Caterpillar prepared a simple quiz to help you assess your own construction technology acumen and consider how ready you are to take advantage of the profit potential in jobsite technology.
1. What kind of communication device are you most comfortable with on your work sites?
a. A smartphone or tablet with apps, connected to the cloud
b. A smartphone or tablet with some basic apps
c. I miss my flip phone
2. As new technology continues to enter the construction industry, you are most likely to:
a. Try to be one of the first to leverage it
b. Try it once you know a few people who have it
c. Maybe get it, once it is established and the price has gone down
3. Is your team already connecting using their own devices?
a. Yes, we have a set of smartphone standards that crew members must meet
b. We send messages all the time, but have no formal rules
c. My guys talk and text but I’m not sure it’s to each other
4. How big is your paper trail?
a. We are using the cloud to share documents and want to be paperless
b. We’re a mix of digital and paper
c. We still have a lot of drawings, paper and pencils
5. Do you have a defined flow of information on your work sites?
a. Always part of the plan and managed daily
b. We do, but there’s a lot of flex in it
c. We just go with the flow
6. Is there someone in your company who has the interest and skills to manage technology?
a. Yes, it’s a key part of operations
b. Right now we have some influencers, but no ownership
c. Just haven’t gotten that far into the technology space
7. Are you using your smartphone or tablet for transactions such as approving an invoice?
a. All the time
b. Sometimes – more often on my computer than my mobile
c. Probably should be, but still do most sign offs with a pen
8. Are your machines connected and feeding you data?
a. Most are and I have alerts sent to my phone
b. We’re just starting to use machine data on the worksite
c. Not yet—still concerned about security
Count the number of “a”s, “b”s and “c”s you selected.
- For each “a” give yourself 3 points.
- For each “b” give yourself 2 points.
- For each “c” give yourself 1 point.
