In my previous blog, I shared my views about how organizations could enable the adoption of EPC Project Management through a compelling mechanism of “templatization.” Yes, templatization does offer significant benefits in your organizational project management maturity journey.
Does it offer enough incentive for construction project professionals to embrace it?
Well, maybe not!
What is stopping them from adopting project management?
For us to answer this question, we need to look at the life of project management professionals versus the life of EPC project professionals. You may be wondering, “What’s the big deal? They also work on projects, right?”
Well, you are right, but not entirely correct!
Let me elaborate.
In general, project professionals work on a product, service, or a result, be it technology, automotive, pharmaceutical, consulting, et al. Much of their work happens in an air-conditioned or temperature controlled environment with almost negligible physical discomfort.
Contrast this with EPC project professionals.
Some of them have the ‘luxury’ of working in temperature controlled environments while most of them operate at construction sites. Depending on the size of the EPC project, you could expect large open spaces with mounds of sand, stone, cement, and other materials alongside steel rods, semi-constructed structures, scaffoldings, and so on. Invariably, most of these construction sites have a ‘project office’ in one corner. The project office is the only place that you could think of with amenities such as computers, networks, printers, toilets, and air-conditioning! EPC project professionals have access only to one solace, and that is the project office. Some construction sites are so massive that walking to the project office could be a punishment in itself!
Pause for a moment and reflect a day in the life of a construction project professional and I am sure your level of empathy towards them has moved a notch higher!
Let me get your focus back to the blog.
While organizations have enabled a templatizable project management solution, how does one expect professionals at the construction site level to embrace project management solutions when resting in a project office is close to heaven? How do you seek timely project status updates from these professionals about the following?
- Project schedules
- Actual costs
- Quality issues
- Construction safety
- Risk triggers
- Stakeholder concerns, and
- Many more!
Given the scenario highlighted earlier, the only way to communicate project updates happens to be the good old telephone! Unfortunately, it may be too late!
Now, do you realize why your organizational project management maturity is still hanging in the balance?
Is there no way out?
Fortunately, technology comes back to rescue us. In this case, instead of construction project professionals going to project management solution, let us take the solution at their fingertips!
Wondering what this is all about?
It is simple – have the project management software solution in an easy-to-use ‘mobile app’ that has some of the capabilities indicated below.
• Review project status
• Update current progress
• Send alerts and notifications
• Request resources
• Approve workflow based requests
• Instant collaboration
• Manage documentation
• Many more!
Now with the power of templatization complemented by a mobile app-based solution, do you think your construction professionals would still not embrace project management?
I am sure you have got your breath back.
TouchBase® is a potent amalgam of capability-rich portfolio & project management solution along with an equally powerful mobile app.
Talk to us, and we would be glad to transform your enterprise into a smarter one.
