Maintaining a golden thread of information throughout the entire lifecycle of a construction project from sales opportunity to completion, particularly in a post-Grenfell Tower world, is paramount for construction projects, according to a leading construction CRM solutions provider KMS Software.

This view is echoed by a leading construction specialist who highlights the importance of maintaining the golden thread in a recent whitepaper by KMS Software. Dr Bola Abisogun OBE, Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Fellow of the RICS and Chartered Construction Manager and Member of the CIOB commented: “In a post-Grenfell Tower environ, project owners need to think and proceed with due care and attention paid specifically to their own interpretation of their legal obligations. Where such obligations exist, the requisite management systems must be put in place, to manage any inherent risks.

“With regards to the value creation afforded by CRM adoption, 2024 has presented itself as an opportune moment to consider the interoperability of the CRM solution with particular reference to the legal requirement, commonly referred to as the Golden Thread.”

In addition to the importance of maintaining a Golden Thread of information from project conception to delivery, making for quicker delivery and a safer project, the whitepaper titled ‘Building the Foundation for Success: Trends shaping the Future of Construction CRM’ also looks at the emerging trends in construction CRM including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

Jonas Dahlkvist, Founder and Operations Director of KMS Software said: “Historically, the construction industry has been reluctant to adopt new technology, particularly in areas like construction focused CRM with many still relying on spreadsheets. The hesitation is often fueled by misconceptions, with numerous firms struggling to get buy-in from upper management for CRM adoption. Overcoming these hesitations and biases around CRM, through clear understanding and communication on the implementation and benefits, can help construction firms streamline operations, improve safety and overall productivity and maintain a Golden Thread of information, ultimately achieving higher profitability.”

Maintaining a Golden Thread of information from sales opportunity to completion is paramount for construction projects. To sustain this, adopting CRM solutions that offer enhanced functionality and security is crucial in the construction industry. The Golden Thread is a crucial chain of the building information and its management process, ensuring all information on a project is easily accessible, reliable, up to date, accurate and compliant to regulations.

Stuart Brown, Managing Director at KMS Software said: “While the concept of a Golden Thread is well-established in construction project execution, it is less often applied to the business development side. It is equally as critical to maintain the business development side prior to on-site construction, managed through CRM tools.

“Adopting CRM solutions that offer enhanced functionality and security is crucial in the construction industry to maintain the Golden Thread of information. Construction CRM offers a unified data source where multiple departments are involved on a single project/client, focuses on a project-centric approach rather than individual leads, streamlines project type tracking and develops data driven insights for strategic growth.”

The whitepaper also looked at the emerging trends in construction CRM. Emerging technologies like AI and ML are gradually making their way into business operations, automating  and streamline processes with ease. However, in construction, the personal touch is still vital. Emerging automated technologies are beginning to play a role in opportunity health assessment, intelligent email assistance and opportunity scoring among others While these technologies are beneficial, playing a supportive role in CRM, their impact has been limited in construction due to the long sales cycles and relationship-driven nature of the industry.

“The construction industry is moving towards a more connected, data-driven approach, where transparency and accountability are paramount. The shift towards remote and hybrid work and emerging technologies like AI and ML are key drivers of this transformation. However, the industry must overcome its hesitancy to adopt new technologies and address the challenges of integrating CRM with legacy systems,” Jonas added.

Stuart concluded: “Emerging technology as the name suggests, is still in its infancy, particularly in the construction industry. The use of these technologies can enhance efficiency, however, they will remain an augmentation in construction CRM. While these technologies are beneficial, playing a supportive role in CRM, their impact has been limited in construction due to the long sales cycles and relationship-driven nature of the industry and will not be a replacement for human relationships.”