Most of us spend hours in front of a computer these days, but as engineers, architects, or designers, many of us don’t explore beyond the tools we’re familiar with—like CAD software or Microsoft Office. It’s not that we don’t want to; it’s just that time is tight, and experimenting with new tools feels like a luxury.
But here’s the thing: the construction industry is embracing digital solutions to streamline workflows and stay competitive, and it’s easier than you think to save hours of redundant work. Whether you’re automating mundane tasks or setting up smarter workflows, these changes can free up your team to focus on the high-value work they’re best at.
Sure, automation often involves coding, which can seem intimidating. Setting up the right environment, debugging scripts, and maintaining them isn’t for everyone—and it shouldn’t have to be. Just as clients trust us to provide engineering expertise, it’s worth trusting someone with the expertise to create automation solutions tailored to your needs. Not only will the results be cleaner and faster, but they’ll also be scalable and accessible—often through simple web apps you can open right in your browser.
Automation in Action: Real Examples
Automating Tedious File Sorting
Take a colleague I once worked with who spent hours each week downloading files from Aconex, renaming them, and sorting them into folders. Aconex, like many construction-specific platforms, prioritizes functionality over user experience. So, this manual process ate into his valuable time—time he could have spent doing real engineering work.
To help, I built a VBA script that automated renaming and categorizing files with a single click, saving him 3+ hours of repetitive work every week. If I had access to Aconex’s API at the time, I could have automated the file download step as well, saving even more time. Today, that’s exactly the kind of solution I’d create—removing the hassle entirely.
Simplifying Financial Reporting
Here’s another example: A company had raw data from a financial platform that required manual formatting in Excel to align with their reporting templates. This task ate up about an hour a week for one senior team member.
With a bit of VBA scripting, I automated the entire process: calculations, data reorganization, and formatting. This simple solution didn’t just save time for one person—it was rolled out company-wide, saving thousands of pounds a month in labor costs. The script cost about £300 to create, making it one of the most cost-effective improvements I’ve ever delivered.
Error-Free Document Checking
One of the most frustrating processes in construction is dealing with document errors—tiny mistakes in drawing numbers, revisions, or naming conventions that can cause delays and back-and-forth emails. Document controllers and engineers both waste valuable time manually checking each document, a process that’s boring, repetitive, and ripe for automation.
That’s why I built a Python-powered document checker. It scans files, identifies errors in names, revisions, or metadata, and provides clear feedback. With a simple React-based interface, users can upload a folder, hit a button, and get results in minutes. This tool, which is estimate to save over £100,000 on a single project, also relieved document controllers from hours of unrewarding manual work.
Automating Document Creation with Power Automate
For those looking for an approachable entry point to automation, Power Automate is a game-changer. I recently built a workflow for creating documents in ProjectWise, a construction document management system.
Here’s how it works: a user fills out an Excel sheet with the details of the documents they need. Power Automate reads the input, validates the data, and creates the documents directly in ProjectWise. This setup, using integrations like Excel, MS Forms, and Outlook, saves my team 5+ hours per week, reduces errors, and ensures smoother collaboration across departments.
Why Automation Matters in Construction
Automation isn’t just about saving time—it’s about unlocking potential. Every minute spent on repetitive, low-value tasks is a minute that could have been used for strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, or advancing a project.
By identifying opportunities for automation—whether it’s through scripts, APIs, or platforms like Power Automate—you can streamline your workflows, reduce costs, and free your team to focus on the work that matters most. The construction industry is rapidly adopting digital tools and those who don’t risk being left behind.
Ready to Save Time and Boost Efficiency?
If you’re tired of repetitive tasks eating into your day, now is the time to act. Whether it’s automating document management, creating tools for better collaboration, or designing tailored workflows, there’s a solution waiting for you. It may save a few minutes a week or a few hours, but time adds up, allowing you or your team to focus on tasks that need real skill and critical thinking.
The crucial bit is spotting where opportunities for automation lie, and finding someone who can set the process up for you or just experimenting yourself!
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