Businesses of all types struggle with communication and collaboration across their organizations. Many work in silo-type environments where individuals are so focused on their own jobs, there is limited interaction with other departments. This can be especially true for sheet metal contractors that have a workforce split between the office, the shop, and the job site.

With minimal communication, one department may not understand why another group does things a certain way, why they need specific things at a particular time, or how a process works before and after one's own involvement. And when one's efforts impact the other's efforts or needs, workflow can become obstructed. There can be obstacles to communication and teamwork, as well as redundancies, inefficiencies, and waste of time and money.

Advancements in technology, such as the availability of complete construction business management solutions, are helping contractors to streamline workflow and boost communication and collaboration. Because these all-in-one solutions handle the complexities of the entire project lifecycle from bid to cash in one single application, they meet the business requirements of every role within the construction organization providing greater end-to-end control.

Historically, the office team has been the primary users of these complete solutions. However, with the evolution of mobile technology, especially with the introduction of the iPad, the entire construction team is now able to work together more effectively.

Apple's iPad device is easy enough for the computer novice to use but also offers the sophistication needed to provide contractors with instant access to detailed data no matter whether the user is in the office, at the jobsite, or on the road.

There is no need to have a PC or laptop setup in a job trailer to connect back to the office. Contractors have project information on an iPad, so as a project manager, superintendent, or owner is on a site, in the job trailer, or traveling between projects, the iPad can instantly connect to sync up and access real-time data available in the system.