These efficiency and cost-reducing benefits hold particular value to the construction industry. When projects have a deadline, firms need a way to ensure their processes and workflow enable them to make the most of time while also preventing delays and cost overruns that destroy budgets and timelines.
While construction is a trade tied to grit and manual labor, the advantages of going paperless are too great to pass up for firms competing (and succeeding) in the modern era. Here's what you need to know about paperless construction.
Basic steps to going paperless
Paper is a part of everyday life and often necessary (digitized documents often start somewhere as paper), but it represents a large cost and liability to construction firms that can be mitigated, if not eliminated. There are many paper-intensive practices that businesses can reexamine and then take opportunities to introduce digital, automated options. These may include:
● Essential business documents: Keeping only physical copies of documents critical to the business – client agreements, insurance policies, other contracts – is a risk if catastrophic damage such as a flood (not even a big one, but enough to submerge a folder box on the floor) affects the business. Anything you deem critical to your ongoing operations should be backed up and stored digitally.
● Customer billing: Paper statements are becoming a thing of the past as more companies move to electronic billing. This reduces paper and postage costs considerably; it also generally serves the growing preference of paying for goods and services online.
● Timesheets: Clocking in and out is easier with digital tools. Replacing timesheets or punch cards with a mobile tracking system increases the accuracy of hours tracking and lessens the burden and cost of paper.
How construction companies and their clients benefit
There are advantages to going paperless that specifically benefit construction companies. For one, Design/Build firms generally use building information modeling (BIM) or computer-aided design (CAD) software to design structures. While the draw to paperless solutions like BIM and CAD are clear in terms of capability and efficiency, there are added benefits to the planning stage that is more accessible to clients. This advantage is significant given the central importance of collaboration to the Design/Build approach.
Why Keystone values paperless
As a business with experience and tradition but a passion for new and better ways of doing things, Keystone Construction knows the value, tangible and intangible, that lies in paperless. Using automated workflows and digital tools to replace paper systems promotes cost-effectiveness, productivity gains, and better relationships with our clients. When we work on a project, we make it a point to implement as many paperless practices as we can to ensure budgets and deadlines are met while guaranteeing clients are always informed and in close communication. For more information about working with Keystone, contact us today.