Concerns about costs and attracting enough workers to complete jobs continue to dominate conversation. While the adoption and deployment of technology can help address both concerns, technology is only truly effective when data silos are eliminated.
Cloud-connected collaboration platforms enable teams to share real-time data, creating a single source of truthm, according to Leica Geosystems.
Too often though, technology is a "bolt-on" to existing frameworks and processes, and although it can help align teams, silos remain on the job site. The real challenge is figuring out how to break them down.
Why Breaking Down Silos Matters
The modern job site is more technologically enabled than ever before, whether it's smart wearables, machine control or digital twins, according to Leica.
However, many companies are reluctant to use technology to its fullest potential, which creates data silos.
The tangible benefits of eliminating silos include helping organizations complete projects on time, to specification and on budget, according to Leica. When teams operate from a single source of truth, it reduces the potential for mistakes and the need for rework. Eliminating rework also leads to safer job sites, reducing both monetary and human costs associated with accidents and mishaps, added Leica.
How to Eliminate Data Silos
Making the elimination of silos a reality requires a look at the technology deployed on the job site.
Technology empowers teams to capture minute details about the job site in real time. Comparing this information to project plans requires stepping back to consider every piece of equipment and every function performed on site.
According to Leica, the first step is to ask simple yet critical questions: How does this equipment or this function play into the larger effort being expended on the job site? Is every function being captured and relayed to a central database?
It's not always about new technology; often, it's about changing old habits, requiring teams to adjust their approach.
Capturing data and working from a single source of truth isn't a hindrance. Rather, it's what makes the job site run smoother, added the company.
Making the Job Site Fully Connected
As the workforce becomes more technologically advanced and digitally connected, it is naturally eliminating silos, but the opportunity for companies is to look at their workflows, see where the holdups exist and decide how to change them, according to Leica.
Often, it doesn't require a major overhaul. Rather, it necessitates small adjustments to ensure everything is aligned and fully connected.
When this happens, silos don't just disappear; they become impossible to create.
