The recent recession in the United States has rendered the construction business a little impractical. But times are getting better and construction is slowly getting back up and getting stronger. As a construction firm owner, you should have used the downtime to do better marketing, increase conversion sales and improve efficiency of your work. You can do these things with the help of a construction management software. Only a few companies are using the old school way of managing tasks and processes by using pen and paper. Many more are using this new software to handle documents and construction management. Don’t be left behind, it’s time to upgrade and have help with construction management. Here are some more reasons why you need a construction management software.
Teamwork
When you get construction management tools, some of the tasks can be done remotely. You wouldn’t have to go to the office to do some of your job, it can be done anywhere and anytime as long as you have access to the internet. With this premise, it might not seem like this management tool will foster teamwork. But surprisingly it promotes teamwork between the project manager, his employees and other key players in the construction process. The software allows team members to collaborate and work together seamlessly even if they are not in the same place. Teamwork is important because the construction business is not a one man show. It’s a collection of everyone’s effort and abilities that makes a project successful. Here are some strategies to foster teamwork in your construction firm:
1. As a project manager, it is important that you ask your team members about their ideas on how to make a project more successful and efficient. Getting their ideas will foster trust and respect between the team. It will also help you make decisions that everyone agrees with. This is called a collaborative leadership. According to an article from Forbes.com, collaboration is an essential factor to succeed and to have organizational survival.
2. Give goals that are clear and well stated. According to gov, goals should have five qualities, known as SMART objectives. S is to keep your objective simple. M is for your goal to be measurable, meaning how will you know if your goal has been met, can you measure it? A is achievable, it should be achieved within the time frame you have set. R is realistic, does it answer the problem you are trying to solve. And T is for time frame, setting a specific time and date for your goal to be achieved.
3. Conduct meetings that are effective and productive. You have probably held meetings where you felt like you wasted your and everyone else’s time. So it is important that every meeting you have should answer a set of problems and issues that need to be solved. Don’t waste everyone’s time by talking about things that are not relevant.
4. Try to make work fun. A strict and rude boss is never a good leader. Let your employees have a little fun, as long as they are still following the protocols, no one is getting hurt and no money is being wasted. You will be a fun boss in the eyes of your team and you get the project done. Perhaps setting goals and giving rewards for objectives met earlier than planned will also help make the job more fun for everyone.
Cost Reduction
There are two types of construction management software. First is the web based or software as a service also known as SaaS solution. The second type is the hosted or on-site solution. When you use the web based solution, you can save a lot of money. This is because you wouldn’t have to pay for the hardwares and softwares that are needed when you host your software on-site. There will be no more servers, terminals, licenses, maintenance and IT group. That is a lot of money that you can save when you use web based hosting.
Another way this particular software can help you save costs is by doing an accurate budgeting. Budgeting usually is done by the project manager, but with the software it can be done by the system. The estimates are more accurate since the software has a database of all the materials and their canvassed price. With more accurate budgeting, you can set a specific price for the project you will be doing. There would be no risk of underpricing because the budget is as accurate as can be.
With the many tools integrated to the software, you can also stop paying for the other softwares that you use. There is a built-in file sharing, so no need for another file sharing software. There is also risk analysis, so no need to pay for an analyst just to study information and data that are coming in. One very important aspect of the management software is its ability to represent multiple projects without making it look complicated. This will help tremendously when you are taking many projects at once.
Increase in User Adaption
Read reviews of construction management software to know which of the softwares has the easiest interface. As already mentioned there are lots of tools that are integrated to the software. Because of these additional tools, user adaptation has increased allowing employees and project managers alike to be able to use the software and its accompanying tools with ease. There are vendors that would include training in their package and this is a valuable thing. This is one thing that you should look into when choosing a software to buy. The Project Management Institute or PMI has estimated about 6.2 million management jobs between 2010 and 2020. That’s a lot of project to undertake and getting the top construction management software will ensure that you come out on top.
Quick Decisions
A construction project management software has a feature called timesheet alerts. This is the software’s ability to respond to tasks in a timely manner. This helps in making quick decisions because having the software also means having all the pertinent information you need to make a sound decision regarding the project. Another feature that helps in making quick decisions is the advanced task management that your management software has. It simplifies data that you can understand them immediately helping you make quick and sound judgments. This same feature also helps in assigning tasks automatically and sending the task via the integrated email application. When tasks are assigned quickly and accurately, all that has to be done will be done quickly. Issue tracking is also another important feature which helps keep track of issues that may arise in the construction process. The software will also suggest some solutions to the problems that arise making this software an invaluable tool to have.
It is important to remember though, that not all softwares will have the same features. It is best to do your research before saddling your company with a software that is lacking in the most important features you need. Getting some additional features may also mean that you will be paying more in your monthly subscription bill. Reading construction management software reviews will probably be a big help in making a choice between all the softwares available in the market.
Increased Efficiency
Axia Consulting listed operational efficiency as one of the criteria when choosing any software. When choosing the best construction management tool, efficiency is also important. When you get this software, it will make all the tasks and the entire job more efficient. How does the top construction management software make everything more efficient?
- Quick access. This software will allow instant access to all crucial data regarding the project and all progress that has been done. This improves the job efficiency since you wouldn’t have to go back to the office to get documents that you might need. You also wouldn’t have to drag bulks of documents since everything will be available on the server.
- There is immediate financial visibility. So other than being efficient, the construction management program will also ensure accountability. You can see your financial status quickly with the software. All money that has gone in and out of the company will be recorded and available anytime they are needed.
- Communication is easily established. Communication regarding what happens in the job site is available in real time. As soon as they are recorded in the system, anyone who has access can see what is happening. Even if the job sites are remote, everything can be seen and accounted for. Materials and tools that are bought or rented are also recorded.
There are many more reasons for getting a construction management software other than the ones mentioned here. There are many benefits that haven’t been said yet, but these five are the most relevant to any small scale business owner. Getting the software will make the project manager’s job easier and more accurate. The team will also benefit from its many other features.
Still trying to figure out which construction management software to get? Read the reviews at CrowdReviews.com and be convinced.
Jeev Trika
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