Data 101

Data is important for a variety of reasons. Some of the key reasons include:

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• ‍Decision making: Data provides organizations with the information they need to make informed decisions. By analyzing data, organizations can identify patterns, trends, and insights that can help them to make better decisions.‍
• Business performance: Data can be used to measure and improve business performance. For example, data can be used to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and identify areas for improvement.‍
• Personalization and customization: Data can be used to personalize and customize your services to meet the needs of individual customers.‍
• Innovation: Data can be used to drive innovation by identifying new opportunities for growth and development.‍
• Compliance: Data can be used to meet regulatory requirements and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.‍
• Competitive advantage: Data can be used to gain a competitive advantage over other organizations by providing a more comprehensive understanding of customers, markets, and industry trends.

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Overall, data is an essential resource for organizations of all types and sizes. It can be used to improve decision making, business performance, personalization, innovation, compliance and to gain a competitive advantage.

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There is a caveat, however. Data must be stored in an accessible and structured manner in order to be useful. The commercial construction industry has historically collected vast amounts of data through each project. However, this data is typically housed in emails and unconnected spreadsheets. The data is not structured, much less accessible, making it relatively useless.

What do we do with historical data?

Historical data refers to data that has been collected in the past and is no longer being actively updated. There are a number of things organizations can do with historical data, including:

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• Data analysis: Historical data can be analyzed to identify patterns, trends, and insights that can be used to inform decision making. For example, historical project data can be used to identify patterns related to specific project types or to identify your highest-margin jobs.
• Predictive modeling: Historical data can be used to build predictive models that can be used to forecast future outcomes or trends. For example, historical project data can be used to predict current project expectations to help determine whether a project is on track.
• Benchmarking: Historical data can be used to establish benchmarks for performance and to measure progress over time.
• Compliance: Historical data can be used to meet regulatory requirements, document diligence for owners, and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
• Long-term  storage: Historical data can be stored for long-term preservation in order to be able to refer back to it in the future.

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Overall, historical data can be a valuable resource for organizations, as it can be used to inform decision making, improve forecasting, meet compliance requirements, and be stored for future reference.

How does this help me practically?

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A construction company can use historical data in a variety of ways to improve its operations and performance. Some examples include:

• Project management: Historical data on past projects can be used to inform the management of current and future projects. For example, data on project costs, schedules, and resource usage can be used to improve project planning and budgeting.
• Cost analysis: Historical data on project costs can be used to improve cost management. For example, data on labor costs, material costs, and subcontractor costs can be used to identify areas for cost savings.
• Business development: Historical data on past projects and clients can be used to inform business development efforts. For example, data on the number and types of projects, clients, and revenue can be used to identify areas for growth and expansion.

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Overall, historical data can be a valuable resource for construction companies, as it can be used to inform project management, quality control, safety analysis, resource management, cost analysis, business development and compliance.

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