7 Reasons ConTech Implementations Fail (& How to Fix Them)
Let’s be honest: implementing technology in construction feels a lot like trying to run new electrical in a 100-year-old building. You start with high hopes, realize the wiring’s a mess, blow a few fuses and end up questioning all your life choices.
Trust me, I’ve been there. It feels like just yesterday when, as a young estimator for a large GC, I got one of those calls for a quick chat about an “opportunity.” Next thing I knew, I was on a team of subject matter experts tasked with guiding a $10+ billion company through a complete digital overhaul with the goal of revolutionizing their entire operations.
I thought to myself, “What on earth did I agree to?”
But here’s the deal, construction needs this. We need to evolve. We can’t keep managing billion-dollar jobs with paper logs, outdated PDFs and six different spreadsheets duct-taped together with email. Everyone seems to be in agreement on this, yet despite all the hype, most construction tech initiatives don’t stick. Why?
Because construction is different. And tech folks often forget that.
That opportunity I mentioned was 15 years ago now and after spending a decade and a half with hundreds of companies trying to evolve, I’ve seen the scars and successes of digital transformation up close. So, here are the top seven reasons why construction tech implementations struggle, in my opinion. And more importantly, how we fix them.
1. The Construction Jobsite Is a Jungle of Silos
Every project has its own players, processes and of course platforms. One owner likes SharePoint, the GC is on Procore, the subs are texting updates and your foreman still trusts his clipboard more than the cloud. How would you ever expect to consolidate?
The fix: Standardize what you can. Get serious about platforms that integrate across stakeholders, not just within your own ecosystem. Use your RFPs and contracts to mandate digital workflows. And for the love of coordination, stop treating Excel like your best friend. It’s time to break up.
2. “We’ve Always Done It This Way” (a.k.a. Cultural Resistance)
Nothing beats the field vet’s skeptical side-eye when you hand them a new app. I mean let’s be honest, they’ve probably seen ten tools come and go without much difference. Why would they trust you this time?
The fix: Don’t sell them on the software. Sell them on the solution to their pain. Find the tech champions on your crew. Start small, celebrate wins and make it about making their job easier (not replacing it). People don’t fear change. They fear loss. So, show them what they’ll gain instead.
3. Digital Skills Gaps Are Real
The tools are smart. The people are skilled. But the overlap? Sometimes... not so much. You can’t throw a 5-minute tutorial at your crews and expect full adoption. And if they don’t know how to use it, why would they put in the effort to learn on their own?
The fix: Train your people like you mean it, not halfway. Use hands-on sessions. Build quick, jobsite-ready videos. Pair your techies with your grizzled vets and make learning part of the daily rhythm, not a checkbox. Your people want to learn, but not if it’s buried in a 97-page user manual.
4. The Math Doesn’t Always Add Up on ROI
Construction margins are tight. If the tech doesn’t save time, reduce risk or unlock capacity, it will be really hard to justify on site. And when you’re staring at the money and more importantly time, to install new software, how do you expect “Trust us, it’ll work” to cut it?
The fix: Test everything, track the wins and quantify the losses you avoided. Don’t just show the cost savings though. Show safety improvements, fewer change orders and less rework. Tech isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about doing less in time-consuming ways.
5. We Don’t Get Change Management (The Cultural Kind)
To a contractor, good change management is all about managing change orders. That means many tech rollouts look like this: “Hey everyone, we’ve got new software. Training is Thursday. Good luck.” No timeline. No support. No strategy. How do you expect that to change your operations?
The fix: This is where it makes the most sense to treat tech like any other project. Scope it. Phase it. Manage it. Assign a champion and communicate early and often. A new app isn’t just a download, it’s a workflow reset. If nobody owns it, nobody adopts it.
6. Nothing Talks to Anything Else
You’ve got one app for timesheets, another for RFIs, yet another for dailies and who can forget that last one for scheduling? What’s worse, none of them sync leaving your teams doing triple entry. How was this supposed to make life easier?
The fix: Don’t just audit an app, audit your stack. Kill the clutter. Prioritize platforms that play well with others (open APIs, anyone?). And try your best to avoid chasing shiny objects. Instead, chase workflow clarity. If it doesn’t reduce friction, it’s just digital noise.
7. Risk Aversion Is Built into the Business
Construction is risk averse. Period. We build things with factors and redundances to ensure they do not fail. So naturally, we’re skeptical of anything unproven, untested or undocumented. Especially if it might create new safety, legal or reputational risk. Why risk changing what works?
The fix: Start safe. Evaluate and test with purpose. Collaborate early with the field, sure, but also with legal and insurance. And don’t just position tech as faster or more efficient, but also as safer, smarter and more compliant. Risk mitigation is a way better sell than “innovation.”
Tech Isn’t the Problem, People Are the Solution
Construction doesn’t need more tools. Just visit any project. There is tech running (or flying) around at every turn. What we need is better implementation. We need tech that adapts to the chaos of the jobsite, not just the happy path of the conference room. And we need leaders who understand the real job of new tech: not to disrupt, but to empower.
Technology isn’t about replacing your people. It’s about equipping them.
So, while many continue to discredit “the industry” for being behind in tech, it’s not something that is insurmountable. These seven challenges are fixable with the right people in place. Let’s start meeting people where they’re at and building the future together from there.
Because if we expect construction to build different, we have to help them think different.
Construction is cool, tell your friends!