There is no doubt that managing construction projects is a complicated task in itself – and they can become even more complex depending on the demands and expectations of consumers and investors. It requires a comprehensive set of project controls, meticulous management, and a collaborative, hands-on approach to ensure that projects are delivered on schedule and within budget without compromising their quality.
Construction technologies, such as software, can improve the efficiency of your company’s operations, allowing you to take on more projects and increase profitability when utilized in the right way. This project management software can serve your company in three ways: increase efficiency, improve project oversight, and improve client satisfaction.
However, even with the availability of construction technologies in the market, many project managers are still hesitant to employ construction software. While it is fair to be wary of investing in this software, it is essential to note that these technologies can completely transform your company’s current operating style – allowing it to become as smooth, streamlined, and optimized as possible. While training your managers and crews is required as part of the adoption of new software, these minor considerations should not deter you from purchasing construction management software.
In this article, we have listed down 15 warning signs you should watch out for when it comes to your project management system. If your company is currently experiencing these, it is high time you think about investing in construction scheduling software.
Warning Signals That Your Current Management System is Not Working Anymore
Whether you are just starting your construction business or have years of experience up your belt, everyone knows how hard it is to manage several projects while delivering high-quality customer service. As a result, it is critical to think about how to plan appropriately, conduct, and manage construction projects to deliver projects that meet the demands of the clients. If you are still hesitating about whether or not to employ construction software, the following list of 15 warning signals will help you determine when it is appropriate.
Countless Unorganized Data
With the evolution of technologies, keeping up with changes is more crucial than ever, especially when it comes to project management for construction. As a project manager, you handle projects with a million moving parts. These generate many data to track – from inventory status, deadlines and schedules, critical documents, and contingency plans that might get lost or left unorganized or mismanaged.
Unorganized heaps of physical or digital information are bound to happen without the help of technology. This is significantly easier to solve by deploying construction software that assists in managing all areas of a project. It should also serve as a central repository for all project documents, allowing everyone to view them. This connects to the overall project schedule, where anyone can analyze to understand how changes will affect the project.
Prone to Communication Breakdowns
Every construction project requires constant communication and extensive coordination among several parties. Delays and poor workmanship quality can be caused by a lack of communication between the crew and other supervisors. Part of an efficient construction crew management system is to make collaboration easier, faster, and relevant data more accessible. Construction software can help you achieve this by allowing different managers and teams to view project files across platforms and communicate and act on any concerns they discover right away.
RFI and RFA Delays
Requests for information (RFIs) and Requests for approvals (RFAs) are unavoidable, despite meticulous and comprehensive planning during the early stages of the project. However, these documents can take weeks, or even months, to process, causing costly delays and cost overruns. Many older systems are also unprepared to deal with the issues that these requests can cause. By incorporating management software into your company, you will be able to keep track of your requests, save them in an easy-to-use database, and allow you and others to view, respond to, and access these documents via email.
Mismanaged and Inaccurate Documents
As stated earlier, construction projects are made up of tons of data – and with this data comes a lot of information, and documents need to be appropriately organized. Assume a construction project manager is disseminating or relying on documentation that is not up to date or portrays the project accurately. This scenario can significantly affect how your project progresses and lead to mistakes, miscommunication, and human error. Keeping everyone updated and having access to the same data and information can help your stakeholders make sound business decisions about how to go on with the project.
You are Stuck on Your Desk
Suppose you have ever found yourself frantically rummaging through chaotic stacks of paperwork to discover a missing invoice or logging on to your PC to open up a contract. It is time to invest in construction software that offers cloud-based storage, such as web-based inventory software. You can access your data, papers, contracts, drawings, and other documents anywhere and on any device. It also means that you can freely move around your job site while accessing all relevant documents at your fingertips.
Inaccurate Budgeting, Estimating, and Accounting
Running a business means spending hours calculating finances, looking for deductions, sorting through invoices, and worrying about taxes and union dues. Most people do these calculations through manual spreadsheets – which sounds tedious and challenging, with a tiny error in the formula messing up your entire data. Luckily, construction software can allow you to track your costs and budget in real-time while integrating with your accounting software. Depending on its features and capabilities, it can also allow you to manage your payroll, send reminders, and even develop realistic estimates for potential future projects.
Your Current Operations Are Just Not Cutting It
It is common for us to become set in our ways – mainly if a specific management system has existed for years. However, you might feel like you are stuck with the older system and see a possibility to improve. No company processes are perfect – what worked for you in the past years may not work for you now, given the continuous changes in the industry. Utilizing construction technologies can help you keep track of every intricate detail of the project while ensuring its quality and timely delivery.
Major Issues with Milestones, Deadlines, and Scheduling
Hitting your milestones and deadlines is one way of determining how your project progresses. Are your crews frequently overbooked and low on resources? Do you often miss deadlines due to unforeseen delays? If you are tired of scheduling blunders, investing in construction scheduling software might be the solution. More time is spent updating project spreadsheets and recalculating deadlines by your project manager than monitoring and mentoring their project teams. A practical project management tool that connects all activities and updates changes can help you complete projects within their deadlines.
Project Productivity Is Continuously Dropping
Is your crew putting in hours on end conducting tiresome manual data entry for each job? Are your project activities constantly behind schedule? Whatever the problem is, it may eventually affect your bottom line. If your crews’ productivity is steadily falling, it may be time to invest in a new system.
You Are Held Back by Manual Processes
Suppose you are stuck with using manual procedures to monitor your baselines. In that case, you can frequently fall behind on having access to real-time data – from actual labor costs and current schedules to crew productivity, which hurts profitability. Investing in software that features automated processes can help you gain critical insights into your project’s processes.
Drowning in Construction-Related Paperwork and Reports
Most of your construction-related paperwork, such as certified payroll or union reports, is prepared manually, making for a long workday when you need them. If you do not have access to the data needed, you will not be able to create accurate reports that inform your stakeholders about what is going on within the project.
Poor Workmanship and Low-Quality Service
Once a project has been completed and delivered to the client, he will expect the buildings to be of excellent, if not perfect, quality and operation. Having a track record or reputation for delivering poor workmanship and low-quality service, you should think about investing in construction software, which can help you and your team streamline communication and manage tasks more effectively.
Field Inspections Issues
The most critical inspections occur while a building project is in process, allowing employees to fix any problems. If field inspections continue to find design or construction flaws, the project manager must introduce construction management software to change how the project is managed.
Post-Construction and Handover Concerns
Most people believe that when a project is finished, it is over. However, construction managers must still hand over the project to the owner, including operation and maintenance manuals, depending on the time of the project. Although this project may have already been completed, utilizing a construction punch list can help you check if every item of the project scope is delivered.
Key Takeaway
Yes, new construction software takes time and money to develop, but cloud-based systems like Pro Crew Schedule can help you increase your project’s efficiency and boost profitability. Yes, it takes dedication to retrain your team members on a new system. However, given the vast array of time and money-saving benefits it provides, it will be well worth the investment in the long term.
Your main responsibility as a project manager is to oversee building projects. On the other hand, your job needs you to manage people while also sending bills, filing paperwork, and multitasking. Construction software can help you reduce paperwork, focusing more on the project than the tedious processes.
