Issue link: https://construction.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1520112
1 Driving Profitability With a Field-centric Approach to Cost Management Heavy construction contractors have traditionally taken an accounting based approach to cost management, relying primarily on their financial or ERP systems. Now, modern operational software solutions – fortified by advanced mobile capabilities – are paving the way for a more proactive, real-time approach to managing costs where and when they occur: in the field. As margins get tighter and projects get larger and more complex, status-quo cost management methods can no longer cut it when it comes to staying on budget and on schedule: Lag Time for Performance Data—Managers and executives can't evaluate labor, productivity, materials and equipment utilization accurately and on a daily basis, so they can't make timely, data-driven decisions to adjust operations in the field and protect profitability. Lack of Visibility in the Field—The team responsible for managing projects in the field doesn't have a clear understanding of the overall performance expectations or an accurate picture of where they stand versus the plan/budget on a day-to-day basis. Inefficient Resource Utilization—Disconnected processes based on paper, whiteboards, phone calls – or software applications that don't talk to each other – prevent the field, maintenance and scheduling/dispatching teams from working cohesively to deploy crews, equipment and materials in the most cost-effective manner. No Feedback Loop—Actual labor, equipment and material costs incurred in the field don't carry through and inform the estimates and budgets for future projects. Essential Steps 6 Step 1 Transfer Data Seamlessly page 2 Step 2 Collaborate Across Workflows page 3 Step 3 Track Performance in Real Time page 4 Step 4 Go Mobile page 5 Step 5 Integrate Operations and Accounting/ERP page 6 Step 6 Turn Data into Actionable Intelligence page 7 • Why Not Rely on Accounting/ERP Systems page 8 • Putting it All Together – A Unified Operational Platform page 9 BID EXECUTE ANALYZE OPERATIONS "Where profits are won" ACCOUNTING "Where profits are measured" RECORD REPORT