Construction trades businesses generate vast amounts of data every day, from job costing and scheduling to payroll, compliance, and field reporting. But when that information is spread across disconnected systems, spreadsheets, and platforms, even routine operations can become more time-consuming and difficult to manage. As projects become more complex and customer expectations continue to rise, many construction businesses are rethinking how they store, share, and use their operational data.
To find out what 918,497 opinions of construction trades business leaders in the US were about data fragmentation in the industry , we utilized AI-driven audience profiling to synthesize insights from online discussions over 12 months, ending on May 18th, 2026, to a high statistical confidence level. The results explain how construction trades business leaders are currently managing data fragmentation, where the biggest operational challenges exist, and how firms are approaching consolidation and digital transformation.
Index
- 25% of construction trades business leaders have no centralization in their workflows, but 22% are fully centralized and have a single source of truth for job costing across their projects, while 13% are only partially centralized, which poses a significant issue
- 30% of construction trades business leaders use 3-5 platforms to connect project management, accounting, scheduling, and CRM reporting, 28% use more than 10 platforms, and 25% use -2, while 4% use between 6 and 10 platforms
- 31% of construction trades business leaders’ compliance documents, invoices, and progress claims are split across multiple tools, but are mostly digital, while 69% disagree that they have a fully managed system with an integrated platform
- 33% of construction trades business leaders are fully committed to using AI tools extensively across multiple platforms to analyze or connect data, while 15% are open to it, and 10% plan to explore AI in the coming months; however, 12% are not focusing on AI tools or are not interested in evaluating them for implementation
- 37% of construction trades leaders are satisfied with how their business systems share data with one another, but 30% are somewhat dissatisfied, and 33% express very high dissatisfaction levels
- 86% of construction trades business leaders are not at all confident that the data their leadership team uses to make decisions is accurate and up to date, and agree that decisions are frequently made on incomplete information, and a further 14% are not very confident, as their data is often outdated or inconsistent
- Construction trades business leaders’ HR or payroll departments experience the most pain from disconnected data systems, with 83% suffering due to this, and only 7% not impacted, while project management departments suffer too, with 9% feeling some pain
- 43% of construction trades business leaders struggle to report on client retention and repeat revenue accurately and quickly, but this isn’t much of an issue for 17%; however, labor productivity by crew or trade causes reporting issues for 23%, and not 15%, and overhead cost allocation is only somewhat challenging for 2%
- Billing errors or disputes with clients have the biggest operational consequences for 63% of construction trades business leaders, followed by poor visibility into workforce productivity for 22%, and inaccurate job costing that impacts 14%
- 66% of construction trades leaders’ businesses are slowed down by data fragmentation, but they manage it, 22% are scaling effectively despite it, % find it a major blocker to growth, and 5% find it has a minimal impact on their scalability
Do construction trades businesses have a single source of truth for job costing across all projects?
25% of construction trades business leaders have no centralization in their workflows, but 22% are fully centralized and have a single source of truth for job costing across their projects, while 13% are only partially centralized, which poses a significant issue
A lack of a single source of truth across projects is evident:
While the importance of job costing is irrefutable for construction projects, incomplete and delayed data entry is one of the most prominent issues hindering proper costing. This becomes especially pertinent when construction field teams don’t properly record their labor hours or keep track of equipment usage and material invoices. Other common challenges include disconnected, fragmented systems, improper cost coding, misaligned communication between the office and the field, and failure to account for indirect expenses such as overhead and depreciation.
Having a single source of data for job costing can help reduce the risk that construction businesses face these issues. It does so by providing a concise overview of each project’s costs, resources, and labor needs. But how many have a single such source in place across all of their projects?
Centralized job costing systems are still far from the industry standard
According to the opinions of construction trades business leaders, 25% have no centralization in their workflows, and job costing varies by crew or project manager, and 4% report the same, with only some level of inconsistency. A further 3% note that while data sources vary by crew, they are fully centralized within their operations.
Among construction companies without a single source of job costing data, a large percentage are finding that this is causing significant issues. 13% have only partially centralized data systems, 6% report inconsistencies, and 8% have no centralization of their data sources. Just 4% have fully centralized systems in place, but still do not have a singular data source to guide their costing efforts.
Encouragingly, 22% of construction business leaders use a single source of data and fully centralized systems, while 8% use a single, uncentralized source. The remainder notes that some projects have a single source of truth across some projects, but not others. Of these leaders, 4% report a complete lack of centralization, and 2% report some degree of inconsistency in how they source their job costing data.
How do construction trades business leaders connect project management, accounting, scheduling, CRM, and field reporting?
30% of construction trades business leaders use 3-5 platforms to connect project management, accounting, scheduling, and CRM reporting, 28% use more than 10 platforms, and 25% use 1-2, while 4% use between 6 and 10 platforms
Multi-platform use is common:
Construction contractors lost $1.8 trillion to ‘bad’, incomplete data during 2020 alone. This reinforces just how essential good data, consistent metrics, and complete data integration are for financial viability.
Looking at our audience’s opinions, there’s a clear variation in how firms and teams connect their reporting across departments. 28% of construction trades business leaders report linking their reporting across only one or two platforms, with 19% citing a close match, 3% reporting weak matches, and just 6% reporting exact matches to their current situations.
Of those who reported using three to five platforms, 18% noted that this description perfectly matched their current operations, 12% agreed that it is a close match, and 10% remained on the fence.
While just 4% cited using between six and ten platforms to consolidate their reporting, a far greater 28% are using over ten platforms to connect their reporting across their CRM, accounting, project management, scheduling, and field reporting. Relying on so many platforms could increase the risk of data fragmentation. But conversely, using a turnkey, centralized data management platform could be the key to avoiding the pitfalls of incomplete data and protecting construction profits in the long term.
How do construction trades businesses manage compliance documents, invoices, and progress claims?
31% of construction trades business leaders’ compliance documents, invoices, and progress claims are split across multiple tools, but are mostly digital, while 69% disagree that they have a fully managed system with an integrated platform
A lack of fully integrated platforms is noted:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires a vast number of compliance documents from construction firms of all sizes and specializations. It’s critical for construction trades businesses to have strong compliance document and invoice management processes in place to meet these requirements.
However, 69% of construction trades business leaders are not using a single, integrated platform to fully manage all their essential documentation. A further 31% agree that there’s a divide across multiple management tools, but that their document management workflows are largely digital in nature.
Adopting a single, unified platform such as Oracle NetSuite could help eliminate fragmentation. The right platform would allow firms to automate compliance deadlines, safeguard themselves against OSHA penalties, and bridge the gap between their office workflows and field data with ease.
How do construction trades business leaders analyze or connect data across operations?
33% of construction trades business leaders are fully committed to using AI tools extensively across multiple platforms to analyze or connect data, while 15% are open to it, and 10% plan to explore AI in the coming months; however, 12% are not focusing on AI tools or are not interested in evaluating them for implementation
Opinions on the use of AI are split:
Although the potential for widespread AI adoption in construction is set to accelerate rapidly over the next 12 to 24 months, the use of AI in construction projects remains relatively uncommon. The latest RICS Artificial Intelligence in Construction Report 2025 notes that just under 12% of respondents reported using AI regularly in specific processes. This shows that artificial intelligence is being successfully deployed in specific areas of operations, but with limitations.
Overall, the report found that widespread adoption is still in its infancy. Only 1.5% of its respondents use AI frequently across many processes, and less than 1% have pivoted towards fully integrated, organization-wide AI use on a global scale. The numbers suggest that there are still major barriers to scaling AI use in construction, including integration challenges, limited data availability, high costs, and skills gaps in its proper use.
AI adoption on the rise
Our audience’s opinions, however, reflected a more positive trend towards AI adoption.
33% of construction trades business leaders are fully committed to widely using AI across multiple functions, and 15% are open to doing so, while 2% have little to no interest in adopting AI. A further 21% are open to exploring AI adoption within the next year, 2% of whom are wholly committed to this, and 11% of whom are interested but don’t consider it a top priority. Some are also using AI in an experimental way, with 2% committed to this approach, 6% open to it, and a further 2% focusing on other priorities at present.
Many construction trade business leaders are also actively evaluating AI adoption, but have not made any concrete moves yet. 12% of our audience falls into this category, with 4% of this contingent not considering the move a high priority, and 8% citing a general lack of interest.
How satisfied are construction trades leaders with business systems sharing data with each other?
37% of construction trades leaders are satisfied with how their business systems share data with one another, but 30% are somewhat dissatisfied, and 33% express very high dissatisfaction levels
Dissatisfaction with sharing tops the scales:
Our audience had diverse opinions about how satisfied they are with the cross-connection between their businesses’ data systems. A third (33%) of construction trades business leaders
confessed to being very dissatisfied with how their systems share data with one another; these are likely also the business leaders battling with data fragmentation and their associated costs and operational impacts. A further 30% marked themselves as somewhat dissatisfied.
On the flipside, 30% of our audience members were very satisfied with the data flow between their systems at present, and 7% were somewhat satisfied.
Clearly, there’s a higher degree of dissatisfaction than contentment. This points to a need for better integration across data management platforms among US construction trades businesses.
How confident are construction trades business leaders that their data is accurate and up to date?
86% of construction trades business leaders are not at all confident that the data their leadership team uses to make decisions is accurate and up to date, and agree that decisions are frequently made on incomplete information, and a further 14% are not very confident, as their data is often outdated or inconsistent
Confidence levels in data are low:
Data-driven decision-making provides construction businesses with many advantages. Using data to make important calls removes guesswork, allowing businesses to make higher-impact, strategic choices with confidence. It can help firms to shift away from reactive operations towards more proactive methods and form the foundations for operational efficiency, directly contributing to more streamlined operations, cost savings, and profitability.
Despite these benefits, only a marginal percentage of construction trades business leaders believe that the data they rely on is up to date and on point. In fact, 14% do not feel confident in the quality of their data, while 86% typically make decisions based on incomplete information.
This is a critical gap to address. By using stronger data systems and reducing fragmentation, these businesses and others can fortify their operations and make more informed decisions, which will benefit them and their clients.
Which departments in construction trades businesses suffer due to disconnected data systems?
Construction trades business leaders’ HR or payroll departments experience the most pain from disconnected data systems, with 83% suffering due to this, and only 7% not impacted, while project management departments suffer too, with 9% feeling some pain
Pain points impact two major departments:
Fragmented data systems seem to impact some construction trades business leaders’ departments more than others. Evidently, disconnected data systems are a major pain point for HR and payroll teams, with 10% battling to stay on track amid disorganized data flows and 46% experiencing some frustration due to this issue. 27% of HR and payroll teams consider disconnected data systems a minor obstacle, while just 7% note that they aren’t impacted at all.
Project management teams also experience some friction due to disorganized data systems. We found that 6% of our audience experience some pain arising from this disorganization, and 3% view it as a minor, but still troublesome, issue to be tackled.
Which metrics do construction trades business leaders struggle to report on?
43% of construction trades business leaders struggle to report on client retention and repeat revenue accurately and quickly, but this isn’t much of an issue for 17%; however, labor productivity by crew or trade causes reporting issues for 23%, and not 15%, and overhead cost allocation is only somewhat challenging for 2%
Reporting on metrics poses varying challenges:
Currently, it is around four to ten times more cost-effective to retain current clients than it is to win new customers. The construction trades industry is no exception to this rule. Construction businesses that continue to solve their clients’ problems, meet their needs, and meet or exceed their expectations are well-positioned to retain their clients in the long term.
Yet, while client retention is one of the keys to a successful and profitable business, many construction trades businesses battle to report on this topic accurately and timeously. In fact, among our audience, 22% cited reporting on client retention and repeat revenue to be a serious struggle, and 21% find it somewhat challenging. Only 17% did not consider it to be much of an issue at all.
Crew and trade labor productivity also seems to be prone to reporting challenges in the construction industry. 23% of construction trades business leaders find this specific type of reporting somewhat challenging, though 15% don’t experience much of a struggle with it at present. Additionally, 2% struggle with overhead cost allocation reporting, which makes it somewhat challenging.
What is the biggest operational consequence that construction trades business leaders experienced due to fragmented data?
Billing errors or disputes with clients have the biggest operational consequences for 63% of construction trades business leaders, followed by poor visibility into workforce productivity for 22%, and inaccurate job costing that impacts 14%
Operational consequences of fragmented data are myriad:
Fragmented data can have serious consequences for construction trades businesses, from driving billing errors and frustrating clients to impacting the accuracy of essential workflows like job costing and workforce productivity monitoring. Our audience has experienced impacts across all of these areas.
Billing errors and client disputes are some of the most common operational consequences of poorly organized data. For 54% of construction trades business leaders, these issues are major consequences of fragmentation, while 4% find them noteworthy, and 5% are moderately concerned.
When it comes to workforce productivity visibility, 11% believe fragmented data was a major driver of poor insight, and 10% found it a noticeable problem. A further 3% were unconcerned, noting that data fragmentation did not impact their productivity visibility at all.
Disorganized data also seems to take a toll on job costing, with 14% of business leaders reporting that inaccurate costing was a major consequence of disconnected data systems and flows.
How does data fragmentation affect construction trades leaders’ ability to scale their business?
66% of construction trades leaders’ businesses are slowed down by data fragmentation, but they manage it, 22% are scaling effectively despite it, % find it a major blocker to growth, and 5% find it has a minimal impact on their scalability
Data fragmentation definitely hinders growth:
Fragmented data across multiple systems gives way to inefficiencies, slow decision-making, and inaccurate reporting. Substandard data visibility also wreaks havoc, leading to revenue and opportunity loss, sluggish responses to market shifts, and less memorable customer experiences. At the end of the day, all of these impacts hinder businesses’ ability to scale their operations.
66% of construction trades business leaders feel that data fragmentation slows down their scaling efforts, although they are still managing to scale despite it, and 22% are scaling effectively regardless of their fragmentation challenges. 7% view disorganized data as a major hindrance to their growth potential, and on the other end of the spectrum, just 5% believe that it has little to no impact on their overall scalability.
For the businesses battling to scale, unifying data and adopting comprehensive reporting solutions may provide more concise, real-time insights and single sources of truth. The results of this will be improved compliance, forecasting, decision-making, and scalability at every operational level.
How often do construction trades business leaders resolve a billing dispute or compliance issue due to data fragmentation?
33% of construction trades business leaders occasionally have to resolve a billing or compliance issue, 23% have to do so frequently, and 9% possibly do so but couldn’t attribute it to data fragmentation, while 18% didn’t have any knowledge of these kinds of issues
The regularity of issues in billing and compliance varies:
Billing disputes and compliance issues are inevitable for most construction trades businesses. 39% of construction trades business leaders agree that they occasionally experience billing and compliance issues due to data fragmentation; 17% view it as a definite factor in their operations, 16% as a possible factor, and 6% as an unlikely occurrence. A further 28% note that they often experience these challenges, with 17% citing them as a major factor, 6% as a possibility, and 5% as unlikely to impact their operations.
A total of 11% of our audience feels that billing and compliance problems are possible issues, although they couldn’t attribute them to data fragmentation directly. Of this contingent, 8% viewed these as absolute factors, while 2% felt that they were unlikely to cause issues, and 1% viewed them as a potential source of friction. 20% did not, to their knowledge, experience billing or compliance disputes.
Have construction trades businesses consolidated their data systems in the past three years?
34% of construction trades business leaders have successfully consolidated their data systems in the past 3 years, but 18% found adoption to be poor or the results were limited; however, 16% haven’t really prioritized this, and 9% explored it but didn’t proceed
Not every attempt to consolidate systems is successful:
It’s evident that the majority of construction trades businesses have already successfully consolidated their data systems, with 34% of leaders agreeing that their consolidation efforts proved fruitful. 30% investigated doing so but have not proceeded yet, with 7% strongly resonating with this stage, 2% agreeing to a certain extent, and 21% disagreeing to varying degrees.
Some of our audience did move ahead with consolidation plans, but found that their results were limited, or the adoption of their new data systems wasn’t quite up to standard. Among this group, 13% fell into this category to a certain extent, while 5% felt that it perfectly described their efforts and results.
Overall, 18% of business leaders haven’t made data system consolidation a priority yet. 8% have not even considered it, and a further 8% somewhat agree with consolidation being a low priority. A fraction (2%) of our audience disagrees with this statement to a certain extent, signaling a potential willingness to consider consolidation at a later stage.
How are construction trades businesses resolving data fragmentation?
51% of construction trade business leaders have not yet taken active steps to address data fragmentation, but 21% are strategizing with a consultant or technology partner, 19% are implementing an integrated ERP platform, 6% are using middleware or integration tools, 3% hiring additional staff to manage data reconciliation manually, and 1% are consolidating onto fewer tools
There’s a 50/50 split in those taking action:
When data fragmentation is successfully resolved, it translates into better policymaking, enhanced visibility and coordination, and more structured, productive operations. Several best practices can help eliminate fragmentation, including adopting collaborative, universally agreed-upon data standards, establishing a central online repository for data access, and implementing data validation tools to ensure information is structured and stored correctly.
In the construction trades industries specifically, some businesses are using a number of different practices to resolve their data fragmentation issues, while 51% of our audience has not yet taken any steps to address it. Of the firms that have started the process, 21% are working with consultants or tech partners to develop data unification strategies, and 19% are implementing integrated ERP platforms or planning to do so soon.
Another 6% are using integration tools or middleware to streamline their data, while 3% are hiring more staff members to manually handle data reconciliation. The smallest minority (1%) has opted to consolidate its data onto a select set of leading software tools to fortify its data systems and operations as a whole.
What is preventing construction trades businesses from reducing data fragmentation?
A lack of internal IT or technical expertise is the primary barrier to reducing data fragmentation for 42% of construction trades business leaders, uncertainty about which platform is the right fit hinders 20%, 2% are concerned about disruption to current workflows, and 35% have not identified data fragmentation as a priority yet
Barriers to reduction differ:
Construction trades businesses face a number of barriers in addressing data fragmentation within their ranks. These barriers, including poor-quality data, misaligned data strategies, resistance to data-driven workflows, and data literacy gaps, are interconnected. Because of this, any one barrier can quickly impact other areas, driving fragmentation and subsequent disorganization.
According to our audience’s sentiments, a lack of internal IT and technical expertise is leading this challenge, with 12% considering it a serious barrier and 30% viewing it as a minor challenge. Uncertainty about choosing the best platform for the job is an obstacle as well, with 7% notably impacted by this indecision, and 13% affected to a lesser degree.
2% are somewhat concerned about disruption to their current workflows as they transition to new systems, and 35% haven’t identified their primary barrier yet. Of this group, 13% are only marginally concerned about this obstacle, and 7% consider it to be a notable barrier to implementing better data systems.
Which integrations do construction trades businesses lack but would benefit from?
64% of construction trades business leaders would benefit from accounting-project management integration, 17% from scheduling-resource management, 9% equipment tracking-cost allocation, and 3% estimating-job costing
Integration needs are clear:
The vast majority of construction trades business leaders feel that integrating powerful accounting project management software would be the most impactful update for their organizations.
71% lack this software, but 34% believe that it should be a top priority, and 30% feel that it would be helpful, while just 7% don’t feel that it is necessary to support their success.
Second on the list is scheduling and resource management integrations, which 17% of construction trades business leaders feel would bring benefits to their organizations, and 15% view as a leading priority. 9% of our audience would prioritize equipment tracking and cost allocation software to enhance their operations, and 3% believe that estimating and job costing integrations are the key to their future growth and prosperity.
If construction trades business leaders could solve one data challenge, what would it be?
57% of construction trades business leaders want to solve the data challenge posed by accurate accounting and payroll processing, 31% want to streamline subcontractor management, 2% eliminating manual data re-entry, another 2% want better forecasting and financial reporting, and just 1% getting real-time job cost visibility
The desire to solve specific data challenges is obvious:
With reports showing that businesses tend to spend up to 27% less when they transition from manual in-house processing to outsourced and automated payroll systems, it makes sense that construction trades business leaders would focus on improving payroll processing first and foremost. 35% view payroll processing as an important data-reliant workflow to improve, and 22% hold this as a top priority, while 2% say it’s not a main concern.
Many leaders would also opt to solve their subcontractor management challenges first, with 18% prioritizing this fix and 13% understanding its importance. Smaller percentages also have eliminated manual data entry (2%), improving financial reporting and forecasting (2%), and enhancing real-time job cost visibility (1%) at the top of their priority lists. Less than 1% are prioritizing improving field-to-office communications at this time.
How prepared are construction trades businesses to adopt an integrated ERP or construction management platform within the next 12 months?
41% of construction trades business leaders are very prepared to adopt an integrated ERP or construction management platform in the next 12 months, and 41% are somewhat prepared to do so; however, 9% are not prepared at all, and another 9% have interest but face internal barriers
Preparation for the next 12 months is weighted towards those who are ready to take the leap:
effective tools for addressing data fragmentation and keeping construction trades workflows on track. Among construction trades business leaders, 41% are very prepared to integrate one of these systems within the next year, having already set aside their budgets, made their buy-ins, and developed a clear implementation plan.
An equal portion feel somewhat prepared and are still exploring their options, while 9% are not fully prepared as yet, primarily due to internal adoption barriers. 9% aren’t prepared at all. Overall, with 82% of our audience actively investigating or implementing smarter data systems, it’s clear that the majority of construction trades businesses see clear value in securing clearer, more organized data.
Which construction trade best describes a business leader’s primary business?
66% of construction trades leaders’ primary business is HVAC, but 21% say this isn’t entirely accurate, and 6% agree it isn’t the right fit for describing their industry, while 2% work in roofing and 2% electrical
HVAC is the most common industry amongst our audience:
The vast majority (93%) of our audience of construction trades business leaders are currently in the HVAC industry. With 118,433 heating and air conditioning contractors in the US workforce as of 2025 – a number which grew 2.3% from 2024 – it’s clear that this sector is expanding rapidly and attracting talented tradesmen and trades business leaders from across the United States.
The remainder of our audience works primarily in the roofing and electrical businesses, with 2% in roofing and 2% specializing in electrical work. Less than 1% also fall into general contracting and other specialized categories, which rely equally on high-quality, visible data to support their operations and success.
Integrated platforms are becoming a competitive advantage
As construction trades businesses continue to grow, the need for connected, reliable, and accessible data is becoming increasingly important. These findings reveal an industry that understands the operational risks posed by fragmented systems, including reporting challenges, billing disputes, and limited visibility across projects and teams. At the same time, many business leaders are actively exploring integrated platforms, AI tools, and centralized workflows to improve efficiency and decision-making.
Our research also points to a clear shift toward modernization, with more firms recognizing that disconnected systems can slow scalability and create unnecessary complexity. While barriers such as technical expertise, implementation concerns, and platform selection remain common, many organizations are taking practical steps toward consolidation and stronger data management strategies.
For construction trades businesses looking to remain competitive, improving data connectivity and creating a single source of truth will likely play a major role in long-term operational success.
About the data
Sourced using Artios from an independent sample of 918,497 opinions of construction trades business leaders in the USA across X, Quora, Reddit, Bluesky, TikTok, and Threads. Responses are collected within a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Results are derived from what people describe online, from opinions expressed, not actual questions answered by people in the sample.