When it comes to data in construction, you've likely heard statements like "data is the new currency" or "data is the new oil." While these remarks hold a lot of truth (read: data is incredibly valuable), ultimately, data is only as useful as the insights people extract from it.
Let's say you wear a smartwatch that tracks your sleep, and it tells you that you've been sleeping poorly most nights. That finding is interesting, but having that information alone isn't useful unless you have a deeper insight into why it's happening. Whether it's late-night eating, your phone's blue light, or an inconsistent sleep schedule, the real value lies in identifying patterns—and adjusting accordingly.
This same concept applies to construction. Industry data shows that 95% of construction data goes unused, and 62% of data collected and analyzed isn't leveraged to make business decisions. Moreover, construction managers and executives spend an average of 11.5 hours per week researching and analyzing data. All of this tells us that while there is no shortage of data, extracting actionable insights remains a significant challenge.
But here's the good news: Autodesk has several new releases this March that make it easier to surface, analyze, and act on the right data at the right time. Jump ahead in this article to learn more or check out our roundup post here.
Construction data is most useful when it aligns with three key layers: you need the right data at the right time, delivered in a way that reaches the right people.
Let's explore these layers in more detail below.
Useful data isn't just about accuracy; it's also about how well the information is presented.
A spreadsheet of raw facts and figures might technically be correct, but it wouldn't be the proper format for team members who aren't data scientists. And since most construction pros don't spend their time analyzing raw data, the information needs to be structured to allow for quick and actionable insights.
Ultimately, meaningful data also considers presentation. Whether it's a graph, an interactive dashboard, or a real-time alert, project info must be conveyed in a digestible format for teams to extract valuable insights.
Getting your hands on accurate data at the right time is a must. In fast-moving construction environments, even a tiny delay in accessing information can lead to costly mistakes, rework, or safety issues. Teams need real-time data to make informed decisions on-site rather than relying on outdated reports.
For example, if a site manager isn't alerted to a materials delay early on, the project schedule may get disrupted, leading to last-minute scrambles and potential overtime costs. But if the issue is flagged as soon as it's detected, the team can quickly adjust plans and keep the project on track.
Construction teams consist of people with different roles and responsibilities, which means data needs to be tailored to its audience. Each stakeholder must have the ability to access information that's relevant to them and securely to ensure compliance.
For instance, a construction owner may need high-level insights on progress, while general contractors require detailed, task-specific updates to manage labor, scheduling, and materials effectively. Likewise, subcontractors might require real-time updates on site conditions or change orders, while safety managers should have instant access to incident reports and compliance data.
At Autodesk, we know how valuable your data is. That's why we continue to invest in products and features to improve how you collect, analyze, and present it.
To that end, here are several new and highly anticipated product launches designed to help you get the right data, at the right time, to the right person—all while improving project collaboration and success.
It's very common for teams to seek clarification when working on construction projects. Often, the information they need can be found in multiple, lengthy project specification documents. Sifting through all that paperwork takes time, which can slow decision-making.
This is where the Autodesk Assistant within Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) comes in.
This new capability uses Autodesk AI to analyze and extract key details from extensive project specifications. When you ask a question, the tool can search, interpret, and surface relevant information so you get the answers you need exactly when you need them.
With Autodesk Assistant, users gain more intuitive and flexible ways to access, validate, and summarize critical information in published project specifications. Because Autodesk Assistant uses natural language processing (NLP) models, you can prompt it to answer specific questions, generate lists of items, or summarize project details – much like you’re having a back-and-forth conversation with a coworker. Within the answers to your questions, you can easily see highlighted and clickable references to verify information directly from the specification document.
Those who've had experience using the Autodesk Assistant appreciate how much time it saves.
"Many of the answers to the project questions we encounter are readily available and perfectly prompted through Autodesk Assistant, contained within the specification book," says Lauren L. Collier, Director of Project Technology, SSOE Group. “Having access to this data allows both design and construction workflows to achieve faster, easier turnarounds and with greater certainty—highlighting priorities early on before major changes become costly."
Brad Buckles, Director of Technology, Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI), says, "Searching through specifications to find answers can be extremely time-consuming. By utilizing the Autodesk Assistant, our project team has saved significant time and improved daily productivity. It streamlines the review of specifications and generates quick answers to inquiries, allowing our team to stay focused and avoid distractions from higher-level tasks. It is truly invaluable!"
Handover automatically compiles and organizes relevant project information, making it easy to export. General Contractors can efficiently assemble, collect, and structure required documents based on contractual obligations, then export them as a shareable zip file for clients and owners.
This saves teams a tremendous amount of time. The closeout process is notoriously lengthy, averaging 284 days, with the final payment to internal closeout adding another 247 days—bringing the total closeout timeline to a staggering 531 days.
And it's not just about the length of closeout; a good amount of data also gets lost in the process. Research shows that roughly 30% of initial data created during design and construction is lost by construction project closeout.
This is why tools like Handover can be so helpful. When you optimize and automate closeout and handover, you save time, data, and money.
Extracting data from project drawings doesn't have to be a pain. With Autodesk's new release, we've expanded the ability to extract crucial data from project drawings beyond the Sheets tool in Autodesk Build to the Files tool.
Files Automated Drawing Extraction uses optical character recognition (OCR) to pull custom attributes from the title block of single-page and multi-page PDFs. It then publishes these processed PDFs into your project folders or into Sheets.
This is the perfect example of giving users the right data at the right time. This feature simplifies the data extraction workflow from drawings while maintaining necessary file permissions. As such, teams can work more efficiently without compromising security or access controls.
Managing construction data effectively means ensuring the right information reaches the right people at the right time. Autodesk's latest releases are designed to help you do all that so you can streamline workflows and enhance decision-making.
Check out the full product roundup for a deeper dive into these updates, and subscribe to our blog to stay in the loop on all things Autodesk and construction tech.
