Following fast on the heels of the PC, the fax machine and the cell phone, wireless web-enabled devices are the latest technology to be adopted on a significant scale by building contractors. Handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), online project collaboration systems and digital web cameras are currently infiltrating the construction market and are steadily changing the industry from the inside out. What follows is a brief overview of some of the latest communication technologies that contractors are beginning to use.

At present, there is no better technology for building contractors to facilitate communications and boost competitiveness than the Internet. One Internet technology in particular – online project collaboration – promises to transform the way the construction industry carries out its projects. Online project collaboration, like the name implies, lets involved parties collaborate over the web by allowing them to view, complete and implement tasks via a specified web site. The web site can house photos, CAD files and scanned sketches, making them simultaneously available to all involved parties. Online project collaboration programs vary based on application software, of course, with each having their own capabilities as to what information can be presented. Some programs are able to present meeting minutes, general correspondence and schedules. These functions aid contractors in strengthening the internal communications that each building project requires. Overall, online project collaboration system reduces the time and money lost to bad fax transmissions, missed telephone calls and chance breaks in communication.

There are also a number of accessory devices that can be used in tandem with the Internet. One of these technologies, the palm-sized computer, is beginning to make serious inroads into the building contractor market. Depending on the model, these handhelds PCs, most of which are available for less than $500, give their users Internet access and admittance to any capabilities that a plugged-in PC offers, such as contract management, scheduling, spreadsheet functions and project-management materials.

Some tech-savvy contractors have even begun integrating their handhelds with construction management software. This allows for the entry of productivity statistics and material usage right from the job site. Handheld devices offer the building contractor more than just a means of communicating on the go. By incorporating data directly into productivity reports, contractors can get an up-to-date record of their costs per hour and cost per unit and measure this information against their estimates to determine where productivity hurdles lie. When one considers that contractors are working with increasingly narrow margins, this capability could prove to be invaluable. Another benefit of handheld communication is that it lessens the need for physical meetings. The fact that most handheld devices provide a record of their communications can also help to foster team responsibility and diminish the chance of miscommunication.

In addition to these technologies, construction industry observers are citing a burgeoning trend in the adoption of digital cameras for use on the job site. This technology benefits the contractor and the client alike. For instance, in cases where a subcontractor has a setback with a malfunction at the job site, he can take a picture of where the problem is and have it posted to a specified web site. The software system can then e-mail all involved parties, alerting them and providing a link that brings them to the photograph of the area in question. They can then either leave notes on the site or schedule an online meeting (although this is infrequent, due to the current sluggishness of most web connections). Builders are also starting to use mounted web cams at the job site itself. If a client or other involved party wants to review the condition of a particular aspect of the job site they can then observe it in its current state without having to visit the actual location. The web cam's users could even download an image from the web camera and place it in a daily log to have a visual progress report.

Industry observers predict that the construction industry's adoption of digital web cams, handheld computers and other wireless web-enabled technologies will continue as these devices comes down in price and begin to incorporate even more features. Builders who are quick to utilize these new technologies to their benefit are likely to distinguish themselves from their competitors by getting their projects done faster, more efficiently and under budget.

Source: Communications Survival Tips for Today's Contractor
Ellen Parson
Electrical Construction & Maintenance, Feb. 1, 2002
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