GUEST ARTICLE: Platform technology will shape the future of work post COVID-19, says 80% of UK construction industry

Procore Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of construction management software, has released the findings of an independent survey of 250 UK construction middle managers and above – this guest article explains more…

It revealed that COVID-19 has caused a transformative turn towards technology in the construction industry, with platform technology playing a particularly pivotal role.

Amid challenges in keeping job sites operational during COVID-19, well over half (66%) of construction companies surveyed rolled out some sort of new technology during lockdown with the majority (94%) seeing an improvement in the way their teams work as a result. 

Looking forward, there’s a recognition that businesses will likely need to build on a singular, integrated system. The research showed 80% believe that platform technology will play a role in the future of how we work in construction, with almost half (38%) of these saying they can’t do their jobs as effectively without it. 

The independent research defined platform technology as that which “connects business applications and stores relevant information all in one place, allowing applications and tech tools to talk to each other. A platform might be used to enable visibility over data or to standardise operations.”

The future is “one platform”

Where the gaps between traditional ways of working and remote working have been most apparent, technology has come to the fore to increase efficiency and connect teams.

52% of the respondents said they feel empowered to change and apply positive learnings to the future of work. In fact, almost 9 in 10 (86%) construction managers said they would use ‘one platform’ if they could. 

Brandon Olivieri O’Connor, Director of UK and Ireland at Procore UK&I, commented: “With much around construction being disrupted, technology has proved the one constant and this is being increasingly realised by businesses.

“We’ve seen contractors proactively making the move away from manual methods and excel towards platform technology. Construction won’t be the same as it was before, with connectivity and mobility driving a new way of working

“The emphasis will remain on the ability to connect people wherever they are – on one platform – so they can be productive and safe. Procore is one construction platform that connects the entire project team, from the office to the field and across companies, providing one place to work together to do what they do best – build.

“The result is a team that can run projects from anywhere, enabling them to do more and do it faster.”

Lockdown has accelerated the demand for digital transformation 

58% of the construction companies surveyed reported that they have seen a higher demand from workers for a way to stay connected and work more efficiently.

Unlike other tools, the Procore platform connects entire project teams, from the office to the field and across companies, providing one place to work together.

Already used by more than 8,500 construction companies globally, it is this type of integrated one platform which will help the construction industry excel after COVID-19 – according to the majority (56%) of research respondents – compared to traditional systems or bespoke software tools.

The choice to work remotely, stay connected and safer

In fact, alongside increasing productivity and staying connected, the research found that the ability to work remotely is one of the top three reasons construction managers implement online technology tools.

Having the option to reduce the number of staff onsite and social distance has allowed construction companies to comply with health and safety regulations.

The majority of construction managers (52%) which rolled-out online collaboration and productivity technology solutions since lockdown said the safety for their teams has improved.