New Research Finds Better Use of Mobile Platform Technology Improves Quality Assurance in Construction

Procore Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of construction management software, today released the results from a new industry poll, which found that more than half (52%) of Australian construction companies feel they need to do a better job of leveraging mobile technology for on-site quality assurance processes. According to the survey, improvements are needed across the quality assurance spectrum, with two thirds (67%) of respondents finding all aspects challenging - from setting protocols, creating forms, and training; to on-site processes, collecting and integrating data from disparate sources, analysis and reporting.

Ensuring the quality of new construction projects has become a priority for Australian industry and regulators alike, in the wake of several high-profile structural and material defects in apartment buildings in recent years. The renewed focus on quality was underscored by the NSW Government’s commitment to fund landmark building reforms and drive the ongoing digital transformation of the construction sector. Investment in ensuring high quality building and infrastructure projects will be critical in supporting the construction sector across the Australian economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Quality requirements are continually changing; and we’re always improving our processes in response. Given this dynamism and the importance of producing high standard projects, quality will be at the forefront of our business for the foreseeable future,” said Beau Parker, Quality Coordinator at Probuild Constructions. 

Conducted by ACA Research, Procore’s survey of 162 construction companies around Australia found that quality assurance processes require significant resources in most businesses. On average, construction teams spend close to 30 hours per week on quality assurance processes. This rises to as much as 70 hours per week in large businesses (100+ employees). 

The survey found that there is scope to improve efficiency, accountability and collaboration across quality assurance processes, with mobile platform technology projected to play a key role in these improvements. 

Key findings include: 

• The majority of respondents agreed (64%) that quality assurance needs to be a connected and transparent process across all areas of the business, from policy design through to data capture, analysis, and reporting.

• Respondents identified setting and specifying protocols as the most challenging part of the quality assurance process (75%), followed by analysing and reporting on quality performance across the business (70%).

• 55% of respondents say responsibility for quality assurance should be moved from the office to the jobsite, however there are challenges to making this a reality. Almost half (46%) agreed it is difficult getting site staff to fully comply with processes, and 41% acknowledged that site managers often remain in the dark about how the information they collect is used. 

• Almost half of respondents (45%) said that it is difficult to effectively monitor the quality of projects without an integrated data management platform.

• 38% believe paper-based quality assurance processes increase the risk of re-work. 

Reflecting the complexity of scale, the survey found that quality assurance is more challenging for large businesses than their smaller counterparts. However, operating these processes at scale means there is scope to drive efficiency by using true platform technology that enables data from disparate sources to be collated, integrated and analysed via a single user interface.

“We were using a number of different platforms to manage quality and safety, and made the decision to consolidate and simplify some of our processes by replicating them within Procore’s Quality and Safety tools,” added Parker. “The ability to access the Procore platform onsite, and streamline reporting between site teams and senior management, has contributed to our ability to ensure QA processes are successfully implemented across projects.”

“Procore customers tell us that ensuring the quality of their projects has become their number one priority in 2020. This comes as unprecedented socio-economic forces have accelerated digital transformation in the Australian construction industry,” said Tom Karemacher, Vice President APAC at Procore Technologies. 

“This widespread uplift in digital maturity will not only help the industry to deliver high quality projects, it will also increase consumer confidence and trust in the sector. As Procore’s latest poll shows, technology presents a real opportunity for productivity and economic gains as the industry doubles down on quality.”

To help solve the challenges of quality assurance and compliance for the construction industry, Procore recently introduced Action Plans for customers to trial in beta. Action Plans is a new tool that integrates compliance into the course of construction - enabling teams to create plan templates and bring protocols, reference documentation, records and communication together in one place for all stakeholders to access on the Procore platform.

To learn more about how technology can improve quality assurance processes in construction, go to procore.com/en-au/quality-safety. 

About Procore

Procore is a leading provider of construction management software. Over 1 million projects and more than $1 trillion USD in construction volume have run on Procore’s platform. Our platform connects every project stakeholder to solutions we've built specifically for the construction industry—for the owner, the general contractor, and the specialty contractor. Procore’s App Marketplace has a multitude of partner solutions that integrate seamlessly with our platform, giving construction professionals the freedom to connect with what works best for them. Headquartered in Carpinteria, California, Procore has offices around the globe.