Improving data visibility in construction: Q&A with James Murkin, GMI Construction Group
A clear view of progress is essential to running efficient and cost-effective construction projects. Yet more than 40% of construction companies currently struggle with the visibility of their project information, with data siloes appearing across too many different platforms.
Improving data visibility enables project teams to identify bottlenecks, understand delays and spot emerging issues – helping to deliver more projects on time and on budget.
We spoke with James Murkin, Data and Reporting Lead at GMI Construction Group (“GMI”), about how GMI is tackling visibility challenges by standardising data collection and enabling real-time reporting across their portfolio.
Here’s what James shared about GMI’s journey to greater oversight and the benefits it has delivered for their business.
Q: What data visibility challenges did GMI face when running construction projects?
A: We had multiple systems with siloed data. Regional directors relied on ad-hoc spreadsheet reports for project updates. There was no standardisation, making it hard to compare projects or spot trends. Plus, stakeholders often used different versions of programmes saved to their laptops, creating confusion about the “true” status.
Q: How did lack of standardised data impact your business?
A: When projects fell behind, it was difficult to pinpoint root causes. Construction teams would blame procurement delays, procurement would blame design delays. Without standardised data, we couldn’t verify these claims or identify systematic issues.
Q: How did onboarding Asta Vision address these visibility challenges?
A: Asta Vision has created a single source of truth for our business, standardising the data structure across all our projects. Now we can instantly see how each project’s design, procurement and construction phases are progressing, and make decisions based on that information.
Q: Was implementing Asta Vision a senior-level priority?
A: Yes. There’s been a lot of motivation from our senior management to centralise data because it makes life easier for the whole team. The alternative is having to dig into many spreadsheets and reports, and potentially reaching false conclusions as a result.
Q: What impact has better data visibility had on your project management capabilities?
A: Our board meetings and regional management meetings now centre around live dashboards showing each project’s status. This visibility drives accountability, and there’s a healthy sense of competition between regions. But more importantly, we can spot trends and potential issues before they become problems. In general, more time can be spent resolving any issues rather than needing to laboriously check the status of every item.
Q: How has your planning team adapted to using Asta Vision?
A: The key has been finding balance. While standardisation is necessary for consistent processes and reporting, forcing too many changes to our planners’ working styles would have cause resistance. We succeeded by taking a light-touch approach – using Asta Vision’s code libraries and milestone markers while letting planners maintain their preferred programme structures. Over time, further levels of standardisation will be achieved, providing a more complete picture of how every project is performing.
For the full story of how James and his colleagues are using data visibility to drive construction programmes, read our GMI Construction Group customer study.