The Negative Effects of Technology on the Construction Industry
Last week while I was enjoying a Spring Break vacation in
Sarasota with my family, I was amazed to see my daughter swimming in the pool
with her iPhone. Apparently she had purchased a special case that allows her to
text while in the water. I can’t believe the way that smart phones have turned
people into zombies. You see couples at dinner glued to their phones instead of
talking, and groups of kids interacting with their handsets instead of playing
together. Watching my daughter be unable to go for a swim without a phone made
me sick. It also made me think about how technology has adversely affected
business in general and the construction industry in particular. Although
technology has been a boon to many facets of our industry, there are aspects
of technological developments that have severe negative consequences.
Now let me preface this post by explaining how fascinated I
have been with technology for the past 35 years. I am not a technophobe who is
making Orwellian predictions, and I have never referenced the movie 2001: The Space Odyssey. I used to love
to program in BASIC back in my college days. I purchased a $4,000 IBM XT for my
home back in 1984 and lugged a 20-pound Compaq computer around to conduct
business when portable computing wasn't even on the map. My businesses have
invested in the latest hardware, software, and computer controlled
manufacturing equipment. I currently own three different smart watches and
Apple hasn't even released its iWatch yet. So on the technology spectrum, I run
pretty close to the bleeding edge. So why would I post a criticism of technology’s
negative effect on the construction industry?
I am concerned that technology is distracting our attention
from what is important. While high-tech tools can make our lives easier, they
can also become a permanent crutch that diverts our attention from critical
factors. We become so addicted to the convenience, we forget how to do the
tasks that technology is performing on our behalf. Just as we have forgotten
phone numbers of loved ones with the advent of a contact database, we've
forgotten how to do basic things that are critical to business. We spend more
time in front of our computers than we do engaging with associates and
customers.
Technology also has a habit of forcing us to become slaves
to the high-tech monster. We now spend hours scanning data, inputting
information, and reading irrelevant documents. Just think of the time you spend
wading through mounds of daily e-mail messages. Add to that the depletion of
employee productivity while they scan Facebook and shop on eBay while work
needs to be performed. And top it off with the millions of dollars businesses
spend on IT work to keep the monster healthy and protected from cyber-attacks.
Our dedication and commitment to technology has become frightening.
So how does this affect the construction industry?
Architects were early adopters of technology, primarily
through the use of computer aided design. On one hand, CAD has been one of the
most incredible software tools to be developed, allowing amazing precision and
reducing drafting time. On the other hand, CAD also provides a platform where
one can create designs without having a solid understanding of whether the
rendering will be structurally feasible. Back in the day when architects
produced drawings by hand, they had to have a broad understanding of
construction means and methods as well as structural elements. I have seen many
a frustrated general contractor who has been forced to make sense of
construction documents that have been hastily assembled by inexperienced CAD
practitioners. Although CAD is a great tool, it can’t make up for a lack of
understanding of basic construction principles.
The use of word processing software for the creation of
specifications has also been a boon to the design community. The time it takes
to pull together a 500-page project manual has been dramatically reduced since
it’s so much simpler to collect detailed product specifications from
manufacturers and from agencies like CSI. Unfortunately, this ease of spec
assembly also makes it very easy to cut and paste incorrect data. It is very
common to see finished specifications that reference an element copied from
another source that has no relevance to the project at hand. Specifications
slapped together with the help of Microsoft Word can create more problems than
they solve.
Technology also creates challenges for contractors. Although
tools like cell phones, tablet computers, lasers, estimating software, and
spreadsheets have made everyone’s life easier, they also create problems. New
means of communicating such as texting, e-mail, and cell phones can create a
flood of information that becomes overwhelming. It is not uncommon to have to
wade through a couple of hours of correspondence in a typical day. Estimating
software and spreadsheets make it very simple to manage a complex network of
numbers. Conversely, they also increase the risk of making a simple error that
can mean the difference in making or losing money on a contract. Contractors
are also having a more difficult time finding labor to perform the work since
our labor pool is more interested sitting in front of a computer than swinging
a hammer.
Manufacturers and distributors have benefited from having an
online platform for storing technical product data. This enables a typical
manufacturer to post detailed information on product details, drawing files,
performance data, and installation instructions. In the past, this information
was communicated directly to customers by a salesperson who had extensive
training and served as a technical consultant to architects and contractors.
Now manufacturers hire salespeople and train them on where to direct customers
for the technical data. They have sparse background on the particulars of their
product offering. Gone are the days where the sales consultant would train
architects on product design, structural issues, finishes, and general
construction practices. This information is now gleaned from accessing the
internet. Architects have reduced their direct contact with manufacturers to
AIA approved CES presentations that are bland overviews of the product segment.
The main source of construction information has transferred from the trained
consultant to Google.
I’m not the only one who fears the direction technology is
taking us in. Steve Wozniak, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates have all been recently
quoted on their concerns for the negative effects of our high-tech explosion.
Musk was recently quoted as saying, “Artificial Intelligence is the biggest
existential threat to mankind.” Gates was quoted as saying, “It’s a scenario
that doesn't bode well for our future as a species.” I don’t know if I think
the current challenges we struggle with today are that monumental, but it is
something to think about for the next couple of decades. My immediate concern
for now, however, is that I have a daughter who lives her life in a small box
called an iPhone.
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