How often do you find yourself thinking, “I’ve seen that information before, but I can’t remember where”? Was it in an email, a Teams chat, a SharePoint folder or lost on the network drive? Admit it: twenty minutes disappears—again—just searching for something you already had.

Why are we still living this Groundhog Day?

Because instead of fixing the problem, our industry keeps swallowing the same bad medicine. Centralize your data. Move everything into the magic box. One system, one truth. Sound familiar?

It’s a comforting story. And it’s dead wrong.

Here’s What Really Happens On Every Project

We buy “solutions” that promise to be the hub for everything. Yet the hunting never stops; emails, drives, clouds, folders, USB keys, even the back corner of someone’s desktop. If you actually want to find something, good luck.

Search should actually work. But people spend hours guessing file names, running keyword queries, retracing conversations from months ago. All the while deadlines slip and confidence erodes.

Connecting the dots shouldn’t be a pipe dream. You want to see the story, not flip between silos and hope context magically appears. Instead, we get fragmented updates, teams out of sync and “I swear I saw that somewhere” black holes that make audits and disputes a nightmare.

What The Big Vendors Won’t Tell You

Project teams don’t quit these “centralized” systems because they’re bad at tech. They quit because forced migrations slow everyone down and force workaround after workaround. 

Right now, the average construction or engineering project runs on dozens of different software tools—and most teams never trust the “all-in-one” solution they were forced to adopt.

Less than a third of professionals say they can reliably find essential information when it matters.

More than half admit they’re secretly using shadow systems, personal drives, anything but the so-called platform of record.

Every year, “digital delivery” projects burn millions on the promise of perfect control, and every year, teams invent new ways to work around them.

And when the pressure’s on, the fire drills begin: frantic searching, wasted hours, forgotten answers. Nobody feels confident.

Here’s the data:

• The average construction or engineering project now runs on more than 200 different software tools.
• Only 30% of professionals say they can reliably find the essential information when pressure is on.
• 54% of teams admit using shadow systems, old drives, or out-of-band emails just to get the job done.
• 77% of AECO firms miss project deadlines due to poor information management.

Every year, digital delivery projects chew up budgets for supposed “perfect control.” Every year, teams invent workarounds that leave executives scratching their heads.

Enough Is Enough

Real work happens at speed, in context, through the tools people actually trust. Data shouldn’t be locked up for someone’s profit margin or brand campaign. It should be accessible, linked up and right there when you need it. Free the information!

True innovation isn’t locking everyone into bigger silos. It’s making connections that matter.

It means one view of your project story, not months of migrating, retraining and hoping for a miracle.

The Challenge

Show me a team that claims all their data lives in one box and I’ll show you a team working around it.

The single source dream is holding back the entire industry.

Let’s stop pretending.

Stop burning budgets for “digital transformation” that produces more frustration.

Projects deserve clarity, speed, and freedom…. not more control. The future belongs to those who connect, not those who box teams in.

Want to debate? Talk it through? We’re here for it. 

Let’s choose better. Let’s demand visibility. And let’s build real collaboration, not just more digital fences.

Centralization is a dead end. Let’s stop buying into the hype. Give teams the freedom to choose. Let data live in the tools they love. 

Make project visibility a right, because the future belongs to those who connect.

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Editor’s Note: Data from multiple industry surveys (2025) proves the migration headache, the shadow IT problem, and the search for answers. Read this, react to it, debate it… just don’t ignore it.

Sources:

Data Advantage in Construction
https://construction.autodesk.com/resources/guides/harnessing-data-advantage-in-construction/

2021 JBKnowledge Construction Technology Report | PDF | Ios | Computer Security
https://www.scribd.com/document/787344131/2021-JBKnowledge-Construction-Technology-Report

2025 Newforma’s The 2025 AECO Project & Information Management Survey https://www.newforma.com/publications/navigating-the-new-construction-normal /

Want to know more? Dive into our resources

• What Is Interoperability?
• OpenBIM: Making The Most Out Of Information Interoperability
• Interoperability in Construction: From BIM To Information
• Take the Chaos Out of Project Management
•  

Title:
Stop Pretending Data Centralization Will Save AECO Collaboration

Subtitle:
The real reason digital delivery keeps failing is not technical. It’s a refusal to let people work their way.

“Show me a company that claims to have all project data in one place, and I’ll show you a team that’s working around that system behind the scenes.”

Did You Know?

• The average construction or engineering firm now juggles over 200 software tools per project.
• Less than 30 percent say they can reliably find the information they need.
• More than half of project teams keep using shadow systems, like personal drives or old email accounts, when forced to migrate into so-called "all-in-one" platforms.

Source: Industry surveys, 2025

The more we try to force everything into one box, the more workarounds teams invent. Why do we keep falling for the same promises? Isn't it time for a smarter approach?

Centralized platforms are still the go-to sales pitch in construction and engineering. Vendors promise magic. Move your data here. Forget the old silos. Problem solved.

But that is not how the real world works.

Project teams are already drowning in software. Each group has its own favorites. Nobody wants to ditch the tools they trust. Data sits across hundreds of systems. New platforms show up. New silos appear. Collaboration gets stuck more than ever.

Here’s what nobody wants to say out loud. Pushing every file, email, model, and thread into one master system has never worked at scale. It slows teams down. It breeds frustration and resistance. It does not reflect how our industry operates.

Should we keep chasing the all-in-one solution? Or finally admit it is a dead end?

It is time to stop. We do not need another round of migration projects. We need a simple way to see across what we already have.

Let your teams keep their tools.
Let data stay where it works for them.
Just give them real visibility and make information easy to find.
That is true progress.

Interoperability in AECO should not be a buzzword. It should drive every technology decision from now on. Stop locking teams into new silos. The real leaders are building simple connections between platforms, not bigger fences.

Customer Perspective

“Our engineers need solutions that fit their daily routines. Forcing migrations just adds headaches, but real visibility helps us stay on track and keep everyone accountable.”
Senior Project Manager, Global Construction Firm

Are you ready to rethink it all? Stop chasing control. Demand the clarity your teams deserve.

#AECO #Collaboration #Interoperability #OpEd #ConstructionTech