How To Know That Construction Management Software is Right for Your Company?

Written by LetsBuild

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A good question and who is to decide? The old guffers in construction are, like me, not exactly experts with software. On the other hand, as I am repeatedly telling them, the young ones who are all “with it” regarding software don’t know much about construction. Sooooo, what I have done to come up with an explanation of what is makes Construction Management Software right for your company is ask questions of youngster and then apply my own expertise to making sense of the “techie” information they offered!

Okay, then, one of the first things that can cause problems is getting late replies to Requests for Information (RFI’s). If nobody comes back within the contractually stipulatedtime period, and they often don’t, that can put the job in Delay and lumber your company with LAD. The cost of forensic investigation to redirect the LAD to whoever is horrendous! (I know these things! Love the way my bank balance has gone up when I’ve been asked to do it). I would argue that a very good way to make sure you get the RFI reply in time is for absolutely everyone involved in the project to know when it was asked for; when it was provided and – get this! – to keep a dead-easy permanent record so the finger of blame can be pointed if it was late.

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Now I can tell you, again from experience, that “the lads” love having a Build Programme stuck up somewhere where they can see it. Bolshie chappies that they are, what they like to do is get their allocated Tasks done quicker than it says on the Programme. Leave a marker of some kind dangling by a bit of string from it and they’ll mark the Task off as done! Saves you having to look too hard when you do the weekly up-date of progress! SO next thing your company should look for in Construction Management Software is facilities for the Build Programme to be available to everyone involved in the project. (Note that I’m no giving in and going off on my usual rant about DPC’s!)

Now if everyone should have access to this software it had better be available on all the different electronic gadgets that are in common use; PC’s, Apple, Tablets and all varieties of smart phone.

My usual day on site was frantic, running around checking things, answering questions, making decisions, placing orders, sweet-hearting the Client’s people and all that kind for stuff. Then, once most of the lads had cleared off for the night, I got chance to do something about the paperwork that had piled up during the day. Memos, latest drawings, Agendas, minutes – you all know what we get inundated with!

That usually took me a couple of hours at least every night! It had to be filed right or it could never be found in a hurry! Then, of course, there was the storage space that had to be paid for and then most of it had to go to the Main Office and be stored for 6 years to keep the Tax Man happy! Most construction companies have very large archive spaces to do that! Waste of space! So it looks as if Construction Management Software that saved all that paperwork would definitely be right for your company!

There is another particular type of paper that can be a right pain; drawing revisions! Whether multiple copies come in the post or you get an electronic version to run through the Plotter, you still have to wander round like a Wally looking for the guy that needs it! How great it would be if the Construction Management Software for your company also had on it all the Drawings for the job! Then, because he knew about it, the guy needing it could come to you and ask for a hard copy! – Unless he was young and “techified” and preferred having it on his gadget!

There you have it! If your company has all, and more, of the problems and time-consuming aspects to deal with and pay for, then you Know That Construction Management Software is Right for Your Company.

Going just a step further, because I’m Blogging here, you know which Construction Management Software I think is right for your company, don’t you? It does all I’ve mentioned and more! It isn’t just your company, either; I think it is right for every commercial construction company globally!