Welcome to Microsoft 365 for Construction. Where We Are Going, There Are No Roads
Microsoft 365 is a powerful suite of applications that can empower companies to become world-class organizations. You can securely manage every aspect of construction projects in Microsoft 365 with the familiar tools you already use daily. That is the good news.
The less good news is that there is, unfortunately, no Microsoft 365 color by numbers, how-to book, or cheat sheet for setting up your construction projects. So, although Microsoft 365 includes everything you would need, it can be challenging to get the platform configured to meet your requirements without the right expertise.
You may be wondering what the challenge is since construction is construction, right? Well, not exactly.
Lydon Solutions has developed and implemented Microsoft 365 solutions for many different construction organizations over the years. During that time, what we have found might surprise you: There is no single right way to use Microsoft 365 for construction projects because every client wants something different.
What makes an ideal construction solution in Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365's strength (and weakness) is its ability to be configured and customized. There are over 200M users of Microsoft 365 across every industry and in every part of the world. Microsoft does not focus on specific industries or verticals. They design their Microsoft 365 products to be generic enough to have cross-industry appeal, and it's up to IT specialists to tailor them to their specific organization. So, there is no "standard" Microsoft 365 path to follow for setting up your construction projects.
Your ideal Microsoft 365 construction solution depends on many different variables such as:
- Size of your company
- Your organization's IT experience and support
- Maturity of your PMO/processes
- Level of technology adoption (including Microsoft 365)
- Other systems you may be using
- Need for mobility (e.g., offline access to data)
- Preferred Microsoft 365 applications
- Amount of change your organization can embrace
- Resource levels to support a solution
- IT budget
For example, one of our clients with a limited budget wanted a daily report solution with a template that they could easily share with team members. Their Microsoft 365 application of choice was Excel, so we developed a solution where they could quickly get the latest daily report spreadsheet template from a centralized SharePoint site shared with the rest of the team. It was simple but effective.
Another example is a client who wanted to use Microsoft Project Online and SharePoint to manage all their projects. We developed standard Microsoft Project and SharePoint site templates that were easy to replicate and utilized Power BI for roll-up reporting.
So, while there is no "standard" Microsoft 365 approach to use for your construction project, all hope is not lost. The key is finding the right IT solutions partner with deep construction and Microsoft 365 platform experience to guide you in the right direction.
Learn more about Microsoft 365 for construction
If you are new to Microsoft 365 or looking to leverage all its functionality for your construction projects, Lydon Solutions can help. Click here for a one-hour consultation. Also, check out our blogs for tips on how to use Microsoft 365 for managing construction projects:
How to Start Managing Construction Projects in Microsoft 365 - Part 1 (lydonsolutions.com)
How to Start Managing Construction Projects in Microsoft 365 - Part 2 (lydonsolutions.com)
How to Start Managing Construction Projects in Microsoft 365 - Part 3 (lydonsolutions.com)
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