“Teamwork makes the dream work” is only true if everyone on the team works efficiently toward the same common goals. It’s also a very idealistic phrase that assumes every day is a picture-perfect workday, which isn’t the case.

When working on a construction project, tunnel vision can become the norm in an effort to focus on hitting milestones on-time and on-budget. There just isn’t enough time for teams to sit together around a campfire, chomping on s’mores and discussing how they can collaborate with others. Here are some practical solutions

1. It all begins with teamwork and technology

McKinsey once listed digital collaboration and mobility among its top five big ideas poised to disrupt construction, and it’s clear that their prediction was right on the money. In the time since that prediction was made, it has become apparent that while collaboration does exist in construction teams now, it’s not usually leveraged to its full potential. This is despite the fact that pressure to meet increasingly demanding requirements for faster contract turnarounds and near-instant approvals has spearheaded the adoption of technology on construction sites, as well as opening better communication channels between teams.

When it comes to construction managers bringing remote field and office teams together, technology has continued to consistently prove its worth. Where once remote teams could only do scheduled check-ins and follow-up meetings, now they can communicate on-demand, in real time. This mobility facilitates easier consultation, sign-offs, idea sharing and collaboration—all of which can easily combine to assist in successful construction management.

So, with all this technology and potential for shared workloads, why are some companies still working in silos?

2. Silo...is it me you’re looking for?

Siloed workflows are the Jenga block towers of the construction world—a great idea at the start, when everything is tight-knit, but it quickly becomes apparent that without adequate support, the entire structure crumbles.

Silos can unintentionally lead to miscommunication, human error, hoarding of knowledge and divisions between teams. Similarly, over-reliance on one person or on a small team to do the job of several people (usually due to the difficulty in finding skilled workers) can be detrimental. This Key-Person Dependency is especially risky when that individual leaves the company, taking valuable knowledge with them.

Technology, such as workflow automation software, has made it much easier for construction managers to avoid working in silos and has also enabled them to easily pinpoint productivity pitfalls in their teams. The basic understanding is that process optimization is about making their work lives easier, without sacrificing time, quality or the volume of output. More importantly, managers have been able to use this type of software to help eliminate structural and behavioral obstacles that often prevent communication and collaboration.

3. “You’ve got a friend in me”

It sounds like a big ask: to magically create time that isn’t there. Time is often an elusive commodity in construction, but rest assured it is there for the taking.

Construction managers have evolved beyond relying on traditional manual processes to get the job done. They understand that quicker and easier can be achieved while still maintaining high levels of quality, safety, compliance and attention-to-detail. Using digital document management and workflow automation software, they have identified ways to save time through collaboration efforts. For example, the redistribution of daily tasks of individuals, to ensure core responsibilities are delegated more efficiently across their entire team.

It’s no longer a big ask to have construction companies and subcontractors adopt technology if the value can be shown. Software solutions that solve workflow and process inefficiencies are widely available, and the benefits of using them are well-documented. However, as the infamous saying goes: “a tool is only as good as its user.”

For collaboration to truly be successful, the entire construction project team needs to commit to a shared vision. Each team member throughout the supply chain—from contractors and subcontractors to designers and suppliers—needs to take a role in decision-making. By contributing their overall job expertise, as well as their skills in coordinating logistics and problem-solving, the foundation for collaboration is laid. Those construction managers who actively promote this unified approach, are sure to build teams that will continue to work cohesively.