There is no shortage of moving parts when it comes to a construction project. Factors such as budget, equipment, schedules, materials, and weather are a few of the countless considerations that project managers must balance. 

As a result, it is common for communication to break down during the project, leading to costly delays. However, with no accurate way to compile and manage information, most crews just eat these costs and pass the buck in regard to who dropped the ball.

Fortunately, there is powerful new software that can help streamline project communication and help ensure accurate construction. By making the investment to centralize the project using construction software, managers can achieve greater efficiency throughout the life of the project, leading to lower costs and greater job satisfaction. The following breakdown looks at some of the many ways that construction software can benefit your next project. 

Greater Transparency for Ownership

Many people assume that the owner of the project–the person or entity with the initial idea for the project and the capital investment to get it off the ground–has his or her fingerprints on every decision that gets made. 

“Surprisingly, many project owners are traditionally in the dark about what is happening on the project, relying on sporadic updates from management as to the construction development.” – Chuck Waltman of Houston Home Remodeler. In many cases, this leads to ownership signing checks with no real idea of what the money is backing. 

With innovative Owner Insite construction software, ownership is guaranteed full transparency on the status of the project. In addition to providing a forum for instant email communication with any member of the team, some of the other benefits that construction software can provide owners include:

• Status updates on all projects – the software allows owners to check and see which components of the project are pending, in progress, or completed
• Daily newsfeeds of construction developments directly to the owner’s inbox
• Document uploading – members of the project team can upload important project documents to the software, giving owners instant access to all important information in a centralized location 

Comparisons with Previous Projects

In many respects, each construction project is a unique undertaking, a groundbreaking trek into the unknown. This uncertainty carries costs, as it can be expensive to miss the mark on capital, material, equipment, and time estimates.

To help reduce this uncertainty and control costs, construction software can allow you to perform a side-by-side comparison with past projects. By honing in on aspects of past projects that went well and amending areas that proved problematic, you can allow the software to analyze critical data that will help you pinpoint the optimal estimate for your current project, saving time and money in the process. 

By choosing a software such as Owner Insite, you can be assured that all information from past projects will not only be saved, but preserved for perpetuity. Any project stored in the software is accessible in no more than four clicks, ensuring that construction records, no matter how old, are readily available and compliant with all construction litigation hold requirements. 

Improved Scheduling

When there are any changes to the construction plan, the entire project team needs to be informed. In traditional construction settings, this usually leads to a halt in action while division managers wait for word on how to proceed. 

By utilizing construction software, approved changes to the plan can be viewed instantly by all members of the team. This allows managers to deploy their resources and labor without having to wait for approval to come down the chain of command. 

Some ways that Owner Insite can help a project team in recording a schedule and adding milestones include:

• Detailed dependency schedules – team members can include P6, MS, or gantt charts; upload project documents, and add commenters. With a click of a button, commenters can call attention to any important upcoming events.
• Activities and milestone updates – team members can highlight important data for upcoming activities and important milestones, provide overview dates for high-level objectives, and send instant email communication regarding any shifts in activities, milestones, or scheduling
• Equipment updates – users can use the software to help determine the location and usage status of important construction equipment.

Better Collaboration Among the Project Team

Every construction team will be a diverse set of professionals. While the main workforce may consist of a large company, there will doubtless be a significant cast of architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, and subcontractors working alongside one another to make the project a success.

In many cases, it can be hard to get all of these people together at the same place and time to collaborate, approve, and build on each other’s ideas. However, by choosing a construction software that offers unlimited communication, document storage, users, and support, it is easy to get everyone on the same page without the need to be in the same physical location. 

Among the collaboration advantages to your project team through construction software include:

• Unlimited cloud-based storage
• Real-time reporting on project status
• User required action logs
• Audit and download trail
• Email response to RFI and submittal

Estimate Project Budget in Real-Time

Although it is important to have an accurate budget in place prior to breaking ground on the project, it is impossible to estimate it 100% correctly. Factors such as weather damage, construction error, and equipment repair are a few of the many factors that may arise to throw a wrench in the budget.

As a result, the budget for a construction project is frequently adapted on the go. With the right construction accounting software, users can know exactly how much capital is in reserve to cover any unexpected expenditures as well as help business managers locate situations where emergency financing can be necessary. “While unexpected costs may seem high, they pale in comparison to the cost of work stoppages or project delays, so it is critical to use software efficiently to keep track of every dollar and cent.” – Professional Roofing Contractor Jeff Guthrie. 

Use Construction Software to Optimize Your Next Project

There are many moving parts to a construction project, the sum of which can be difficult for even the most adept teams of professionals to balance. As a result, innovative construction software is a necessary investment to optimize the contemporary construction site. By effectively deploying the latest in construction software, you can provide an elite communication and collaboration platform for your team, ensuring that the project is completed in the most cost-effective, expeditious manner possible. 

Sam Willis is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. He is a blogger and content writer for the real estate industry. Sam is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.