By Keith Donoghue | WBN News - Vancouver | August 28, 2026
Editor: Karalee Greer  Subscription to WBN and being a Contributor is Free

The Workday Is Being Lost Between Systems

A Vancouver contractor sits down to prepare a customer estimate after returning from a job site. The actual estimating is not the first task.

Before starting, he searches for a supplier email, checks updated material costs, finds notes from the site visit, and confirms the latest information in the project tracker.

The information already exists. The problem is finding it.

Construction's Administrative Burden Is Measurable

Quickbase's 2025 State of Construction survey, which included more than 400 construction professionals, found that 59 percent spend at least 11 hours each week navigating digital tools and chasing colleagues for information.

Autodesk research identified a similar problem, finding that 20 percent of construction professionals spend between 10 and 15 hours each week searching for necessary project data.

For a contractor whose time is worth $65 per hour, 11 hours represents $715 of weekly capacity. Across 48 working weeks, that amounts to $34,320.

The cost is not limited to labour. Quickbase also reported that half of construction professionals had experienced project delays because of data management problems during the previous year.

Connected Workflows Can Recover Productive Hours

Adding another application does not necessarily solve the problem. If information remains scattered across inboxes, spreadsheets, folders, and project systems, another platform can simply create another place to search.

The greater opportunity is connecting the systems already being used.

Autodesk found businesses with more connected construction data and workflows spent approximately two fewer hours per week managing data, providing around 5 percent more time for higher-value work.

Even recovering 30 percent of an 11-hour weekly administrative burden would return more than three hours to the business. At $65 per hour, that represents over $10,000 in annual capacity.

Why It Matters

For Vancouver construction businesses, productivity is not only about completing physical work faster. It is also about reducing the time required to locate the information needed to make decisions.

Supplier pricing, customer communications, job records, estimates, and project updates should support the work rather than slow it down.

The competitive advantage may not come from adding another digital tool. It may come from finally making the existing ones work together.

Keith Donoghue | WBN News Keith Donoghue is the founder of Highridge AI Consulting, helping Vancouver small businesses reduce manual work and run more efficient operations.

Website: Highridge AI Consulting
Email: keith@highridgeai.com
LinkedIn: keith-donoghue
Video Examples: Highridge AI Video Examples
Instagram: @highridgeaiconsulting
Facebook: Highridge AI Consulting

Editor: Karalee Greer   Subscription to WBN and being a Contributor is Free

Tags: #WBN News Vancouver #Keith Donoghue #Vancouver Business #AI For Small Business #Automation #AI Tools #Productivity

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