Best Construction Management Software & Tools for 2020

Construction project management (CPM) is a specific application of PM discipline for construction project types that include agricultural, residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, heavy civil and environmental. The construction project manager specifies objectives and plans, maximizes resource efficiency, implements various operations, and develops communication and mechanisms, among others. Although the technology, institutions, and/or processes are different, CPM has many similarities in the management of projects in other domains and industries such as aerospace, pharmaceutical and software sectors. For instance, construction projects are required to reach an objective at a given schedule, budget and quality.

The Top 5 Construction Project Management Software

In the same way, CPM also benefits in utilizing applications and tools that automate administration tasks, simplify estimating and billing, facilitate planning and scheduling, manage workload assignments, centralize document management, and promote real-time communication and issues resolution. Below are five PM software that are valuable in completing construction projects.

Choosing the Right Construction Project Management Software Solution

If you are managing a construction project, you are faced with a huge task of making sure everything goes as planned. The tasks involved with construction management need expertise, the right tools and experience. As a construction project manager, your duties will cover a plethora of areas, as you will constantly need to be in touch with numerous agents involved in your project.

With such overwhelming duties, you need more than skills and experience to make your work easier. Having the right project management tool can make a whole difference and streamline your work.  But with so many project management tool providers in the market, it can become a whirlwind, especially if you are new in this business. You need a guide to ensure that you get the right tool for the job.  There are a few things that you need to consider before you start your search for a project management tool.

Construction Project Management Solution Checklist

Buying new project management software is not as easy as walking into a supermarket and picking a product. You need a checklist to guide you. Besides, you must have a good reason to purchase such an expensive system for a project. Here are determinants:

• Will the system make work easier?
• Will the platform help with real-time project management?
• Is the software transparent?
• Will the software improve tracking and accountability?
• Is the software reputable for accuracy?
• Can the software be integrated with other products?
• Does the software offer a solution to industry problems?
• Does the software offer modernization for my business or project?
• How many licenses and fees will be required in running the software?
• What’s the developer’s reputation in the market?
• Does the provider offer technical support for the system?
• Is the training offered by the provider?
• Is the software intended to be used on multiple computers?
• Can the system be mobile accessed?
• Will a merger transition compromise my data security?
• Do you need a web-based or on-site solution?

Each question on the checklist is crucial to finding your dream project management tool for the project ahead.

Project Management Tool Features

All systems are not equal since each has its strengths and weaknesses. But as they say, you have to choose the better of two evils. Besides no system is perfect in the market since each has its downside. Here are features that you should look out for when picking a system.

Real-time Updates: You need to keep track of what’s going on around your project easy and quickly. Stakeholders should be able to estimate the construction project completion time. The system should give you the ability to monitor the progress of your project at any moment.

Easy to use reporting tools: The system should have a simple reporting tool in order to empower communication between the various sides. This will increase productivity within the project and simplify the management of the various tasks.

Unlimited accessibility: While working on a construction project, unhindered access to the project is key. For that reason, it’s important that you can connect to your project regardless of your location. In other words, it’s essential that you invest in mobility. You have to be able to use your mobile on-site and report any potential project hiccups.

Secure Cloud Hosting: The system should be able to store all your information in a secure and trustworthy way. Banking level security for all your data is a must!

File-Sharing:  to smoothen collaboration, the system should have a good file sharing featuring a central file sharing point with notification capabilities in case of file modification. The file-sharing feature should be well secure to guarantee the safety of the project documents being shared from one point to another.

Fanatical Support: Having someone to help 24/7 with any possible problems that you might encounter while working on a project is indispensable. Always look for a product with highly skilled staff within the construction industry.

Issue Tracking: You should be able to track issues with the problem by documenting them so that stakeholders follow up.

Gantt Charts: As part of scheduling and planning, this component is vital. Gantt charts will give an overview of the project in visual form.

There are two types of project management solutions available in the market: SaaS (Web-based), and On-site solution. Both systems bare their strengths and weaknesses but one thing they all have in common is ensuring that the project gets completed.

Conclusion

By taking some of these thoughts into consideration, there’s a better chance that you end up with the right construction project management software solution. A solution that can end up saving you a lot of time and money. The good thing is that a lot of these software solutions can offer you a demo so you can get a free trial period. Then you can test out if you have found the right software to use or if you need to find another solution.