What is Construction Project Management Software?
Construction project management software helps you oversee the entire lifecycle of a construction project—design, procurement of building materials and equipment, and scheduling of labor. Whether you're working on a plush suburban home or a towering commercial high-rise, construction project management software helps you manage all of the planning, scheduling, budgeting, and construction processes to keep the project on track.
Why use construction project management tools?
Construction projects have multiple moving parts that need to be managed simultaneously, and a construction project management tool does just that. Collaborative features include file storage and sharing, virtual meetings and calls, and organizational features, like Gantt charts, dashboards, and reports. These tools help your team prioritize tasks, manage the workload, and communicate progress to stakeholders.
Best project management tools for construction
There are many tools available for project management, but construction project management presents unique requirements. The solution you choose should be flexible, help manage both people and resources, and give you the ability to see the bigger picture while maintaining visibility into day-to-day details that affect your project's timeline and budget.
Let's take a look at some of the tools involved:
Gantt charts
Graphically depict different phases and components of your projects with Gantt charts. Colored bars (which can be moved with drag-and-drop functionality) show your current progress and planned activities against the project's timeline.
Set dependencies between tasks, like receiving a paint delivery and painting the pillars. The bars are shaded in a darker color each time you update a task, so you can monitor the task status all through the project. Track any scheduled deviations using the Baseline feature, so you always know where you started and where you're headed. Gantt charts also show the critical path to project completion, so you can ensure that essential tasks are completed on time to avoid delaying the next stage of the project.
Resource allocation
Machinery, building equipment, manpower, and construction materials can be added as resources, along with their costs. Any disproportionate distribution of work can be corrected using the Resource Allocation feature, which shows a complete picture of who is stretched too thin, who is managing the optimal number of tasks, and who has extra capacity to take on more work.
File management
Save elevation and design plans, bills from vendors, PDFs, excel sheets, and reports on your construction management system's cloud storage. Choose who gets access to what, and seamlessly share folders within and across teams.
Project budget management
Manage and track time, budget your expenses, and record invoices while saving them in a secure repository. Track and measure time spent on tasks, and generate billable or non-billable timesheets based on your contract and project requirements.
Portfolio management
Monitor all your projects in one place with a quick and easy view of all your tasks, issues, budgets, clients and more. Analyze the data and plan your workload accordingly.
Collaborative features
In construction, there's always something urgent demanding your attention. Your project management software should make it easy to send or review messages and files or schedule an impromptu meeting with your team.
Benefits of construction project management software
Construction site management software can make a world of difference for project managers who must coordinate with contractors, architects, and other workers. Here are some of the benefits of construction management software:
Save time and money
When processes like time and expense tracking, invoice generation, and resource allocation are automated, you can save time and prevent cost overruns, establish accountability, and ensure critical tasks are completed on time.
Manage documents
A good construction project management tool ensures that permits, blueprints, bills and receipts from vendors, and other crucial documents can be accessed in one central location. Eliminate confusion by providing access only to those who require it, and make sure there's no room for error by keeping files organized.
Communicate effortlessly
Complex processes become less taxing when communication is prompt, open, and transparent. Collaborate better with teams over dedicated communication channels, meetings, and comments in shared documents. When everyone's on the same page, it's easier to weather challenges, meet deadlines, stay under budget, and keep stakeholders in the loop as the project progresses.
Get insights at your fingertips
Intuitive dashboards and reports help you keep an eye on the project at every stage, so you can assist teams by providing relevant information to stakeholders, encouraging open communication, and staying focused on the project's goals.
Increase productivity
With more transparency, instant communication, and simplified processes, you can increase productivity across the project lifecycle. Ensure accountability for all your contractors, sub-contractors, and site workers to support a focused, collective effort to complete your construction project successfully.
How to choose the best construction project management software?
Here are a few things to consider to help find the best construction project management software for your needs:
Consider your project scope:
We often forget to examine the most fundamental aspect of a project: the end goal. Your construction management software should support your project's unique needs, regardless of its complexity. Once that is firmed up, evaluate the pricing, the number of projects you can support, storage capacity and features offered. Carefully consider what fits best for your projects.
Integrate with other apps:
Construction management software needs to work in tandem with design apps, communication tools, accounting platforms, and other systems. Your software should be able to integrate with third-party apps for easy data sharing and collaboration.
Ensure ease of use:
Teams should be able to access important information, navigate the software interface, and work with other stakeholders easily. Drag-and-drop widgets, user-friendly reports, and intuitive dashboards are some of the features that support a smooth learning curve.
Enhance project communications and collaboration:
Stakeholders, like developers, site engineers, architects, and contractors need to be on the same page and be kept in the loop in the event of unexpected changes or important announcements. Project management software for construction will make it easy to keep everyone informed throughout the project lifecycle, with features like group chat, virtual meetings, and forums.