Today’s report is a guest article by Damian Piza, a Certified Construction Manager, mentor and trainer on behalf of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). Piza is the Founder of PIZA International, a construction management firm that focuses on master planned communities. He’s a winner of the CMAA Project Achievement Award, ENR Global Best Project Award, and the PROPTECH Award, among others.
A decade ago, digital tools for the construction industry were limited, expensive, and not really embedded into the project delivery process. Early adopters were forced to navigate uncertainty and innovate to find ways to integrate technology into the day-to-day work of construction, leaving the field with a reputation for being slow to embrace technology.
Today, we operate in a very different landscape. Technology is abundant—often overwhelming—with a constant stream of applications, software platforms, and hardware solutions. Tools appear, evolve, are rebranded, discontinued, and sometimes reintroduced under new names. At times, it feels as though a new acronym is invented at every industry conference.
Today’s report will detail five ways in which advances in technology have had a measurable impact as seen from the front lines of building real estate. We’ll also share some of the specific vendors and technologies that have moved the needle in our construction operations.
1. Budget Accuracy Through Model-Based Quantification
Construction cost estimates rely on three fundamentals: scope, quantities, and cost. Traditionally, budgets were done by a cost estimator, with prices based on historical data or up-to-date line-item costs. Yet projects frequently ended with overruns of 10% or more.
Through BIM-based modeling, we identified that nearly 95% of budget failures stemmed from inaccurate quantities and incomplete scope. Detailed model-driven takeoffs significantly reduced these gaps. By deriving quantities directly from coordinated models and providing a collaborative visual depiction, cost exposure decreased dramatically—bringing overruns from double digits to within a 2% margin.
Not every software platform proved effective for quantification. Through trial and error, we determined that Assemble Systems delivered the most reliable results. Following its acquisition by Autodesk, its core functionalities were gradually integrated into what is now known as Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), further expanding model-based cost and quantity workflows within a unified platform.
Other tools, such as Togal.AI, attempt to estimate material takeoffs further up the construction pipeline, providing quick-hit analyses and materials required based on architectural plans. In combination with feasibility analysis tools like Testfit, construction and development professionals can now get a more accurate sense of costs far earlier in the site analysis process.
2. Remote Oversight Through Digital Walkthroughs
In the past, field documentation relied on selective photographs—often a limited 6×4 frame showing only favorable conditions in heavy documents sent via email. Today, a single link allows stakeholders to virtually walk the entire project. Owners, consultants, and managers can review site conditions remotely, at any time, with full context.
Originally developed for real estate marketing, Matterport was among the early pioneers of the 360° digital walkthrough movement. Its photo capture and reality documentation capabilities proved highly adaptable, eventually becoming transformative tools for construction oversight and project documentation.
This capability has reduced disputes, increased accountability, and significantly improved communication and collaboration across geographically dispersed teams.
Today, there are a number of technology solutions tailored to the construction industry and its need for remote oversight of construction sites. OpenSpace, for instance, is an AI platform that stitches on-site photographs into a navigable site model, logs progress, tags work to BIM, and improves coordination between trades. OpenSpace is also pushing the boundaries on the use of drones to monitor construction sites with its OpenSpace Air product.
Computer vision is the key technology at work here, translating static photos and videos into 3D models (see SketchUp’s AI products) as well as BIM data. It’s likely that continued advances in computer vision will allow even more seamless translation of photos into structured architectural and construction data.
3. Shifting Roles and the Technology Manager Position
Technology has not only changed workflows—it has reshaped the organizational chart.
Roles such as “document controllers” have diminished as digital platforms for centralized information management arise. Construction managers and administrators now oversee multiple projects with greater accuracy and less risk.
At the same time, a new role has emerged: the Technology Manager. This position ensures that systems—including digital processes, software platforms, and hardware tools—are implemented efficiently and consistently across all phases of the project. The Technology Manager safeguards data integrity while enabling stakeholders to extract measurable value from digital workflows.
Beyond deployment, the role supports the entire program team by providing training and ongoing guidance in core management areas such as cost, schedule, quality, safety, communication, organization, and collaboration. A successful Technology Manager understands how to integrate digital platforms with traditional construction management processes—enhancing efficiency and strengthening overall project performance rather than disrupting established workflows.
4. Anticipating RFIs
With the development of digital twins prior to contractor engagement, we introduced what we call Anticipated Requests for Information (ARFIs).
Rather than waiting for construction-phase RFIs, coordinated models allow teams to proactively identify design gaps before procurement and field execution. In many cases, we are able to generate and resolve 90% of the RFIs that would traditionally arise during construction.
This approach front-loads effort for designers—but the outcome is stronger documentation, clearer coordination, and fewer costly interruptions in the field.
The result is a shift from reactive clarification to proactive resolution. We addressed this by leveraging Autodesk BIM 360 Glue—now integrated within Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) as part of its coordination tools—alongside Smartsheet, which provided structured organization and workflow management throughout the construction process.
5. From Risk Management to Risk Avoidance
Historically, construction management has focused on managing risk, however,, when technology is implemented strategically towards identifying risks, the focus shifts toward avoiding before it materializes.
Rather than reacting to consequences in the field, teams can identify vulnerabilities earlier—often during the design phase—when corrections are least expensive and least disruptive. This proactive approach enable us to prevent risks instead of simply mitigating them.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools and methodologies provide visibility into potential conflicts, coordination gaps, and scope inconsistencies long before construction begins. A well-developed BIM Execution Plan (BEP) anticipates many of these risks, establishing standards, responsibilities, and workflows that reduce uncertainty throughout the project lifecycle.
Additionally, we integrate Virtual Reality (VR) and just recently Augmented Reality (AR), to enhance collaboration and visualization, further strengthening our ability to detect issues early and improve decision-making of the entire team.
Honorable Mention: The Paperless Transition
Going paperless was one of the earliest and most significant changes in our firm’s adaptation of technology. While some companies still have printers on the job site, there are far fewer than there were a decade ago. We initially implemented PlanGrid, which was later acquired by Autodesk and subsequently integrated into the Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) platform as well.
Other companies are pushing the paperless transition to the next level. Trunk Tools, for instance, enables on-site teams to communicate with the plans via SMS. AI’s natural language capabilities work well with this kind of use case, although guardrails (such as retrieval-augmented generation, which puts limitations on the sources AI can use to generate a response) are necessary to avoid hallucinations and ensure accuracy.
The Ongoing Challenge
There are numerous challenges in adopting technology effectively: Vendors often overstate capabilities, platforms can lack user-friendliness, good solutions are often expensive, and of course the market is saturated with competing products.
Beyond selection, the greater challenge lies in implementation: using technology in a disciplined and simple manner that genuinely creates value rather than complexity (what I call Anti-Tech). The evolution of technology in construction is not frictionless, and perhaps the greatest challenges are cultural: ensuring continuity of data and process from design through contracting, construction, and closeout.
While artificial intelligence has been embedded in software for years, the emergence of large language models and AI agents deserves particular attention. We are actively piloting GPT-based tools within our processes, but our experience has revealed both potential and limitations.
Like every technological wave before it, the value of AI will depend on how it is adapted to the current construction processes.
Technology is transforming construction—but not because tools are better. It is transforming construction because organizations and their human resources are learning to use those tools to provide efficiency, effectiveness, and value.
-Damian Piza and Brad Hargreaves
