After years in the field dealing with outdated tools and tangled spreadsheets, I was sure I knew what needed to change. It was then I had the opportunity to build a one-size-fits-all platform from the ground up. I had strong opinions that this was the answer, and I wasn’t afraid to share them.

But about a year ago, something shifted.

In construction, we like to keep things straight. Steel’s either plumb or it’s not. Concrete passed the test or it didn’t. And when it comes to budget? As I was taught long ago, “Knowing your costs is a condition of employment.” That line has stuck with me for decades because it’s not just advice—it’s a mandate. If you don’t know your numbers, you don’t know your project.

But there’s always a catch.

In construction, we expect there to be a learning curve. Whether it’s tying rebar, hanging pipe or laying track, we know it takes time for crews to get into their groove.

But, when we implement new construction technology, suddenly that same curve becomes a panic.

Why is it that we give our crews grace to learn how to build — but not our teams time to learn how to build better?

There is a popular law that is often cited in the world of technology: the Law of Diffusion of Innovation. It’s the idea that new technologies spread through society in a predictable wave-like pattern.

Of course, we’ve all heard how, in the world of technology, construction literally defines the laggard section of the curve.

Well, many in the industry, including myself, are tired of hearing that. So, let’s take a look at how the famously “resistant” construction industry can learn from this well-known Law.

For far too long, construction has been confined within the boundaries of individual projects. So much so that “Project Management” is now a discipline all its own. We idolized things like Critical Path Scheduling, juggled the pieces of the Project Management Triangle and applauded the advent of Advanced Work Packaging. Yet, with all this project-centric fanfare, we've overlooked the very reason construction exists. The asset.

Work-life balance is one of the most frequently discussed topics in modern work culture. We see it plastered on walls in offices everywhere as one of the most utilized of company core values. 

But, for many it's arguably the most misunderstood value.  

You see, balance is personal, ever-evolving and often radically different than the popular misconceptions. And now more than ever it is needed in construction.

If you’re thinking of your software the same way you think about a company truck—that is, as something that just loses value over time—you’re missing the entire point. The right ConTech appreciates in value. Not just because it gets newer, better features (which it absolutely should), but because its impact on your organization grows year after year.

That is, if you take care of it.