Construction has historically been one get-of the slowest industries to adopt technology. But that’s changing quickly as more contractors leverage the power of technology to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive market.
Choosing which technology to invest in is no easy decision. It’s not cheap, and often involves changing workflows and processes to integrate. Though contractors are increasingly making the investment, many never see the technology’s full promised ROI. The problem isn’t the technology itself—it’s how it’s implemented, integrated, and supported.
Here are four areas where contractors often lose ROI on their tech investments.
Existing Systems Don’t Integrate Well With New Tech
New technology, like a project scheduling tool or field management platform, often launches in isolation. The solution might handle planning beautifully, but if it doesn’t sync with accounting, payroll, or estimating systems, the result is chaos.
Now, foremen are entering the same data twice, office staff are reconciling mismatched numbers, and leadership doesn’t know which system to trust. The whole point of the technology—efficiency, accuracy, and insight—gets lost.
Disconnected systems create frustration, redundant work, and a slow erosion of confidence in the tools. Before long, teams fall back on the old way of doing things, becoming a barrier to the investment’s potential.
The Solution
Strategic integration is the foundation of a successful rollout. Contractors should start by mapping how information flows through their entire businesses. For example, understand the information flow from estimates to schedules, from the field to the back office, from purchase orders to invoices, and other common processes.
Choose tools that fit into those flows rather than disrupt them. Platforms with open APIs, flexible integrations, or proven compatibility with existing systems will deliver far more value long-term.
When technology works together instead of separately, data stays consistent, workflows stay smooth, and teams actually trust the system. That’s when technology starts producing ROI instead of paperwork.
Data Generated by Tech Is Ignored
When contractors implement new technology, whether it’s field management software, asset tracking, or AI-powered project analytics, they suddenly have access to more data than ever before. Job costs, equipment hours, productivity rates, safety incidents, and more are all being tracked, logged, and stored.
The problem is that’s often where data stops. It piles up in dashboards and reports, but no one’s actually using the data to make better decisions. Project managers still rely on gut instinct. Executives still wait until the end of the month to know where they stand.
Without a plan for how to turn that data into action, tech becomes a high-priced filing cabinet that’s full of information, but delivering little real value.
The Solution
Start with intent. Before rollout, define what questions data should answer:
- Which jobs are trending over budget before it’s too late to correct?
- Which crews are consistently hitting productivity targets?
- What patterns predict delays or rework?
Then assign ownership. Whether it’s operations, finance, or project leadership, someone should be responsible for reviewing data weekly, surfacing trends, and driving discussions around them.
Technology can collect data automatically. But turning that data into insight and that insight into action requires a deliberate strategy. The companies getting ROI aren’t the ones gathering the most data; they’re the ones using it to run smarter, tighter, more predictable operations.
Employees Aren’t Fully Trained on Tech
Many technology rollouts start with an announcement and a login email. Maybe there’s a short training session, but maybe not. Without structured, in-depth training and reinforcement by leadership, adoption is uneven.
A lack of holistic training results in team members who don’t fully understand the technology’s capabilities, or–more importantly–how it will improve the business or their jobs. Old habits creep back in, and the platform never fully becomes part of company culture.
The Solution
Treat implementation as an ongoing process, not a one-time rollout. Build role-specific, repeatable training programs and refresher sessions. Identify internal tech champions who team members can go to with questions and to troubleshoot.
Most importantly, make sure leadership is visibly using the system—referencing reports in meetings, asking for updates through the platform, and recognizing teams that use it well. They should be vocal about the benefits of the technology and why it’s important for team members to take the time to learn and fully leverage it.
“Leadership buy-in and a willingness to innovate are essential to navigating the learning curve and realizing the benefits,” VDC Manager at Stellar David Mueller said in a recent Tech Insider interview.
When the executive team leads by example and employees are provided with real training, technology can become part of the company culture and make a meaningful difference in processes and workflows.
Tech Is Not Continuously Improved After Deployment
Many contractors treat technology rollout as a one-and-done event. Once a system is live, it’s left on autopilot. Updates are ignored, features go unused, and processes evolve without adjusting the technology. Over time, the platform that was meant to streamline work becomes a source of frustration, creating bottlenecks instead of solving them.
For example, a mobile field app might add automated time tracking or integration with a new payroll system, but if no one checks for these updates, the company continues to spend hours on manual entry. Similarly, dashboards designed for last year’s workflow may no longer reflect the way crews are operating today, causing critical insights to be missed.
Without a proactive approach, adoption plateaus, ROI diminishes, and leadership loses trust in the tool.
The Solution
Continuous improvement keeps technology aligned with how the business actually operates today—not how it worked when it was first rolled out.
“Driving digital adoption throughout an organization is far more than a singular, finite transformation process, and is more akin to a continuous evolutionary journey,” said Paul Mullett, Surbana Jurong Group’s Chair Digital and Technology Council of Excellence, in a recent Construction Management article.
Build in a feedback loop. Schedule quarterly check-ins to review how the system’s being used and what could be improved. Revisit new features, automations, and integrations that could save time or reduce manual steps. Ask questions like:
- Which features are underutilized, and why?
- Are there new updates or integrations that could automate repetitive tasks?
- Are dashboards and reports still aligned with current workflows and KPIs?
- Where are users struggling, and how can we simplify the process?
Then, take action. Adjust workflows, retrain teams on new functionality, and implement updates that address real operational needs. Assign accountability to someone in operations or IT who can track adoption trends and report improvements to leadership.
The most successful contractors don’t just install technology—they cultivate it. Continuous improvement ensures that tools evolve alongside the business, workflows stay efficient, adoption remains high, and the ROI of the investment keeps growing over time.
A Few More Tips
Customize the Technology
Out-of-the-box tools rarely match the way construction teams work. Default templates, forms, and dashboards can confuse field crews and frustrate office staff. Instead, customize the tools to fit how teams really work. Rename forms, adjust workflows, and build dashboards that reflect the company’s terminology and priorities.
Check in With the Field
Employees in the field are invaluable resources. Talk to them about areas of their day that seem inefficient to identify tech that may improve their flow. Give them a sneak peek into potential tech solutions to gather their opinions. A new technology may sound great during the pitch, but make sure the employees in the field agree. If they find it clunky, redundant, or overly complicated, adoption will likely fail and the tech won’t deliver its full ROI.
Gain the Full ROI of Your Tech Investments
Strategically integrating new technology isn’t just a technical detail—it’s the foundation of a successful rollout and achieving the promised ROI. When technology is deployed well, data stays consistent, workflows stay smooth, and teams actually trust the system. That’s when technology starts producing ROI instead of paperwork.
