We take a look at some of the tools for improved collaboration within the construction industry. Read on to find out about some of the ways you can work more efficiently both within your company and with your external contractors.

For many companies problems arise with miscommunications amongst workers and external parties. According to a recent IT survey, 57% of projects fail due to breakdown in communications. A business of 100 employees spends on average of 17 hours a week clarifying bad communication and $37 billion are lost every year due to misunderstanding and bad communication.
Businesses that operate on a project-by-project basis such as in construction, often see a different team come together for any one job. A particular project may see some innovation that is a better method of working that could even benefit the whole industry. However when the team go their separate ways that innovation is often lost and the knowledge isn’t always passed on. This industry fragmentation creates unnecessary wastage in the system.
Collaboration increases productivity, reduces waste and enhances workforce performance. Therefore it is vital to find a model of collaboration that works and that can be adhered to. Technology can benefit issues of miscommunication and enhance collaboration within the workplace by providing platforms to disclose information about employee progress, problems that have arisen and new solutions. This can contribute towards reducing lost information and “surprise” disagreements. Utilising appropriate social tools for better workplace communication is the answer. We look at four innovations that will improve collaboration within your business.

Okappy
Okappy is both a job management software and social network technology. It allows companies to simply manage a number of jobs at any one time. It can be used across various devices allowing employees to work remotely and remain aware of any updates to a job. It’s location-based and real-time features allows companies to track their workers and allows an overview of past, present and future jobs. Okappy provides a tool for successful collaboration by increasing visibility of company goings-on and enhancing communication between workers whilst jobs are in process through to completion.
G-suit
A set of intelligent apps including Gmail, Docs, Drive and Calendar to connect the people in your company, no matter where in the world they are. The Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides and Sites features allows multiple parties real-time access to work on any one document. Machine Intelligence has been integrated into G-Suite to look after everyday tasks such as automatic scheduling and slide formatting. There are also built in controls for securing data and devices to ensure no documents go missing or any private information disrupted.
It allows for more productive meetings as events can be scheduled in calendar, meeting reminders can be sent to gmail inboxes and with one-click employees can join a video meeting through Hangouts where slides can be shared and revised as a group. G Suite helps massively with collaboration within business by increasing access to various workflows and materials at the same time. This enables the collective input and control necessary for successful teamwork to happen.
Quip
Quip is a connected hub where teams create, discuss, and organise their work from any device. Their logic is that too much email, pointless meetings, and chaos as project deadlines approach slow down successful teamwork. Quip enables teams to be more connected, more aligned, and more collaborative so businesses can focus on what they do best. Quip is similar to G suite in many ways, however it provides already formatted templates to help boost collaborative work within companies. These include Team Checklists, Weekly Meetings, Project Plans, Meeting Notes, Budgets and Goal Planning. Quip is where teams can expand on an idea, give it structure and execute it.
Slack
Slack is another platform where you can access messages, files, decisions and key moments in the life of a business. Slack provides a centralised place to gather team conversations and keep everyone in sync. It connects to various apps and software allowing a smooth flow between any other softwares that may be in use. Whether you’re writing a quick note, hopping on a call or holding a video chat, Conversations and files are fully searchable, so you can find information quickly and draw upon the collective knowledge of your team.
On Slack businesses can create different channels for different departments, teams or topics of discussion. This allows conversations to be indexed to particular areas allowing even quick thoughts to be shared. Conversations and files are also easily searchable enabling information to be quickly referenced. Slack has revolutionised collaboration within companies by reducing lost information and reducing time spent searching for files or going through email threads.