Recent technology has intensified the pace of commercial construction on all levels. Builders today have many new automated options: But on the flip side are factors such as steep learning curves and increased customer expectations.  Still, the Information Age has benefited the building trades, according to The Corcoran Company Estimator/Project Manager Gene Embry.

"The current wave of technology lends itself well to the entire construction environment." 

           Gene Embry,
           Estimator/Project Manager
           The Corcoran Company 

Embry believes a growing number of contractors are realizing the benefits of automation despite the difficulties in evaluating, acquiring and learning new software. "The current wave of technology lends itself well to the entire construction environment," says Embry. A member of the Corcoran team since 1997, Embry worked for a construction software development firm.  At The Corcoran Company, he helped select the company’s current estimating software. Looking at the business from both the IT and construction management perspectives, Embry respects technology’s power to advance drywall contracting in particular. "For starters you’re able to be more accurate on initial estimates. And if you do make changes later, there's a lot less headache," says Embry.

Adopting technology in itself presents challenges. For one thing, there are always those down times when becoming acquainted with new software. "Users really need to spend some time in the driver’s seat -- they can’t get the experience they need just from reading the manual," says Embry.

Simply becoming automated, however, doesn’t necessarily mean a contractor is on the right track.

And then there is the challenge of change itself. Some mindsets are hardened towards new ways of working. Particularly in the construction industry where many managers, such as jobsite foreman, are already swamped with responsibilities and not especially keen on taking time from their schedules to sit at a computer. "It’s going to take some time to get some people to see the light. But this technology is only going to have an increasing role in the building trades," Embry says.

Simply becoming automated, however, doesn’t necessarily mean a contractor is on the right track. Some software systems, and operators, are better than others. The results -- the actual completed projects -- will bear witness to the effectiveness of a specific contractor’s automated processes. For Embry, it all boils down to competency and attention to detail: "You need to have trust and confidence in the software and in the person using it."

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