June 2026
It’s the kind of mounting frustration that confounds construction executives like you: The software investment was significant, justified by the promise of better project outcomes. But the reality hasn’t lived up to the promise. The software is up and running, but project performance isn’t improving as much as you anticipated.
The Assumption Worth Challenging
The “we have the tools, so why aren’t the numbers moving accordingly?” mindset is a common one. So your frustration is completely understandable. When a key software platform goes live, it’s considered a sign of progress—and it absolutely is. But checking the technology box can create a false sense of completion. Because the assumption is that implementation equals transformation. It doesn’t.
Software acquisition and implementation are actually points along the digital maturity spectrum. Digital maturity in project controls spans every function an owner organization manages, from estimating and procurement to risk and change management. It’s more than just what’s in the tech stack. It speaks to how deeply digital capability is embedded in the way an owner organization actually operates—its processes, its data flows, its people.
What May Really Be Behind Underperformance
A 2026 industry study puts some weight behind that idea.
Building asset owners in North America were surveyed by Dodge Construction Network to examine their digital maturity of project controls. The research suggests there are gaps that prevent owner organizations from being further along on the maturity continuum, which impacts project performance. Those gaps tend to cluster around four areas.
Data currency. Are your teams working with real-time or outdated information? Are they able to access current data? Project controls are only as good as the data feeding them. When information is stale, decisions get made on a version of reality that has long since passed—and by the time the discrepancy surfaces, the window to course-correct may have already closed.
Process. Do your existing workflows support or undermine what the tools are designed to do? If workflows weren’t built around the software, or haven’t evolved since implementation, the tools get adapted to fit broken workflows instead of workflows being built to leverage the tools. The result is workarounds, manual steps and missed efficiencies that erode the value of your investment.
Integration. Are your systems talking to each other or operating in silos? When platforms don’t communicate, data has to be reconciled manually across systems. That’s not just inefficient; it introduces error, delays decision-making and limits how digitally mature your organization can become, regardless of how good the individual tools are.
Team readiness. Can your staff interpret and act on what the data is telling them? This is more than about how to use the software. Software can surface a problem. But without the expertise to understand what they’re seeing and a clear process for responding, the warning goes unnoticed and unaddressed. Your platform’s potential is ultimately capped by the capability of the team behind it.
What Better Project Performance Actually Looks Like
The study indicates a strong correlation between digital maturity and project performance. The further along the spectrum an owner organization advances, the stronger its outcomes tend to be—and the numbers bear that out.
Faster response time with access to critical data. The study’s numbers are stark on this point: 80% of owners at the top of the maturity scale can generate needed data within hours. Among those on the lower end of the maturity spectrum, only 13% can say the same.
Fewer large change orders. Owners who have achieved at least a moderate level of digital maturity find they’re able to prevent large change orders on most projects.
Projects completed on or under budget. Nearly 90% of the top 10 most digitally mature owners report that most of their projects finish on or under budget. Only 33% of the remaining respondents can say the same.
Cost overruns kept in check. On projects that exceed planned costs, most owners manage to keep final costs within 5% of the original forecast. All of the top 10 most digitally mature owners achieve this. Not all of the rest do.
Stronger schedule performance. Despite external pressures like supply chain interruptions and labor shortages, 40% of the most digitally mature owners complete most projects on or ahead of schedule—in contrast to only a small portion of the remaining respondents.
Are You Happy with Your Project Performance?
If you’re among the many owners who’ve invested in technology but are experiencing a letdown in the performance of your projects, know that the solution doesn’t require a full tech overhaul. But it does require an honest look at where your organization actually stands.
Where is your project controls along the digital maturity spectrum? Are you happy with the performance of your projects, or do you see opportunities for improvement?
Take a look at the new findings from Dodge Construction Network and Contruent. The insights and numbers may shed some light on what is possible and where to guide your next steps.
As always, Contruent Enterprise is here to help. Reach out to learn more or request a demo.