Managing a whole construction project can pose a big challenge to budding construction businesses. With limited funds and experience, software for construction management probably isn’t on their priority list of investments. But that’s where things actually start to go wrong for small firms.
So why should you consider using project management software from the start?
First, project management software is more affordable than any other management systems. It can be handled effectively by just one competent project manager so there’s no need to hire so many. Second, measuring progress through the software is more accurate than generic project management solutions like Trello or Zoho.
The construction industry has very specific requirements when it comes to managing the site that it has spawned its own project management software. This means there’s no more need to use so many tools to get all the help you need in handling a construction project. Let’s take Trello for example.
This generic project management tool can list several tasks and arrange them into categories, tag responsible persons, and change status from ongoing to for review and finished. However, it doesn’t have it’s own time tracking system. So you would still need to subscribe to a separate time tracking system that can be integrated with Trello.
Sounds complicated right? Well, it certainly is plus it doesn’t have any cloud storage to keep records of finished tasks whenever you think of decluttering the dashboard.
Another thing you can’t do on Trello is setting plans. Sure, you can schedule the tasks by placing deadlines but having a master plan as a reference for all these tasks is more effective in motivating crew members and more helpful in strategizing as a team.
With a construction-specific project management tool like Pro Crew Schedule, you get everything that’s missing in a generic software in a central space. This program is designed to tackle issues on office-to-field coordination, time tracking, document sharing, and crew management.
Basic Project Management Features
Being basic isn’t necessarily a disadvantage as it could mean better adaptability, most especially for non-techy employees. With straightforward features, streamlining management can be made easier and that is the biggest asset of Pro Crew Schedule.
With five main functions, all elements of a construction project can already be attended to such as planning, scheduling, monitoring, communication, collaboration, and time tracking. All these boil down to the best benefit of using a project management software – working more effectively and efficiently.
Let’s now look at the features of Pro Crew Schedule that can help any construction business succeed
- Real-time Team Communication and Collaboration
We mentioned it multiple times before. Communication is the factor that can make or break a construction company. With an undisrupted communication, the flow of information vital for smooth operation becomes continuous. This way, errors are minimized and misunderstandings can be avoided. But without proper communication, a barrier grows between the office and the site, making crew members work without proper guidance. And we already know the results of this – reworks, delays, over budget. And the worst that could happen is when the company loses its credibility.
Since the impact of communication in construction is this heavy, making communication and collaboration between the office and the field real-time is crucial.
Pro Crew Schedule is internet-activated. For as long as there is a stable connection, the built-in communication system will update users on any change of plan and schedule. Exchange of files, no matter what format or size they come, is also possible and in real-time.
This makes sure that no one in the team gets left behind.
- Field Management
The biggest challenge that a project manager can face is managing multiple phases of the construction site at the same time. Pro Crew Schedule offers crew management functions including daily task sharing and report collection by the end of the day so their productivity rate can be graded. Streamlining the process leads to higher overall team productivity and efficiency so the project is delivered on time while meeting objectives.
- Time Tracking
It’s important to re-ensure the client that his money is going to the right investment most especially when it comes to labor cost. Apart from materials cost, the budget allotted for salaries is one of the highest so clients can be thorough when it cones to reviewing labor costs. One way to prove that the time spent at the site by every member is useful is by tracking their time. Did they come in on time? Were they able to finish their shift? Do they deserve the pay they are getting?
Instead of using traditional time cards, the current trend is to log in and out of work from a management system to minimize chances of inaccurate and missed time logs.
- Scheduling
A perfect plan can still fail when there is no efficient schedule. Scheduling ensures the plan is placed into action and that the project progresses. Timelines are set as a guide for members on how much effort they should exert so they can meet the deadline. To make the schedule effective, make sure to make all parties accountable.
The role of Pro Crew Schedule in efficient scheduling is in disseminating updated schedules to members. While it seems tedious, Pro Crew allows multiple task scheduling to help make job delegation faster and easier. Members of the same team can be appointed with the same tasks and Pro Crew Schedule lets you send similar schedules in just one click.
The master schedule can be made visible to all members in this software too, helping boost their morale when they are doing a good job b at meeting timelines or motivate them to do better when they are falling behind schedule.
- Cloud Storage
We discussed in our blog “Quick Guide for Newbies to Project Management Software in Construction” about the benefits of leveraging cloud-based project management software in a construction business. Overall, the biggest advantages of using the cloud are real-time communication and collaboration, unlimited file storage, easy accessibility, and availability.
With Pro Crew Schedule, you can share all important files in a secured environment in real-time. Document everything done on the site without worrying about storage. You can save everything from commonly used file formats to videos and photos that can be useful during the post-project phase and when disputes suddenly arise.
Fields Catered by Pro Crew Schedule
Pro Crew Schedule can be used for different construction trades. While its features mainly consist of construction essentials, it can go as flexible as catering to related trades like HVAC, Concreting, Electrical, and Plumbing. This won’t only allow construction companies to easily connect with subcontractors in these fields, but also for these contractors to use the same platform in working out their own individual projects.
To put it simply, HVAC, Concreting, Electrical, and Plumbing professionals no longer need to jump from one software to another whenever they accept new projects.
With Pro Crew Schedule HVAC subcontractors can:
Fully supervise their technicians no matter where they are deployed by sending them the project requirements, procedures, and drawing.
Receive complete reports that can help them track their technician’s productivity and assess their competency.
Review their business status anytime, anywhere and strategize on how to improve processes.
Get real-time alerts so when urgent calls occur, they can easily deploy someone to the work site.
Likewise, electrical subcontractors can benefit greatly from using Pro Crew Schedule by:
- Effectively organizing project documents needed by technicians to work efficiently on the field.
- Tracking job costing to know whether the business is doing a great job at managing budget or not so they can do appropriate adjustments to see higher profit.
- Creating dispatch schedules more quickly so that urgent job orders will be fulfilled on time and get greater customer satisfaction as a reward.
As for plumbing subcontractors, Pro Crew Schedule can help them improve their services by:
- Providing a user-friendly tool that plumbers can use effectively on the site is they can be guided even under minimal supervision.
- Allowing real-time communication through a channel where essential documents can be exchanged so that plans can be shared from the office to the site.
- Better equipment management so that all crew sent to the site are equipped with the right tools they need for a specific job.
Finally, concrete contractors can deliver better results with Pro Crew Schedule helping them:
- Avoid rework by keeping the office and field workers on the same page when it comes to discussing project requirements.
- Deploy resources wisely as they can receive several job orders from a single site or different sites at the same time.
- Retain their experienced workers by giving them the right salary based on their tracked time and productivity.
Conclusion
Project management software can be an indispensable investment when you choose the right service provider and the right platform. We weighed a long time ago the advantages of cloud over in-premise and in this blog we clearly stated how construction businesses can move towards their goals by being in cloud.
Overall, project management software like Pro Crew Schedule benefits a firm by making it more connected internally, more efficient, and more productive.
Request your demo today to check how a simple software can help you grow your construction business.
