. Equipment Maintenance and Repair

Construction is full of risks, both occupational and financial. Small oversights can have significant repercussions to a company’s workers and its bottom line.

AppSheet Sample App

In one example, Canadian Construction Materials Engineering & Testing (CCMET) was having trouble protecting shotcrete panels on its construction sites.

Shotcrete panels, which are used to test concrete at client locations, are very expensive. However, they are easy to mistake as trash and can be easily thrown out. Using Appsheet, tech innovations lead and app maker, Joseph Romualdez, created an app to track shotcrete panels using pictures and notes. This is saving the company a lot of money and making life easier for field workers.

At this point, you are probably curious about how to actually get started using AppSheet. Let’s turn our attention to four ways you can build apps to transform your construction company.

AppSheet Sample App 9 4 Ways to Build Apps With AppSheet

As a busy construction contractor, you may have some reservations about getting started with a no-code app platform.

AppSheet provides a flexible approach to app creation, allowing developers to produce digital tools in a way that aligns with their individual skill sets, experience, and needs.

There is no single way to create apps. You can actually use AppSheet to build apps with four different approaches.

1. Data

Chances are likely that your company already has several that it uses to track various processes.

AppSheet can connect directly with many leading sources and the platform will generate an app prototype. From including Drive, Office 365, SQL, , , and that point, you can use the app editor to customize your more. All you have to do is connect your data to AppSheet solution.

2. Add-Ons

You can also build apps directly from AppSheet add-ons for , Docs, or Forms.

Many companies start with pre-made forms, for instance, like signatures and barcodes. An app will provide extended and then transfer them to apps to collect additional inputs functionality.

10 3. Sample Apps

Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to? AppSheet has plenty of sample apps that you can use as templates to start creating powerful applications of your own.

All you have to do is copy the app, integrate your data, customize it in AppSheet’s editor, and then deploy it to your user base when you are ready.

4. Natural Language

Like using voice commands to execute tasks? Now you can use your own voice to create apps using natural language processing (NLP).

AppSheet has introduced Spec, a natural language interface that allows developers to build apps around simple statements. Spec will work in conjunction with your data, too.

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Learn More

To help you get started, we have created several sample apps specifically made for the construction industry, along with design notes on how we built them.

AppSheet’s sample apps for construction include:

►► Safety Audit Checklist: For construction site inspections with GPS, reports, graphs, images and a calendar connection. Click here.

►► Inspection Checklist: Where construction managers and auditors can capture information about site inspections for each job being performed. Click here.

►► Construction Daily Reports: To help foremen keep a daily log for construction projects. Click here.

For further reading, we also encourage you to read about AppSheet success stories from the construction industry:

●● Construction Apps: Space Solution Firm Hits Pay DIRTT with AppSheet ●● Construction Company Spreads the Wealth with Mobile Apps ●● Leading Construction Contractor Chooses to Build a No-code Solution Over Buying Procore Software ●● Using AppSheet to Manage Materials and Testing

12 About AppSheet

AppSheet is an intelligent, no-code app development platform. It empowers business users to create and deploy powerful applications that are tightly connected to existing business data. The platform’s unique machine learning and intelligent functionality simplifies the app creation process and enriches the app user experience.

While enabling rapid innovation and citizen development, the platform also ensures that these applications meet IT’s governance, security, and management requirements. Thousands of enterprises across the globe use the AppSheet platform to address departmental, line of business, or company-wide initiatives.

AppSheet is recognized as a leader in mobile low-code development platforms for business developers by Forrester Research and has more than 700 positive reviews on Capterra and G2 crowd.

Resources

Creating apps is a continuous learning process. This holds true whether you are a novice app developer or a technical wizard. That being said, AppSheet offers a vast library of digital resources, including a robustuser community and extensive documentation.

You are also encouraged to attend one of AppSheet’s upcoming webinars where you can see what other developers are working on and learn tips and tricks that can help you create robust digital tools.

AppSheet also has a team of expert support staff on standby offering around the clock support. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever need some help.

Find out more at solutions.appsheet.com/construction-and-contractor-apps or talk to the AppSheet team: https://solutions.appsheet.com/contact

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