Features Great Project Management Software For Construction Should Have

By Marissa Velazquez

Project management software for construction is capable of aiding your organization to come up with accurate resource estimates, easier managing, organizing and planning of resource pools. The complexity of the application can help you manage plans and estimates, control costs, schedule and improve decision-making. Listed below are some features that any such application should present before you deploy it in your firm.

Since time is money in the construction industry, your application should be able to accelerate the process of managing your projects. This means that it should have the capability to offer up-to-date information that should make the decision-making process faster and more accurate. A great system should be a one-stop repository for all schedule changes, clarifications, responses, RFI statuses, photos, changed orders and documents.

The system you wish to use should also be easy to use and learn. Getting your entire team using the application is critical for a successful collaboration. This can be made much easier when using a simple easy to use app that comes along with a knowledge base of how to articles and tutorial videos.

No application is complete without an extensive customer support system that should be easy to locate. Ideally, support should be available no matter the time of day or night and ought to include online tutorial videos that are accessible on any type of mobile web-enabled devices. The support structure should also include emails, live chats as well as telephone support when required.

For a system that is web based, it is crucial to ensure that it comes along with a strict access agreement that will allow several members of your team access to it. This should be made possible for as many team members as possible without the need of having you invest more money or time. When all team members are familiar with the system, you will definitely see a remarkable increase in the level of efficiency in your firm.

Data disasters can be found in several forms as either hardware failure (disk or server failure), software failure (application or database failure) or man-made or natural disasters (like tornadoes or earthquakes). For each of these disasters, your application should have a zero tolerance by preventing against any type of downtime. The systems primary objective should be to provide 99.99% up time with few interruptions.

Not only should the project be accessible through the standard computers, but should also support mobile platforms like smartphones and iPads. Such a feature will make the running of daily tasks a breeze and improve the way information is shared between team members. Such a move will also allow the managerial team gets updated information at any time and from anywhere.

Project management software for construction can be a crucial tool when used in an effective manner otherwise it is likely to generate a mountain of information that does not offer an insight into the issues that need addressing. The best system should illuminate the cracks in a process. Therefore, it should contain the features listed above for data integrity.

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The Benefits Of Architecture Project Management Software

By Jeannie Chapman

Any professional services firm needs to effectively and efficiently manage resources. This is especially true in architectural firms where multiple projects involve both the staff, outside contractors and clients. Unfortunately many managers are not as effective as they could be because they rely on a pieced together system for management. That is where architecture project management software can help significantly, and add to a firms profitability.

Many firms piece together email, generic pm programs, spreadsheets, documents and a shared drive to manage things. And while this will get you by, you will not be best utilizing resources. Specifically designed architecture project management software blends together all the key components of the these programs into one easy to use interface. Since it is designed with architects in mind, the workflow, terminology and reporting are all tailored to the industry so there is little downtime in switching to the system.

The benefits of using a program dedicated to architectural projects are many. First and foremost is the software does not need to be adapted to the practice. Templates, reports, terminology and such are all architectural related. These programs have been developed by those with an intimate knowledge of the process, which makes using the system relatively simple and intuitive.

The basis of all good software is to organize, coordinate and manage the teams tasks, deliverables and workload. These programs offer a variety of features to make this easy. Project managers can plan all aspects of the project with a simple interface, entering tasks, dependencies, resources, time and other important components. Once entered these programs generally use Gantt chart-type reporting to get a visual look at a project.

Resource tracking and utilization is important aspect of managing projects and this type of software makes this task relatively easy. Reports can be generated at the employee level or the task level so you can see how people are spending their time, or conversely how much effort a task is taking. This allows the PM to stay on top of important deadlines and reassign resources as needed.

Another important feature of many of these programs is proposal and contract management. This simplifies the work flow for developing RFPs, submittals and any other key documents. Most allow for collaboration and provide version control so edits and inputs are not lost. This document management extends throughout the work, keeping track of things like addendums, change directives, contract changes, change orders all the way to the punch list.

Ideally all projects go according to plan, but of course this is not always the case. This is where reporting and analysis is important for improving profitability. Architecture project management software allows the PM and senior staff to perform detailed analysis on staffing, budgets and resource allocation. Most have numerous report templates, but customization is generally available too.

Competition today is fierce and unfortunately the most creative firms are not always the most successful. This is often due to less than ideal business processes and the inability to most effectively allocate resources and maintain billability. Architecture project management software takes much of the guesswork out of this process by providing the tools to do things more effectively. If you are not using a comprehensive PM system, you owe it to yourself and your firm to find out more.

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