Here’s How to Choose the Perfect Construction Management Software

Contractors: Looking for the right construction management software to manage your crews, projects, and business? Find the perfect solution for managing multiple jobs, allocating resources, deploying your skilled workforce, and delivering more projects on time and under budget with less stress, headache, and hassle.

As a contractor, you’re under constant stress.

Between the challenges of managing multiple projects, delegating responsibilities, and stretching your limited resources to accommodate your workforce, it’s a wonder you get any sleep at night.

Fortunately, technology is providing you with a better way to work.

By automating the most tedious and redundant elements of your job, the right construction management software can help you get more done in less time, with less stress, hassle, and headache.

And with a user-friendly interface, you don’t have to be a tech expert to use it either.

But with so many construction management systems available, how do you choose the perfect solution for your unique situation?

Determine your needs

The first step in choosing any new technology is determining what you need the software to do.

One way to look at this is to identify where technology is already at work for you and see if you can bring all those channels together under one system.

For instance, every project stakeholder uses email, text, and telephone to communicate. And some use all three channels for the same conversation, making it difficult to keep your information straight.

Searching multiple channels for specific information about individual projects takes time and effort.

That’s why pulling all your project communications into one dedicated channel makes more sense. Then you have an ongoing contextual record with project-relevant details at your fingertips.

• Submittals and RFIs.
• Drawings and plan sheets.
• Work reports with markup, text, and video.
• Equipment and tool requests.

Everything you need to make sense of all the project information coming at you from every angle is all contextualized, categorized, and stored in dedicated Project Workspaces to avoid confusion.

Look for automated construction management workflows

A lot of your work revolves around repetitive tasks and follow-up.

Let construction technology take this part of your job off your hands.

Submittal workflows:

Instead of tracking down submittal packages and hounding your subcontractors and vendors for information, let technology track submittals and send reminders to keep everyone on task.

RFI management:

Templated RFI forms make it easy for project stakeholders to include all the information required for fast, informed decisions.

And transparent workflows keep everyone on top of where the RFI is and who’s responsible for the next step.

Change orders:

Change orders modify more than just the contract. You need to accommodate the extra work in the schedule, document its completion, and ensure everyone gets paid.

Prebuilt change order templates, automated workflows, and full ERP integration mean you have less to worry about when change orders arise.

Resource management:

Scheduling crews, assigning tasks, and allocating equipment and materials can be time-consuming.

But with just a few clicks, you, your resource manager, and your supervisors can make short work of these critical tasks and get on to more important things.

ERP, payroll, and employee time:

Time-tracking and payroll are the details you don’t need to worry about. But thankfully, with construction management software on everyone’s tablet and phone, you don’t need to.

Employees can punch in on the job, and geo-tracking ensures their location. In addition, the mobile app tracks their time, and the ERP integration ensures your employees get paid.

And with the WBS integration, your workforce’s time is expensed against the completed work packages in your schedule.

Reporting:

Monitoring project progress is critical for you and the project owner. Construction management software does the heavy lifting by generating automated reports that capture progress, track field issues, and populate easy-to-read dashboards.

That means you and your stakeholders can stay on top of multiple projects with a glance.

And the built-in chat features make it easy to share critical project information with multiple stakeholders anytime, anywhere.

Evaluate standard construction management features

Make sure the system fits the size and complexity of your organization.

• Do you manage multiple jobs?
• Self-perform or subcontract?
• Design-Build, or Design-Bid-Build?

A comprehensive construction management software platform can adapt to you and your organization.

But make sure whichever system you choose supports your basic needs first and allows you to build as your organization grows and your needs change.

Here are some features you should expect from every construction management system.

Project management

• Scheduling
  • WBS-based schedule creation
  • Critical Path Method scheduling
• Document management
  • Cloud storage
  • Plan sheets and markup
• Project financials and budgets
  • WBS-driven metrics
  • Analytics and integrations
• Automated workflows
  • Submittals
  • RFIs
  • Change orders
  • Punchlists

Operations management

• Resource management
  • Automated notifications
  • Material and equipment logs
• Dispatch
  • Collaborative
  • Centralized
• Project portfolio management
  • Quality
  • Safety, and
  • Risk exposure across the entire organization

And think ahead.

You’ll want to consider add-ons, third-party integrations, and emerging technologies that can extend the functionality of your chosen solution.

How adaptable is the system to change and upgrade?

Test for ease of use and mobility options

Most contractors are looking for software solutions that help them automate manual tasks and stay organized, agile, and productive.

Being agile and productive relies on ease of use and mobility.

That’s why it pays to look for construction management software with solid usability and mobility options.

• How intuitive is the user interface?
• Are you able to access it anytime, anywhere?
• Are apps available on Android and iOS devices, allowing you to get the job done while you’re on the go?

If a construction management solution offers robust ease of use and mobility options, your staff can access the resources they need faster and work smarter, resulting in increased productivity.

Check integrations with other construction management tools

Software integration capabilities can make a big difference in how effective the construction management solution is for your business.

Make sure the software you choose is open API, allowing you to easily integrate accounting, ERP, safety, and other apps into your system.

Integrations like this can increase the functionality of your system, save time and money, and ensure that information is never siloed, so everyone has what they need.

Confirm security and support options

Data security is a crucial factor to consider when choosing construction management software for your business.

Ensure the vendor you choose has safeguards to authorize user access, protect sensitive data, and restrict unauthorized data transfers.

And make sure your service provider offers reliable customer support.

But don’t just take our word for it!

Get a free custom demonstration of our construction management software and see how technology can help.

• Schedule and track your projects: Keep your projects on schedule and budget by managing your project resources in one place, eliminating the need to switch between multiple programs and systems.
• Reduce the risk of human error: No more missed assignments, incorrect invoices, or missed deadlines. Instead, prebuilt templates and workflow automation mean your projects run smoother.
• Cohesive communication: Our platform includes a robust communication system, allowing you to collaborate easily with your team, project stakeholders, and clients. You can share files, send messages, and track project updates in real time, reducing the risk of miscommunication and delays.
• Increased visibility: The Linarc construction management system provides detailed project insights, giving you greater visibility into your operations. This includes data on project status, cost tracking, and resource utilization, enabling you to make informed decisions and adjust your strategy as needed.
• Time-saving automation: Our software automates many tasks that take up your time, freeing you up to focus on other areas of your business. This includes generating reports, tracking invoices, and managing project documents, among other tasks.

So why wait?

With Linarc, you can allocate resources more efficiently, deploy your skilled workforce smarter, and deliver more projects on time and under budget with less headache and hassle.

Schedule your demo today and take advantage of all our platform’s benefits!

Connect – Build – Thrive with Linarc