6 Reasons Linarc is the Best Construction Software for IT Managers

Linarc is the best construction management software platform of choice for IT managers. Read how below.

It’s reported that around half of all IT workers experience job related stress. This can be for any number of reasons. Their frustrations can be summed up as too much to do, not enough time or resources to get it done, and a growing number of requests coming in from every level of the company. Managers may call in looking for a file they can’t find. Or perhaps they simply lost their password. Owners may announce they’ve purchased a new software tool and that you need to deploy it, ASAP. A foreman may not be the most tech savvy and needs help with using the project management system. Or computers may stop working altogether due to being exposed to too many elements out in the field. Dirt, dust, and moisture can quickly degrade the quality of one’s electronics.

Running a fluid Information Technology department in the construction industry is not for the faint of heart. The broad array of challenges that come up are continually keeping IT workers stuck in their offices and working late nights.

Linarc was built by IT professionals, for IT professionals. Its team knows the many pain points they face. Linarc seamlessly addresses these, paving the way for a new era of IT in the construction industry. It’s one thing to build a system that solves the challenges a business is facing. It’s another to do so in a way that’s easy for them to adopt, and doesn’t create more work for them in the process. It has to be easy to learn, to adopt, and maintain. Linarc does all three and more in its service to the construction industry.

Here are some of the main challenges IT managers in the construction industry face, and how Linarc takes them head on with its state-of-the-art construction software platform.

Consolidate Applications

Some Construction IT managers are expected to support over a dozen apps. These can range from general tools, such as email and document sharing, to accounting, payroll, blueprints, bidding, sales, CRM, project management, HR, and a number of other services. At least one notable provider- ZOHO – set out to build an app for every conceivable need a business might face.

All-purpose tools that can be adapted to any business certainly have their place, but they typically represent more work for IT teams and managers to customize them to their company’s needs. They also may or may not be able to be configurable to account for every situation, or doing so is particularly cumbersome. Excel is a classic example of this. You can get a lot of mileage out of it with formulas and macros, but at some point it becomes the wrong tool for the job.

On the other end of the spectrum are industry specific apps. For example there are multiple providers of estimating software geared strictly for electrical contractors. These come with databases full of electrical parts catalogs, industry standard rates for services based on location, and numerous other features you won’t find in a general estimating tool. Let alone in a generic bidding tool.

And then there are a series of software platforms that aim for the best of both worlds. They’re geared for the construction industry, but can be used by General Contractors and Subcontractors alike. They service the granular needs of specific contractors, but are capable of being used by a variety of industries. Linarc is one such up-and-coming construction management software solution that encompasses the broader expanse of construction project management needs. As mentioned, it’s made by IT pros who anticipate solving not just a single business problem, but rather its suite solves the plethora of challenges construction companies face every day.

Linarc simplifies business’s IT stack by unifying all their project needs into one platform. With Linarc you can reduce the apps you support to just four or five, all-the-while construction teams are able to make huge gains in productivity out in the field.

Replace Legacy Systems

Among the many challenges facing IT managers is their company being stuck on old systems. Some people are loath to change their habits, or management may be slow in adopting new systems. Or sometimes one group may lobby for their software application of choice, and a different group will choose their own. The battlelines between competing software systems are not just fought between competing vendors, but within different factions in the company as well.

Management’s hesitations to roll out new software solutions aren’t unfounded. Deploying a new construction management software platform could cause serious fluxations to one’s business. In the near term staff and crew will need some training on how to use it, which has some degree of learning curve.

Sometimes budget is the main reason to stay on older systems. If it’s not broken, entirely, nobody wants to start making changes that could move things in the wrong direction. Even if everyone knows there are processes that are redundant or require excess manual effort, most will elect to stick with what they know rather than switch to something new. And so, legacy systems are entrenched throughout construction companies around the globe.

Got a foreman still keeping everything in a notebook? Or what about spreadsheets being emailed back and forth? Linarc’s centralized construction management platform will ensure your most critical data is all kept in one place. This single platform solution resolves construction company’s legacy software problem by bringing their entire company to cloud based construction management. The old tools can still be there as a fallback, but their use will decrease, as their utility will be replaced with our more efficient system.

Streamline Communications with Construction Software for IT Managers

From two-way radios, to text, chat, phone, email, video calls, and in person meetings, there are many messages being shared across any number of systems. There are a dizzying number of channels that people can communicate on. Thousands of different mobile apps and desktop software solutions will allow you to have a phone, video, or chat conversation. Each company and culture is different. If left unguided, people will select the communication platform that they like the most. If a core group of people are all using Skype for chat, then everyone else will sign on and use that as their tool of choice as well.

Beyond a myriad of options where the winner is oftentimes selected by popular opinion, these systems come in and out of vogue over time. HipChat used to be all the rage, but Slack has made great inroads. At one point it may fall out of favor to be replaced by a new forerunning communications app. AOL used to be cool. Now it’s a clear indication that someone hasn’t kept up with the times. And, while you can make phone or video calls with Slack, most people opt for Zoom instead. Or use Google Meet if nobody has taken the time to set up a Zoom invite.

Making matters more complicated is that favored communications platforms vary by region, as well as different social groups. What may be popular in the Northeast, might not have caught on yet in the South.

While having so many great and competing communications platforms to choose from is intriguing, IT managers care only about keeping people connected, secure, and being able to maintain control of critical company information. If most of the company’s communications are spread across an innumerable amount of ever changing communication channels, IT managers have no way to keep track of it.

This is where Linarc steps in. It unites your company’s messages under one roof with its customized built-in chat and discussion boards. While Linarc is primarily a Project Management tool for construction companies, getting the entire team and crew on a single chat & messaging platform is a feat in itself.

Easy User Adoption

Linarc is designed to not only streamline your construction projects, but for easy adoption as well. User adoption is among the most important parts of building a construction management platform. If it solves every problem and makes your life a breeze (Linarc comes pretty close!), it won’t matter if people don’t take advantage of it.

One essential way we designed Linarc for easy adoption is by making custom apps for each role. Crew don’t need the whole company view, so we don’t give it to them. We give them just an app labeled “Crew” so they know they’re in the right place. They can get their daily assignments, submit timecards, raise concerns, and more, all from the ease of their mobile phones. Simply install, give some instructions on what’s expected of them, and go.

The same is true for foremen, project managers, and more. Giving users a custom mobile experience catered specifically to them is one of the best ways Linarc supports IT managers. We make sign on and setup simple. With support for Android, iOS, tablets, and desktop, everyone can get online and logged into our system.

We also work personally with construction companies, including IT teams, to address any questions that come up along the way. Linarc is built to hand-hold your onboarding experience to reach fast adoption across your entire construction company and crew.

Save Time

There’s hardly an IT manager out there without more things on their todo list than they have the time for. Construction IT managers are no different. Up till now.

The wide array of tasks IT managers need to take care of in rolling out a system wide construction management solution, are largely taken care of by Linarc. People know how to download and install apps. When they receive an invite from IT, they’ll follow the link and be logged into the system. Sure some will need some help, but these are minor compared to installing and configuring computers or servers. Having a cloud-based construction management platform means you won’t have to manage the inner workings of it.

By keeping the company on Linarc, it checks the boxes of security, backups, project communications, timecards, accounting, payroll, and more. This leaves IT managers handling questions such as replacing lost cords, devices, or other more day-to-day tasks.

When it comes to Linarc, the bulk of the work for construction companies comes after IT has done their jobs- setting up their master project schedules and rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. 

Reduce Manual Entry

Hundreds of millions of dollars are lost each year by copying information from one system to another. This is often the result of businesses purchasing multiple software systems from a variety of vendors. Sure single-purpose software apps do what they’re supposed to, and oftentimes they do it well. But if it means you need to hire someone to integrate that data from one system to the next, it’s time to reevaluate your software selections. Moving data manually costs time, money, and increases the likelihood for error. At best it becomes a bottleneck that slows everything down.

In construction it’s not at all uncommon for people to maintain records with pen and paper out in the field. These then need to be entered into a more reliable system for storage, record keeping, and to keep critical conversations moving forward. 

Linarc is designed to prevent as much duplicate data-entry as possible. It’s designed from the ground up to be the central location for all your data so nobody has to transfer it manually. We integrate with other systems so you won’t have to spend undue time copying data by hand.

One key way is by using the master schedule as the central repository for all project info. Timelines, budgets, assigned crew, equipment, and materials are all tied to each task within the schedule. By keeping everything in the same place, it means nobody will have to go look up information somewhere else. Keeping all your project information in the project schedule is one of the main ways Linarc is able to optimize construction sites.

For IT Managers though, it simply means less headaches with keeping their company digitally connected.

Conclusion for Construction Software for IT Managers

Sometimes great software solutions create unnecessary work for IT managers. From standalone apps that need to be installed, to disparate services that don’t integrate well with the broader set of tools, they each require more work from IT managers. Linarc addresses these to not only provide world-class construction project management software, but a robust software solution for IT managers as well.

Tell us what you love in a construction software platform? Contact us here!