August 2026
What gaps in project controls functions are holding back project performance?
A new industry study identifies three gaps—inconsistent real-time data access, incomplete tool integration and uneven digital maturity across functions—and reveals how closing them correlates with measurably stronger project outcomes.
Most owner organizations are all in—tools and processes widely deployed, often at rates of 80% or higher. Yet project performance hasn’t kept pace.
A new industry study identifies where the disconnect actually lives—and the findings point to gaps that are both specific and widespread.
The gaps aren’t in the tools themselves. They’re in how consistently real-time data flows through them, how well those tools are integrated and how evenly digital maturity is distributed across functions.
Where the Gaps Actually Live
Across the project controls functions examined, three gaps emerge consistently. Together, they help explain why the promise of digital tools hasn’t fully materialized on the project side.
Real-time data access. Having tools and having current data flowing through them are two different things. Across nearly every project controls function, inconsistent access to real-time data limits the ability to make timely, informed decisions. When the data being used doesn’t reflect what’s actually happening in the field, decisions risk being made using a version of the project that no longer exists.
Tool integration. Nearly all owners report at least some level of integration between their digital tools. But the study draws an important distinction—only one in three are fully integrated, with real-time updates flowing through a single system. The remainder are leaving data-sharing opportunities on the table—and with them, the full potential of their digital tools.
Uneven maturity across functions. The digital maturity scores reflected in the study point to something worth considering. Digital maturity isn’t uniform across project controls functions, varying significantly from one area to the next. Cost management ranks among the highest; estimating and procurement are among the lowest. That spread raises a reasonable question: can a high-maturity function fully perform when the functions feeding it are significantly less mature?
How the Gaps Compound Each Other
Limited real-time data access undermines response speed — and that’s just the start of how these gaps interact. When current data isn’t flowing consistently across functions, the ability to surface what’s needed quickly when a cost or schedule issue arises is already compromised. By the time the right information reaches the right people, the window to act may have narrowed considerably.
Weak integration compounds the problem further. When systems aren’t fully connected, data doesn’t travel freely across functions. Even where real-time data exists within a function, it may not reach the people who need it most. Reporting and analytics are good examples; even the most robust analytical capabilities can’t generate actionable insights from data that arrives late, incomplete or not at all.
Uneven maturity across functions adds another layer. When high-maturity functions depend on data from lower-maturity ones, they can only do so much.
The gaps reinforce each other. Addressing them piecemeal misses the bigger picture.
The Performance Cost of These Gaps
The cost of not addressing these gaps shows up where it hurts most: project budgets and schedules. And the study’s performance data makes the consequences hard to ignore.
The degree of digital maturity matters. Nine out of 10 owner organizations that are further along on the maturity spectrum complete most projects on or under budget. By contrast, only a third of the remaining respondents make the same claim. What about those who do overrun on costs? The most digitally mature keep it to within 5% of the original forecast.
Schedule performance is more challenging to control. Supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages are factors no owner can fully manage. Even so, 40% of the most digitally mature owners complete most projects on or ahead of schedule, compared with only a small share of the remaining respondents.
Diagnosis Is the First Step
Finding gaps in your project controls functions doesn’t mean the effort was wasted. Instead, treat them as indicators of where to focus. That clarity is more valuable than it might seem. Why? Because owner organizations that can pinpoint their gaps are in a far better position than those without a clear picture of why performance isn’t where it should be.
The study from Dodge Construction Network and Contruent provides a diagnostic foundation—a detailed, function-by-function look at where the industry stands and where the greatest opportunities for improvement lie.
As always, Contruent Enterprise is here to help. Reach out to learn more or request a demo.