Presenters on this Roundtable:

Presenters on the Post-Groundbreak Roundtable

Note: interested in exploring how Jones can help you automate subcontractor compliance management end-to-end and de-risk your projects? Half of the roundtable presenters were using this Procore-integrated tool! Talk to our team of experts today.

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Procore Groundbreak 2024 Highlights: Technology Driving Change

AI and Procore Copilot:

Undoubtedly, the introduction of Procore’s AI capabilities, including Copilot, was one of the hottest topics at Procore Groundbreak 2024. Attendees highlighted the promise of Procore’s AI in automating repetitive tasks, reducing manual workloads, and providing insights for construction leaders. The ability to leverage AI agents to interpret standard operating procedures and then kick it to an action plan will probably be coming soon and will revolutionize project management efficiency.

Procore’s New Assets Capabilities:

Designed to streamline the handoff between construction and property owners/managers, the new Procore Assets capabilities focus on punch list management, warranty items, and closeout documents. This tool aims to reduce inefficiencies and expedite project handoffs. All of the panelists agreed that project closeouts are very time consuming and challenging, and are excited to use these new tools from Procore.

Focus on People and Culture in The Construction Industry:

Beyond tech, there was significant emphasis on industry-wide cultural changes, including better support for mental health, employee training, adoption of AI, diversity, and inclusion. Presentations highlighted the importance of creating a tech-enabled, people-first construction ecosystem. New folks coming into the construction industry are going to want and need technology to be successful because they can’t rely on the veterans of the industry as they start to retire from the workforce.

 

Key Industry Trends and Takeaways From Procore Groundbreak 2024

Locations and Resource Management for General Contractors:

Enhanced features for horizontal construction were discussed, emphasizing the importance of location-based tracking of materials, equipment, and personnel. Last year Procore acquired Unearth and at this year’s Groundbreak conference, Procore announced the acquisition of Intelliwave. Both of these acquisition have bolstered Procore’s capabilities, making location-specific insights more accessible.

 

Democratization of Knowledge in The Construction Industry:

The rise of community-driven insights was a recurring theme. Procore’s user community facilitates shared problem-solving, allowing construction professionals to address common challenges through collective expertise. As Tess Brown-Morris from Procore said: “When you realize that there are literally thousands of folks doing the same experiential work, it starts to become a little less daunting. You don’t need to figure these things out on your own when you have an entire community of construction professionals who are going through a similar experience.” Chances are if you’re having an issue, someone else is talking about it in Procore Communities.

 

Safety in Construction:

A standout presentation by Dustin Giannelli raised awareness about hearing loss—an issue affecting 52% of construction workers—and called for better protective measures and inclusive solutions. Additionally, Procore introduced an expansion of their safety solution, centralizing many key tasks for safer and more secure job sites.

 

Procore Integrated Technology Partners to Watch

The Procore ecosystem continues to expand, with over 500 integrated technology solutions. Here are a few standouts from the Groundbreak 2024 expo:

Jones: For Subcontractor COI Management

Providing real-time subcontractor insurance compliance tracking, Jones helps GCs save time, derisk projects, and avoid payment delays. Jones integrates into Procore’s platform with both a full screen and side panel embedded integration so teams can truly live out of Procore and not need to log into different systems to perform core tasks and view important subcontractor insurance information. Dana Erdman from Bulley & Andrews and Atul Paralkar from JRM Construction Management discussed why they recommend integrating Jones into their Procore accounts. Here’s the 2-minute clip:

Hear what ENR 400 ConTech leaders have to say about Jones

PS: Looking for subcontractor compliance management software? Here’s how top COI management solutions that integrate with Procore compare side-by-side.

DroneDeploy: For High Resolution Progress Documentation

Known for creating digital twins of entire job sites and site monitoring, DroneDeploy’s acquisition of StructionSite has enhanced its overall capabilities. Attendees were excited to learn more about DroneDeploy Ground at Groundbreak this year as well.

 

Nyfty.ai: For Field Automation in Procore

This tool enables automated bots to send text messages to subcontractors and internal team members on projects. Nyfty.ai automatically auto-populates the reponses to those text messages within Procore’s daily logs. This reduces time and effort so teams don’t have to manually log this information into Procore. They encouraged construction companies to reach out to them about ideas for tasks you want to automate as they’re open to creating new bots for specific needs.

 

Inertia: For Embedding Intelligent Construction Drawings (ICDs) into Procore Projects

Panelests and attendees agreed that Inertia is an excellent and useful add on. This tool offers a full screen embedded integration and allows teams to embed ICDs directly into Procore projects.

 

Challenges Ahead for General Contractors: Balancing Innovation with Usability

While the rapid pace of technological advancement excites the industry, participants emphasized the need for:

  • Holding companies accountable for the products they bring to market: In the words of Dana Erdman from Bulley & Andrews, “We all have to be weary of new ConTech companies spending a ton of money on marketing, but delivering a product that is subpar for the industry. We’ve spent a lot of time going down these roads with new shiny AI companies that promise great grand results, and what you’re getting is a bunch of stuff that you can’t make heads or tails of.” It’s important for technology leaders to understand new software and if it will be a good fit for your construction company.
  • Quality integrations: Dana also stressed the need to ensure the products you purchase truly integrate with Procore. Many products have varying degrees of integrations, and it’s best to choose solutions with embedded integrations. These products will enable your teams to live out of Procore and not need to go into various different platforms to find the information they need.
  • Successful adoption of new technologies: Implementing new software doesn’t mean all your employees will utilize it. Sarah Measells from The Dinerstein Companies gamified the approach by running contests for employees to use a specific feature within Procore. She put together a public-facing spreadsheet on how often employees were using the tool, which motivated teams to use the feature.
  • Consolidating platforms: With platforms like Procore gradually evolving to close certain gaps in the industry, technology leaders need to evaluate which software they still need. It’s important to take a step back and look at the big picture if the software you used 2 or 3 years ago is still necessary, given the evolution of other software within your tech stack. Procore and other vendors are developing more vertical use cases and can replace other pieces of software you may be using.
  • Continuous feedback to Procore: The importance of user feedback platforms, such as Procore’s community forums, was underscored for driving meaningful product improvements. Procore wants to hear customer feedback, and stressed the importance of submitting ideas and feedback within Procore Communities – User Voice.

Final Thoughts from The Post-Procore Groundbreak 2024 Roundtable

The roundtable inspired attendees about the future of Procore and construction technology. From AI-powered workflows to better risk management protocols and embedded capabilities within Procore, the industry is poised for transformation. As Dana Erdman from Bulley & Andrews noted, “The tools are built for the people, not the technology.” By keeping this principle in mind, construction leaders can harness innovation while maintaining a people-first approach.