Th C titi EdThe Competitive Edge - Map Your Sho Co… · Th C titi EdThe Competitive Edge Using IT...

Th C titi EdThe Competitive EdgeUsing IT Innovations to Achieve Competitive Advantage Among Small and Medium Sized Contractors

Presented by: Dennis Engelbrecht

dennis.engelbrecht@familybusinessinstitute.comwww.familybusinessinstitute.com

877-326-2493

1 1www.conexpoconagg.com

Revised 022614

Objective

To help leaders of small and medium sized construction companies

understand what technology is available for businesses their size by

exploring what others in their market space are utilizing successfully Weexploring what others in their market space are utilizing successfully. We

want to help them understand whether they are ahead of or behind the

curve technologically via understanding what is “bleeding edge,” leading g y g g g g

edge, here to stay, or just passing fancy. We will focus on real life

examples of how businesses like theirs are realizing value from specific

technological advancements.


This information Comes From Commercial Contractors In:Contractors In:CEO Performance Roundtable for Contractors (CEOPRC)( )

What is CEOPRC?

CEOPRC is a gathering of 7-10 CEOs where, with the assistance of

professional facilitators, non-competing leaders can openly review their

companies and share information in a focused effort to build breakthrough

f h l h i f ili h i l d h isuccess for themselves, their families, their employees, and their

customers.



How does it work?Roundtable members are assigned to peer groups matched in terms of company size and non competition guidelinesin terms of company size and non-competition guidelines

Roundtable groups meet at rotating host company sites two times per year for 2.5 days of peer review, learning and sharing

There are usually 7-10 companies represented in each peer group; some companies have two or more executives enrolled in the program


I. Marketing and Business Development Software

What are others using?

How are they gaining value or efficiencies?

Case study or success story?

Other experiences?



A. Customer relationship management (CRM)CRM Default:CRM Default:

• MS Outlook and Excel• MS Notes

A tAmong most common:• Salesforce• Cosential• ACT!• Sage CRM



B. Proposal development• In DesignIn Design

• Corel Draw

• MS Publisher



C. 3D modeling• Google SketchUpGoogle SketchUp

• Revit



D. Presentations• MS PowerPointMS PowerPoint

• Apple Keynote

• Prezi



E. Best VIDEO practices include:• Client endorsementsClient endorsements

• Time lapse construction

• Company historyy y

• Messages from team members


II. Estimating and Pre-Construction




Other experiences?



A. FTP siteB. Box, DropboxB. Box, DropboxC. Fax v. Email

• Many still hold onto the FAX MACHINE as their primaryMany still hold onto the FAX MACHINE as their primary communications tool!



D. Estimating software• MS Excel >50%• Sage 300/Timerline >20%• Oncenter Onscreen Takeoff >50%

M l/P 10%• Manual/Paper >10%• Cloud Takeoff, PlanSwift, RIBMC2 Ice, Proest,

HardDollar, Maxwell



E. Work acquisition• Smart BidNet

• iSqFt

• The Blue Book

• Gradebeam

• Bidmail



F. BIM• Use does NOT seem to be growing among general

contractors• Increasingly the standard for the MIPs• Used as a MARKETING DIFFERENTIATOR• Used as a MARKETING DIFFERENTIATOR• Small to mid-sized general contractors seem to be ignoring

it altogether or outsourcing BIM as needed


III. Field Operations




Other experiences?



A. Field hardware• Mobile technology has arrived and taken dominant formgy

• Recent survey shows construction professionals of all types now have smartphones (91%), laptops (83%) and tablets (53%) with the first two being used primarily as business ( ) g p ydevices while the latter is still used more for personal than business use

• Field supervisors are less tied to the trailer and are taking to p gthe new technology finding efficiency and enjoyment in using tablets and many of the new applications available



A. Field hardware – continued –

• While hard drawings are still normal on job sites, more big g j gscreen monitors and use of tablets to view pdfs and project details are rapidly growing and appear sure to become the norm for projects of any size

• Laser technology (both hardware and software) is becoming slightly more cost effective, has some very impressive capabilities, and can have real benefits in renovation work in particularparticular



B. Field software • Best advancements are probably in five areas:p y

1. Use of Bluebeam, Gradebeam, etc. to be able to view and drill down in the field using tablets

2 Personnel software for reporting time submitting daily2. Personnel software for reporting time, submitting daily reports, etc. HH2 seems to be the one we hear most about, and all of it is good

3 Voice recognition not widely utilized yet is widely3. Voice recognition, not widely utilized yet, is widely acclaimed in making email, communication, and organization easier for superintendents in the field



B. Field software – continued –

• Best advancements are probably in five areas:p y

4. Integrated accounting solutions bring paperless invoice approval and related back office communication to help the superintendent and site project teams save time while p p jassuring good review and compliance

5. Punch list management combined with mobile hardware to combine photography, emails, drawings, and notes to save p g p y gtime, improve accountability, and communicate more effectively



B. Field software – continued –

• Tremendous number of apps currently available, each serving a pp y gpositive purpose



C. Robotics• Far into the future, but proven examples now available

D. WebcamsSecurity• Security

• Client communication, progress reports• Oversight and management


IV. Office Hardware, Software




Other experiences?



A. The “Cloud”• Almost everything can now be done in the cloud with y g

access doubling each year

• Rapid growth as people gain trust in security

• Invitation to Bid/Plan Room, Project Management lead the way, Accounting lagging @ <10%



B. Project management software• MS EXCEL/WORD still most common, used by 40% to 50%, y

sometimes in combination with other PM software which is only partially utilized

• Sage 300, Timberline, ProLog, Viewpoint, CMiC, Constructware, g gProcore all common, with Timberline, Viewpoint Computer Guidance being the most commonly integrated with accounting

• Collaboration solutions now the norm on larger projects using Constuctware or similar tool



C. Accounting software• Sage 300/Timberline and Quickbooks dominate the field, g

particularly among middle sized and small firms, due to cost and familiarity

• Viewpoint, CMiC, Maxwell, Oracle, Computer Guidance, Computerease, Dexter and Cheney’s Spectrum, among the others

• MS Excel used by more than half of firms for reports, particular uses where their accounting software doesn’t have good or easily accessible reporting formats



D. Integration between accounting and PM software

• Integration continues to be seen as very important

• Still lags due to fragmentation of the industry, cost vs. benefit lack of ease (real or perceived) of variousbenefit, lack of ease (real or perceived) of various solutions, lack of good internal training and enforcement



E. Email/file management• Growing area of concerng

• MS Outlook (email) combined with job files either on server or cloud, commonly via ftp site, Dropbox or Box

• ProForma

• Email protocol major concern; generally lacks good rules, trainingrules, training



F. SchedulingMS Project, Primavera, and P6 are still the standardsj

Scheduling consultants fairly common at least as a supplement where there is a lack of strong scheduling capability, to reduce risk on larger projects, or where reimbursableg j

Field short term interval scheduling still fairly inconsistent, often utilizing Excel, or hand written. Superintendent use of scheduling software very low

With Lean Construction more use of poster size spreadsheets to format and implement schedules in the field


V. Conclusion and Wrap-UpTechnology continues to accelerate both in its complexity and in its rate of change, and construction is not immune!co st uct o s ot u e• How are companies managing technology

advancement internally?

• How can we advance our knowledge and experience and keep up in the future?



Mission

To help contractors improve their businesses with the goals of making

more money in less time with fewer headaches and higher quality of life.

For more information on the CEOPRC program contact:For more information on the CEOPRC program contact:Wayne Rivers, [email protected], 877-326-2493 x228Dennis Engelbrecht, [email protected], 919-824-3005www.familybusinessinstitute.com


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