Why 77% of AECO Firms Miss Deadlines—And What You Can Do About It 

If you work in architecture, engineering, or construction (AEC), you already know project deadlines are hard to hit. Now, there’s a number to back that up: according to Newforma’s 2025 AECO Project and Information Management Survey, 77% of AEC firms miss deadlines due to poor project information management.

That’s not a few outliers—it’s the majority. And these delays aren’t always caused by external forces like bad weather or supply hiccups. More often, the issue starts inside your firm— with how project information is stored, shared, tracked, and accessed across teams. Inefficient project information management systems, fragmented communication, and outdated workflows are becoming core contributors to missed deadlines in the AEC industry.

More than 600 AECO professionals across the U.S., U.K., Canada, and France participated in the survey. Their answers paint a clear picture: information chaos is quietly undermining project delivery. It’s not just a tech issue—it’s a risk management and profitability issue. Here’s what’s going wrong—and what forward-thinking firms are doing differently to stay on schedule.

Despite the rise in digital tools, many firms still rely on outdated systems—email threads, chat apps, and isolated file uploads—to manage projects. This disconnected environment prevents real-time collaboration, slows down decision-making, and makes it difficult to maintain version control. That patchwork approach leads to siloed data, missed updates, and delays that compound over time. 

Survey findings back this up: 

• 37% of firms say document management is their top collaboration challenge.

• Another 37% struggle just to find the right information when they need it.

Sound familiar? If your team is constantly digging through inboxes or chasing old versions of documents, you’re not just wasting time—you’re losing ground on your schedule. 

The cracks in project workflows are widening as teams grow and projects get more complex. The survey highlights that: 

• 38% of respondents are tripped up by version control.

• 37% are struggling with field reports and punch lists.

Traditional workflows, often built on spreadsheets or manual tracking systems, simply can’t keep up with the pace of modern construction projects. Without a shared system or consistent process, your team ends up second-guessing: 

• Is this the latest drawing?

• Has that change been approved?

• Did we ever send that update to the client?

Each question represents a potential delay. And when projects scale—whether in size, scope, or team members—these inefficiencies only multiply. One missed approval can turn into weeks of rework, budget overruns, and frustrated stakeholders. 

It’s not just your workflows under strain—your workforce is, too. 41% of firms cite labor shortages as a direct cause of delays, and 40% say their current teams are stretched too thin.

What’s less obvious—but just as damaging—is the business firms are turning down because they don’t have the staff to take it on. It’s a silent revenue leak, and it adds pressure to every project that does move forward. In a labor-constrained market, optimizing how your team works is no longer optional—it’s critical for staying competitive.

Knowledge loss is also a growing risk. When experienced employees leave and information isn’t properly documented or accessible, new hires are left guessing—and projects pay the price. Firms must focus on knowledge retention, onboarding efficiency, and building digital systems that preserve institutional memory across turnover.

Miscommunication remains one of the most expensive problems in construction. 73% of firms say it’s the primary driver of rework. And rework, as everyone knows, is one of the fastest ways to blow a schedule. 

From unclear instructions to forgotten approvals, communication gaps show up in unexpected places—and they almost always require extra work to fix. If critical updates are buried in emails or never make it to the right person, you’re not operating as a team—you’re reacting to chaos.  

That chaos leads to delays, safety risks, and client dissatisfaction—all of which can be mitigated with better communication systems. 

Yes, outside factors will always be part of the job. Weather delays, supply chain issues, regulatory holdups—they’re real. But they’re not the biggest issue. Most construction delays today are the result of internal breakdowns that are entirely preventable through better project communication, centralized documentation, and proactive management. 

Forward-thinking AEC firms are shifting focus from reacting to external challenges to fixing the internal systems they can control. The result? More predictable timelines, fewer surprises, and stronger client relationships. 

The impact of missed deadlines goes beyond your current project: 

• UK firms are hit hardest: 91% report delays.

• Small firms feel it the most: 92% report rework setbacks, with fewer resources to bounce back.

• Client trust is declining: 66% of firms say late delivery is leading to dissatisfaction.

• Legal risks are up: 54% have faced litigation over schedule failures or documentation gaps.

When project delivery falters, your reputation, bottom line, and future pipeline suffer. Repeated delays can erode trust, shrink your margins, and even expose your firm to litigation. If your firm has been affected by any of the above, you’re not alone. But you’re also not stuck. 

The firms leading the way in the AEC space are modernizing how they manage information—because they know project success depends on more than tools. It depends on how you use them. 

Firms that have invested in a centralized information management platform are seeing measurable improvements: 

• 32% report higher quality outcomes

• 30% see improved profitability

• 29% note better employee wellbeing

• 27% are able to take on more projects

• 26% reduce their litigation risk

A centralized project information system eliminates version confusion, silos, and manual tracking—turning disorganized data into structured workflows. Every document, email, submittal, and RFI lives in one place.  

You can track updates, confirm who sent what, and always work from the latest version. No more data scattered across inboxes or desktop folders. That kind of control translates into smoother collaboration, higher productivity, and better project outcomes. 

Consistency is key. When everyone follows the same process for document control, approvals, and communication, there’s less room for error. 

How to get there: 

• Map out your existing workflows. Identify slow spots and manual handoffs.

• Use software to automate repetitive tasks like version tracking and approval routing.

• Train your team and review processes regularly to keep everyone aligned.

Standardized processes make it easier to scale operations, onboard new team members, and ensure accountability. Automation reduces human error, speeds up project delivery, and frees your staff from repetitive tasks—so they can focus on more strategic work. 

Labor challenges aren’t going away—but digital tools can soften the impact. Automating low-value tasks frees up your team to focus on complex work. Capturing project knowledge in a shared system ensures that what one person learns can benefit the whole team. 

Firms that embrace technology are better positioned to attract and retain top talent. Younger professionals expect modern tools, mobile access, and efficient systems. This kind of agility helps firms move faster, onboard new staff more efficiently, and avoid project delays caused by staff turnover. 

You can’t control external disruptions—but you can plan for them. Scenario modeling, real-time updates, and instant stakeholder notifications all help projects stay flexible without falling behind. 

Risk management in construction isn’t just about the jobsite—it’s about how quickly your team can respond to change. The right tools make it easier to forecast delays, adjust timelines, and communicate shifts to clients before they become problems. 

The firms that stay on schedule make performance visible. Dashboards, regular check-ins, and shared KPIs help teams catch risks early. When everyone knows where the project stands, course correction becomes a lot easier. 

Transparency builds trust both internally and externally. It aligns teams, keeps stakeholders informed, and reduces finger-pointing when problems arise. A transparent culture isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for long-term success in construction. 

HorganLynch, an Irish engineering consultancy, faced common AEC challenges: siloed communication, scattered files, and time-consuming manual workflows. As projects grew, inefficiencies slowed progress and put deadlines at risk.

Before Newforma, staff searched across drives, folders, and email threads to find current drawings or approvals—often wasting hours. These delays were especially problematic on ISO-certified projects.

Adopting Newforma Project Center centralized all project data, streamlined workflows, and improved visibility across the board.

Results included:

• One source of truth for all files, emails, and approvals

• Automated document control reduced version errors

• ISO-ready audit trails improved quality compliance

• Mobile access kept site and office teams in sync

• Time savings allowed them to reallocate a full-time document control role to higher-value work

You don’t need a massive overhaul to fix project delivery delays—you need a better approach to how your information is managed, shared, and acted on. The most successful firms aren’t reinventing the wheel; they’re tightening up existing workflows and empowering their teams with tools that actually work.

Here’s where to begin:

Start by removing friction from daily tasks. Bring project emails, submittals, RFIs, and drawings into one secure platform that everyone on your team can access. This eliminates duplicate files, prevents lost updates, and ensures that everyone—from architects to contractors—is referencing the same version of every document. 

Look for solutions that offer: 

• Full-text search across all project content

• Email capture with conversation tracking

• Tagging and metadata tools to make files easier to find

When everyone has access to the right information, delays caused by confusion or miscommunication disappear. 

Map out your most time-consuming processes—like approvals, RFIs, or drawing markups—and identify where tasks are getting held up. Then, use automation to streamline those tasks. For example: 

• Automate submittal routing and approval deadlines

• Auto-generate daily field reports with standard templates

• Track who’s viewed and signed off on key documents

By removing manual steps, you reduce human error and free your team to focus on value-added work. 

Staff turnover is inevitable—but knowledge loss doesn’t have to be. Create systems that allow new team members to get up to speed quickly: 

• Use a centralized email and document repository to give new hires immediate project context

• Maintain standardized workflows so onboarding is consistent

• Document lessons learned and archive them in shared libraries for future projects

Making information accessible not only helps your new hires succeed—it also protects your projects from delays when team members leave. 

You can’t fix what you’re not measuring. Set KPIs for your project delivery, such as: 

• Average RFI response time

• Number of rework incidents per project

• Days delayed vs. planned schedule

Use these insights to identify trends and make data-backed decisions. Firms that track performance in real time can adjust faster—and finish stronger. 

Look for a project information management platform built specifically for the AEC industry. It should integrate with your existing tools (like Revit, SharePoint, or Autodesk Docs), allow for mobile access, and support both small and enterprise-scale teams. 

Starting with just one centralized process—like document control or RFIs—can create momentum. As your team sees the benefits, you’ll be able to scale improvements across more workflows and more projects.