Time
Finding documents, checking changes and waiting for answers can take time away from the work that needs to move forward.
Our view of the industry
Construction turns plans, labour, materials and capital into buildings and infrastructure. How information is handled and how time is used affect the work itself, the finances of individual firms and the wider economy.
Construction
Construction brings together different trades, suppliers and decisions throughout a project. In 2023, construction employed an estimated 280.4 million people worldwide. Most enterprises involved in on-site construction are small and local.
Our focus is on four practical problems within this work.
Productivity
The resources committed to a project do not always translate into completed work. Understanding where time and effort go is a starting point for improving how work gets done.
Information
Missing details, incorrect data and outdated records can affect decisions made later. Complex information needs to be organised so people can find, check and use it.
Repetitive work
Entering, copying and checking the same information across separate tools can make routine tasks take longer than necessary.
Economics
At firm level, time affects costs. Rework and delays can use budget without adding completed work. A profitable project can still put pressure on cash flow when expenses fall due before customer payments arrive.
Costs, profit and payment timing therefore need to be considered alongside the physical progress of a project.
Productivity and costs
International data help put these pressures in context. Labour productivity measures economic value added per hour worked. Construction cost inflation tracks changes in the cost of delivering construction work. These indicators describe different aspects of the industry.
0.4%Average annual construction labour productivity growth, 2000 to 2022
McKinsey’s analysis covers 42 countries representing about 90% of global construction value added. The measure is adjusted for price changes.
McKinsey’s analysis covers 42 countries representing about 90% of global construction value added. The measure is adjusted for price changes.
4.2%Reported global construction cost inflation in 2025
The 2026 market survey covers 112 markets in 44 countries. This is an annual cost increase, not a measure of home sale prices. Conditions vary between markets.
The 2026 market survey covers 112 markets in 44 countries. This is an annual cost increase, not a measure of home sale prices. Conditions vary between markets.
The wider economy
Buildings and infrastructure provide space and services that other economic activities depend on. Global construction projects accounted for about US$13 trillion in gross annual output in 2023.
This estimate is expressed in constant 2019 US dollars. Gross output includes purchased materials and services, so it is not the same as construction’s value added or its contribution to GDP.
Construction’s economic significance extends from individual project budgets to the capacity to provide housing, workplaces and infrastructure.
What we work on
SimpleMecha focuses on reducing repeated work and making construction information easier to find, check and use.
We begin with practical tasks that take longer than they should. Our longer-term direction is connected software that allows information to carry forward between stages of a project. This connects our view of construction with our interest in time, productivity and economic outcomes.
Our first product
More on product pageMechaQuote
MechaQuote is estimating workflow software for teams preparing bids. It turns uploaded bid documents into a working estimate workspace and keeps the cost-building process in one place.
Long-term direction
Connected workflows
We aim to connect estimating, contracts, procurement and site workflows, reducing the need to recreate information as work moves between them.