The importance of collaboration on construction projects

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." Those words by automaker Henry Ford are just as valid on construction projects as they are in a manufacturing assembly line. In construction, architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers all bring their own goals and experiences to the project, and that's why collaboration is so vitally important.

The term collaboration comes from Latin words meaning "work" and "together" and refers to a shared effort of interests and work done by a group of people who individually contribute to the efficiency of a project.

If you Google the word collaboration, you see synonyms including cooperation, alliance, teamwork, and joint effort. Then, it's the second definition of collaboration which may most accurately define collaboration on construction projects -"traitorous cooperation with an enemy." This definition reflects the often adversarial situations found on traditional job sites.

Collaboration on construction projects comes down to the constant communication and document sharing of items like RFIs, submittals, drawings, inspections, punch list items, and more. Good collaboration can correct flaws that reduce delays and change orders on projects. Cooperation and coordination can also lead to innovations and technical solutions that improve quality in the most critical areas of the site.

There are many benefits to good collaboration on projects which include reduced project costs for the project owner, higher profits for the contractors, more reliable schedules, and fewer contract disputes.

Online construction collaboration software like ProjectTeam.com facilitates communication between all project stakeholders by emphasizing collaboration throughout the platform. Administrative features relate to users, groups, and permissions. Users can create, upload, and provide feedback on shared forms and files. On each form, users also can add comments for instance communication on forms. These ad hoc conversations allow faster feedback across forms and contribute to better and more reliable information.

For collaboration to work, the entire project team must commit to a common vision and in many cases a common collaboration platform. This creates the "single source of truth" that project stakeholders often look for in their construction project management applications.