Last Updated on July 17, 2023
Construction companies are no strangers to complex projects with many moving parts and complicated phases. This makes the job of construction project managers especially difficult!
To simplify and streamline the construction project management (PM) process, many general contractors, subcontractors, and specialty contractors opt for construction PM software. The problem is: there are so many different options to choose from! How do you ensure that you are choosing the best software solution for your construction firm?
We’re here to help make your decision easier. We’ll help you decide whether a particular software solution is robust and dynamic enough to effectively manage your complex projects by discussing all the key features you should look for when making this important decision.
What is Construction Project Management Software?
Construction project management software is the most effective way for businesses in the construction industry to simplify their complex project management processes. The project management tools offered by construction ERP software help construction firms streamline and manage workflows and improve project delivery. By implementing this kind of construction project management tool, team members are able to better communicate job progress, monitor job expenses, schedule resources, and much more! We’ll discuss more of these benefits in the following sections.
Essential Construction Project Management Software Features
When choosing your construction project management software, ensure that it includes the following features. This will make the most significant difference in your project management processes, and selecting a software solution with these features will ensure that you get the best bang for your buck.
- Seamless Integration
Have you ever struggled with trying to integrate multiple different software systems? If so, you were probably left feeling disorganized and disjointed with your important information spread amongst the various platforms. This could also result in lost data, duplicate entries, and a greater risk of double-billing.
That’s why the best project management software solution is fully integrated construction management software WITH project management functionalities. Instead of opting for a standalone project management software that doesn’t integrate with the rest of your tools and data, choose a construction ERP software. This will allow you to view all aspects of each project from a single dashboard, easily access all the relevant documents, and maintain complete control over each project. This will also help keep you looped in on your work-in-progress and financials for each project, which leads to the next point.
Do you have a hard time staying on top of the budgets and costs throughout a project? Not staying on top of costs could make it hard to determine if your jobs are profitable before your projects are complete. If you wait until the end of a project to assess profitably, you’re too late to make the necessary adjustments to avoid losing revenue.
Job costing is an essential feature of an effective construction project management software solution because it allows you to understand job profitability at any stage of a construction project. With robust job costing features, you can stay on top of project budgets and costs, stay informed with accurate job costing reports, and stay on track with job cost forecasting. Job costing will also help you establish more accurate price estimates for your services.
Do project scheduling issues ever cause your important project details to fall through the cracks? These issues are often due to manual scheduling. Unless you’re always on the ball with your scheduling, you may find that you’re continually struggling with project delays and conflicts. These delays not only impede productivity but can also be costly for your business.
To avoid the issues caused by manual scheduling, it’s important to choose a software solution with job scheduling features. This feature will help you keep your schedule information up-to-date at all times and give your team members access to job schedules in real-time. It’s also a good idea to choose a software solution, like Jonas Construction Software, that has customizable job scheduling views in an easy-to-read Gantt chart format to make job scheduling processes as seamless and straightforward as possible.
Are your documents stored throughout numerous software and computer systems? This could significantly increase the chances of essential documents getting misplaced. Without document management software features, manual processes such as RFIs, job costing, and daily reports can also be challenging to manage.
Choosing a project management software solution with document management features will help you reduce time filing and searching for paper documents. This feature will also allow you to access important information about your projects in a pinch and when you need it most. Document management features will help you streamline workflows and approval processes so you can increase productivity and keep your projects on track.
Do you have a difficult time reducing your risk with construction change orders? Construction projects do not always go according to plan, and changes to the original scope of work are often unavoidable. When change orders are not managed according to clear procedures and policies, your business may miss out on revenue.
Ideally, you’ll want to choose a project management software solution that is integrated with job cost reporting. This feature will help you automatically update subcontracts and billing, so you don’t miss out on revenue. You’ll also want a cloud-based software solution so you can access your change orders on-the-go for more informed decision-making.
Understanding how much time and effort it takes to complete each job phase is important, especially if you can do so without creating more work for your on-site staff. A mobile app allows your on-site staff to track their hours remotely, and enter in any relevant notes and documents, directly from the job site. This creates real-time tracking on your jobs, and allows you to stay informed and up to date while making it easy for your staff. This feature also helps project managers quickly share and transfer information with staff in order to keep projects on budget, and reduce billing cycles.
Benefits of Robust Construction Project Management Software
In addition to the benefits discussed above, investing in a robust construction management software solution can have the following additional benefits for your company:
- Improved collaboration: Sharing and accessing information is much easier for technicians, stakeholders, and project managers.
- Real-time visibility: Project managers can address issues when they occur, reduce work delays, and determine where projects are lacking or over budget
- Enhanced work allocation: Project managers can easily assign tasks and keep track of job progress and deadlines to ensure projects stay on track.
Jonas Construction: The Best Construction Project Management Software Solution
If you’re looking for the best construction management software for construction project management, the answer is simple: choose Jonas! Our construction ERP has all the essential project management features discussed in this article, plus much more! Jonas Construction Software is specifically designed for construction businesses and provides you with all the tools you need to manage projects from bid management to project completion. Our software is fully integrated, allowing you to make the most profitable decisions possible using real-time, accurate information. Contact us to learn more about our construction software product or request a demo today!
