2A generation of workers on the brink of retirement, an upswing in the market, increasing adoption of technology.What are the implications of these changes on the industry? What trends should you be conscious of as you make business decisions this year? In this ebook, we will cover fve of the most interesting trends were seeing, explain why theyre happening, and offer predictions on their impact.5 Construction TrendsYou Should Know AboutThe diference is not the personnel required to complete a project, but the speed and availability of the information the personnel require to complete the project.Mobile devices and cloud solutions have eliminated the technological limitations that restricted access to project information only to those in the ofice. Project information such as project timeline, costs, projected production rates, and much more relevant information can now be delivered to a device as small as an iPhone.And can be delivered real-time.As the old adage goes, time is money. Advances in technology like cloud services enabling anywhere, anytime access of information and mobile devices have created a new playing field for construction companies.Mobile technology is enabling a holistic view of the performance of a project from a mobile device of any type. If the construction industry fully embraces technology and implements cloud and mobile device strategies efectively, the gains in eficiency will result in a rise in profit per project.2. Challenges in Hiring Construction TalentMobile devices and cloud solutions are revolutionizing construction workflows and its happening at a rapid pace. In 2012, 41% of construction survey participants said that mobile solutions werent very important. In 2014, that number shrank to 21%! Todays construction jobsite is not unlike a construction jobsite 30 years ago-there are still field crews, foremen, project managers, and superintendents. So why are we seeing this trend?1. Mobile WorkforcesOn Center Software | 5 Construction Trends You Should Know AboutAccording to a 2014 FMI Construction Market Report, hiring talented people posed the biggest challenge to construction businesses, more so than finding profitable work and economic decisions made by the government. With a quarter of the current construction workforce retiring over the next decade, this challenge is noteworthy. Why is it so dificult to find good talent? First, there has been a reduced interest in construction careers as societal pressures favor a four year college degree as the optimal means for securing income. There are also fewer opportunities for training and development due to financial restrictions implemented during the recession. Its time for construction businesses to make their industry more appealing for the next generation. As the construction hiring pool demographic changes with tech savvy construction professionals graduating school and looking to begin their careers, technology will be a deciding factor in their choice of workplace. The new construction professional has grown up in a world without limits, where information is always just a Google search away. Mobile devices and cloud solutions are embraced heavily by this demographic and they expect that these technologies will be utilized by their companies to achieve new heights. Construction firms looking to attract, retain, and develop the next generation of construction professionals should look for ways to incorporate technology into their everyday construction operations.3On Center Software | 5 Construction Trends You Should Know About3. Real-Time Project CollaborationHowever, more attention is starting to be given to project solutions that enable real-time collaboration and heres why: Imagine a team of estimators working towards a deadline: the team of three must wait one by one to complete their tasks as the current base bid is in use by estimator #1. Now imagine a competing team of estimators working towards that same deadline in the base bid together simultaneously.Their ability to work in parallel with each other via the cloud enables the team to meet the deadline two days earlier than the competing team. This frees the team to work towards delivering the next bid while their competitors are still trying to deliver the first bid. The reason for the increased focus on tools enabling real-time collaboration is because they ofer unprecedented eficiency.According to a report by The Box Information Economy, the number one factor affecting collaboration in the construction industry is the ability to share project documents. Despite the large amount of interactivity and information sharing amongst its workers when compared to other industries, the construction industry still has a relatively low investment in collaboration technology.4. Leaner CompetitionIf we were to paint a picture of the construction industry during the past five years, it would looksomething like this:Many contractors had to work with smaller stafs due to dramatic budget cuts and had to bid twice as many jobs to stay competitive in the market. Further, competition has been stif due to out of state competitors bidding on jobs which they would not look twice at under normal circumstances. This intense level of competition has caused many construction firms to turn to new best practices and technology to stay lean, particularly in automating takeof, estimating, and project management.The competitive edge now lies in the ability to leverage technology to transform dated, manual, and ineficient workflows into a more eficient and ultimately more profitable way of delivering a project.4Cloud-based takeoff is going to be the way takeoff is performed by the industry going forward.Why? With BIM leading the charge, far too many advances in technology are occurring every year for the old in-house server model to continue. Additionally, new requirements for information sharing are being created with methodologies like Lean Construction.The cloud doesnt need to be scary.It is truly a way to level the playing field between the enterprise construction company and the small to medium contractor. While enterprise companies have the resources to hire expensive IT personnel, the average construction company does not - nor should they be in the business of IT. Cloud service providers must employ highly skilled systems engineers, security administrators, and network administrators all tasked with keeping data available, safe, and secure. Shifing this responsibility from the smaller construction companies to a cloud service provider enables small and mid-sized businesses to obtain enterprise level IT systems and services at a fraction of the cost. In addition to minimizing IT related costs from the business, the cloud accelerates productivity, enhances collaboration, and facilitates communication. ConclusionAt the forefront of all these changes are the construction sofware providers, who understand industry dynamics and anticipate future needs to create the best eficiencies for helping businesses get the job done. On Center Sofware was the first to deliver best-in-class solutions for takeof and estimating, and our new cloud-based takeof and field management oferings meet the needs of any construction business looking to diferentiate themselves from the competition. The takeof. The industry is moving away from costly and inefective methods of project delivery.All of these advances and process improvements must begin at the start of any construction project:On Center Software | 5 Construction Trends You Should Know About5. Cloud-Based Solutions5To learn more about On Center Sofware visitwww.oncenter.comThe first name in Construction Automation Sofware.On Center Sofware supports the Construction Project Lifecycle.We help you increase profits, eficiency, and collaboration anddecrease cost, errors, and time.