The most important step in the data lifecycle process is data integration. Construction data seems overwhelming until the documentation is integrated so that it can be easily retrieved and understood. When we move to a new city, into a new home, or start a new career, we are effectively taking all our economic, social, and cultural values into an established but also unfamiliar environment that we now call our own.
Collecting construction project information is no different. As-builts, schedules, budgets, and contracts are all fluid as the unique data associated with them. Therefore, it’s critical that as your organization or project evolves, there is a reliable data integration technology in place to fulfill all your project information needs.
What is construction data integrity?
Data integrity refers to the accuracy, reliability, and consistency of stored data over its entire lifecycle. Construction data can be unknowingly duplicated, outdated, or outright false; delaying project milestone deadlines and inflating the budget for construction projects. Adding to the complication, complex infrastructure projects such as an airport terminal expansion can have tens of thousands of physical assets from taxiway centerline light cans, to air handler units, and close-out submittals that need to be included in the data collection process.
Plans can always change and unexpected audits happen. It doesn’t have to be this way because there is an entire data integration solution for the construction industry. Traditional data repository domains are not the solution to data and information development.
Why is construction data integration important?
When integrating any data, we must understand that data is dynamic and may not necessarily be suited for an Excel spreadsheet or Access relational database that we all know and love. Normal data integration techniques will not work to integrate data in all aspects of a project. Construction data integration makes data more freely available and easier to consume and process by systems and users.
With an effective data management process, big data information systems can reduce IT costs, free-up resources, improve data quality, organize data, ensure accurate project data, and foster innovation; all without drastic changes to existing applications or data structures.
Ensure data integration security
Certain aspects of projects may involve sensitive security information (SSI) or contain proprietary information that requires limited access. In this era of information security, preventing data leaks and breaches is more important than ever with secure data systems. When the integrity of data is secure, the information stored in a database will remain complete, accurate, and reliable no matter how long the data collected is stored, or how often it’s accessed. You need a system that can put your data security first.
How to integrate actionable project data
Data is only useful if it is timely and actionable. Modern organizations and construction projects are drowning in data but starving for information. Data can also take the form of dates, numbers, text, and files holding that data from a variety of applications that are only accessible to certain parties. If data is cleaned, organized, and archived, it becomes useful throughout the construction project and after closeout. Few data integration technologies can present correct data in real-real time.
MySmartPlans Integrates Construction Data for You
The Digital Librarians at MySmartPlans integrate your construction data in our software from the Acquisition and Planning Phase into the Bidding Phase, Construction Execution Phase to the Project Closeout and Punch List Phase, and Digital Twin Turnover. Conventional data integration takes information as it is and stores it in a data warehouse, unorganized. MySmartPlans is the most effective data integration platform because the Digital Librarian integration process converts data as searchable organized documentation. MySmartPlans provides an integrated and comprehensive picture of the construction data.
Who is going to use this data?
Stakeholders have different data needs. A specification sheet showing an airfield electrician the model numbers of all the newly installed taxiway signs is nice to have but a spreadsheet created by the contractor detailing the preventative maintenance plan for the sign panels is far more beneficial. Imagine having this data right at your fingertips without the wait or figuring out who to call. By having a robust and secure data integration system in place to store all your project information, all team members on a project can collaborate on objectives and accomplish tasks on time. Have your data audit ready. All the time.
How can the construction projects team benefit?
Having the project team identify their data needs is essential for the integration process of a project to succeed. This can be a subcontractor wanting to share a multilayered plumbing blueprint with an engineer or the airport security coordinator needing product warranty information from the security camera vendor. For a project team to benefit from data integration, management must support the system that is under development and involve users in the development process. A construction data platform can ultimately save the two most important things to a project: time and money.
Data Integration Technologies
There are multiple data warehouse environments to choose from for your construction project. But many systems don’t work together, data integration technologies lack integrity, and provide fuzzy or anonymous data. Project management software has typically only collected data without ensuring the integrity of that data, until now. The construction sector needs double checks, relevant data, correct information, real-time data, data integration, updated documentation, organization and data management insights.
Is there a solution?
With MySmartPlans, all your project data can be aggregated in real-time, the minute we receive it so you can make actionable decisions with actionable data. We ensure all stakeholders have the information they need in one consolidated and secure location. Stop using poor project management systems, and guarantee full data integration from design and construction phases, through closeout and facilities management.
MySmartPlans is the only solution to collecting project data completely and accurately as a master data management software-as-a-service. We realized that traditional data integration techniques don’t work, and we ensure the best construction data integration throughout your project. No other system provides data and information management on all construction data.
Contact Us
MySmartPlan is the construction industry’s leading software for project information management.
If you would like to learn more about our software-as-a-service and how you can add integrity to your construction plan, schedule a demo now.
Let us be your construction project data integration leader!
Contact Information:
Shelley Armato, CEO
shelley@mysmartplans.com
(816) 728-8899
Dominick Armato, President
dominick.armato@mysmartplans.com
(816) 728-0808
