In the race to deliver data centers faster and at greater scale, a quiet but costly risk lurks on every job site: human error.
According to the Construction Industry Institute (CII), up to 30% of construction cost is attributed to rework, and more than 50% of that rework is directly caused by human error—from skipped steps to incorrect installations. In mission-critical environments like data centers, even minor quality issues can have massive ripple effects on schedules and uptime guarantees.
Why Human Error Persists
Even with detailed procedures and checklists, much of the field execution today still relies on manual documentation, tribal knowledge, and individual accountability. Under schedule pressure, teams often skip critical steps or make “gut” decisions that lead to costly mistakes.
This is compounded by:
January 2025 News Release from ABC
- A growing reliance on less-experienced labor (the U.S. construction workforce has aged by nearly 6 years over the past two decades, with fewer young workers entering the trades. See chart from Associated Builders and Contractors).
- Inconsistent training across contractors and regions
- Fragmented subcontractor oversight
Real-World Impact
Customers often come to Cumulus after experiencing rework tied to improperly torqued electrical terminations. This rework causes significant commission delays and cost overruns, not to mention a heightened risk of dangerous arc flash incidents. The root causes of these incidents are often tied to procedures skipped by a crew under pressure to meet schedule demands, without a system in place to catch the error in real time.
A Shift Toward Execution Discipline
The solution isn’t more forms or after-the-fact inspections. It’s a shift toward process assurance and structured execution, using digital workflows that:
- Guide workers through every critical task
- Validate key steps in real time
- Create a traceable, time-stamped record of execution
Teams using structured digital workflows have reported significant reductions—often 30% or more—in field quality issues and commissioning delays.
Want to learn how leading teams are reducing human error in the field? Schedule a demo with us today.
