The efficiency of managing construction projects can be greatly improved by adopting modern construction management software. Many construction companies today still rely on non-specialised tools such as Excel spreadsheets to manage their projects. This practice is so ingrained that many project managers may not see the inefficiencies caused by this outdated approach, leaving time and money on the table.
However, many companies are now realising the limitations of these methods and are turning to modern construction management software instead. Switching to specialised construction software can remove dozens of repetitive and time-consuming tasks from your workday while creating more accurate and reliable takeoff and estimates. The result is a more streamlined project management process that helps all your jobs go smoothly and remain under budget.
In this guide, we’ll explain why the right construction management software is so important for quantity takeoff and smart estimating, and how your projects can benefit from specialised construction management software.
The right software makes project management simple, as it does much of the work for you when it comes to planning and organising projects. Specialised construction project management software can handle multiple parts of the project management process from estimation and planning to takeoff and budget management. These elements help project managers improve resource allocation and automates and streamlines the flow of documentation.
It is also important for project management software to be easily accessible while providing vital information to everyone involved in the job from workers to upper management and stakeholders.
Scheduling is a vital part of the construction industry as every part of the job has to be completed in a specific order and within a given time frame. As such, it is important to have the right software solution to plan your construction projects from takeoff to completion. This includes:
The right scheduling tool helps construction managers organise an entire job regardless of its duration or size. An integrated solution like construction estimating software allows you to see takeoff plans side by side with estimating forecasts so you can quickly get an estimate for your project without having to switch between multiple programs.
A good estimating solution helps keep construction jobs run smoothly by evaluating the cost involved in every phase of the project. This ensures that the funds are available to make necessary purchases and that other areas of project finance are covered including payroll and other costs necessary to maintain a solid workforce.
Good communication is a necessary foundation of any successful construction project. When information moves quickly, your project does as well. Having effective lines of communication in place on the job site is often the primary difference between a project that runs smoothly and one that finishes behind schedule or is halted altogether.
Everyone from laborers to upper engineers and project managers must be on the same page for the duration of the project. An effective software solution streamlines the process of collaboration between contractors, your company, and your client's internal points of contact. It is accessible anywhere, makes it easy to share files, and allows multiple users to view plans and estimates simultaneously.
When first implementing new construction management software, the first thing you’ll likely notice is how many day-to-day tasks are now easier and more efficient. All the way from the job site to the back office, important elements of the project can be tracked and followed up on for accurate reporting and better transparency.
Here are some of the advantages of using construction management software for project management:
Every project document should be organised in a single location. It is also important for all approved stakeholders to be able to easily search and access all documents.
Using a centralised platform to serve this purpose can save hours of wasted time over the duration of the project by removing the need to search paper archives or email out of date files to people who need them. Construction management software with document control capabilities also significantly reduces the chances of data being recorded incorrectly and the progress of a project stalling out. Costminer’s quantity takeoff and cost estimating software allows you to track documents and provide progress claims to your stakeholders in real time and define retention rate for each job.
Forecasting the future direction and requirements of a construction project is critical for budgeting and planning purposes. When your company doesn't have a centralised way to access and work with real-time data, forecasts, and projections will often be inaccurate.
A dedicated construction management solution draws its data from a single, consistently updated source. This will lead to more confident decision making as your forecasts will be more accurate.
In some situations, adding new technology to your established practices can feel like a burden. With a set of new systems, users can end up feeling overwhelmed as they have to open a variety of separate tools and move data between platforms.
Centralised construction management systems do not create these problems as users are able to move seamlessly between different tools within the same web-based platform. Changing data in one part of the system automatically updates it in others.
Construction management software also helps you to work more efficiently by allowing you to save information from previous projects as templates. Instead of having to plan each estimate and takeoff from scratch, you can simply upload a template from a previous project and change the necessary variables. The result is less complicated workflows that are easier to manage and better suited for scaling.
Dealing with change orders is an inevitable part of the construction industry. You can take steps to reduce the number of change orders on your projects, but you'll want to be prepared for when they occur.
Improving the speed and efficiency with which teams adapt to changes can have a substantial impact on productivity and cost management. A centralised construction management system enables project managers to make updates in real-time. This ensures that all changes are implemented smoothly, without slowing down or derailing projects, and that your documentation reflects those changes in your estimates.
Costminer has the tools necessary for you to plan and manage your projects more efficiently. We provide affordable construction estimating software to streamline your cost estimating process and improve the accuracy of your forecasts with job templates, rate look-ups, composite rates, and the ability to export to Excel right from the application.
Our robust, yet easy to use interface makes takeoffs simple by giving you the power to quantify and price items at the same time. The panels for takeoff and estimating are displayed side-by-side on the same screen, so you can complete a cost estimate for your construction project quickly without wasting time on switching between different programs and windows.
If you have any questions, get in touch to learn how our construction management software can help your business. You can see the benefits for yourself by starting a 30-day free trial today.
