Starting Your Own Construction Business? Here’s Why Construction Project Management Software Should Be a Priority.

Starting your own construction business is exciting. It’s also scary. 

There are so many different aspects of getting a trade contracting business off the ground that it is easy to get overwhelmed and lose sight of why you were so excited in the first place. The keys to success are to take a deep breath and create a detailed, actionable business plan.

“A well-thought business plan can guide you through the launch process and ensure that every aspect of your construction company is budgeted for,” explains Mike Enright, operations manager at Wolters Kluwer. 

While completing this task may seem difficult on the surface, it doesn’t have to be. “Your business plan can be as extensive or simple as you feel is needed,” writes Enright. What matters most is that it is comprehensive. 

To achieve that end, one item that absolutely must be addressed in your plan is the technology tools you will use to help you run your business as efficiently as possible. A project documentation management solution, like eSUB, should be at the top of that list.  

Project Documentation is Critical to Your Business’ Success

How you control your construction project documents matters. 

“Document control is an integral part of efficient construction project management,” writes Ravindra Ambegaonkar, marketing manager at NY Engineers. If you don’t have “complete, accurate, and accessible records,” your projects “may suffer from major setbacks,” he notes. That risk is particularly high if you use manual document control processes.

Manual Document Control Causes Problem

The purpose of documentation in construction is to compile and track project information so that you can ensure projects are on time and on budget. Good document control also helps you make good business decisions. You can’t do any of these things well if you are using physical binders and multiple spreadsheets as your data repositories. 

That’s because the only person with access to real-time project data is the one in possession of these documents. Everyone else’s data is outdated for as long as it takes for the owner to submit their documents and for that information to be stored or shared with all project stakeholders. It’s also nearly impossible to compile and analyze historical data when information is being held in different places. 

Consequently, business and project decisions may be made using bad data. That’s why “real-time data collection is critical in the construction industry,” writes Ben Sparhawk, marketing account manager at Stevens Engineers and Constructors. “Real-time data collection enhances decision-making,” he adds.

Poor document management also leads to productivity losses. “When a business doesn’t have streamlined document workflows, employees lose valuable time every day to process inefficiencies,” writes RTG Solutions Group. “Poor processes create redundancies, errors, bottlenecks, confusion, and frustration. All these things impair business productivity. This, in turn, hurts your bottom line.”

The only way to avoid these problems and create maximum efficiency in document management is to use digital tools designed for that purpose.

“Accessibility is a crucial tenet of document control,” writes Stonemark Construction Management. “Documents should be available to everyone who needs them when they need them. To this end, you must equip your team with the right technology.”

The Right Construction Project Management Solution is an Invaluable Business Asset, Especially for a New Company

Planning ahead to implement a construction project management platform from the start will help you avoid document control chaos and get your new business started on the right track. It’s a critical step in your business plan that will help ensure your company’s long-term success. 

With the right software, you can build a sustainable business by increasing productivity, increasing profit margins, improving operation, and bringing in new business.   

Technology Increases Productivity

Productivity is a critical component in a successful construction business. You need your team members to be able to maximize the time they spend on project-specific tasks in order to meet often-tight project deadlines so you can stay profitable. 

That’s nearly impossible to do when they have to spend hours each day on administrative tasks, like document management. They sacrifice key time that can otherwise be spent completing the highly-skilled work you hired them to do when they have to manually fill in, seek out, and submit documents. 

Construction project management software streamlines and optimizes document workflows, automates some administrative processes, and facilitates access to real-time documents and data so your teams can complete administrative tasks quickly and efficiently and get back to doing profitable, project-specific work. 

“Connecting data and document workflows in real-time results in smoother projects, increased efficiency, and improved profitability for your organization,” writes sustainable architect Forough Farhadi at Neuroject. 

Digital Tools Streamline Operations

In order to build a profitable construction business, you must be able to streamline your operations. If your processes are clunky, all aspects of your business will be chaotic and inefficient. 

That’s the struggle Monarch Mechanical faced before implementing eSUB. The company was using outdated, manual project management methods that were time-consuming, error prone, and inefficient.   

“When I got here, not a single job was in line … it was chaos,” says Jason Yano, director of operations. “They used to just dump all their sent emails for a job onto the server with no labeling,” he explains. “So it just was basically the same file labeled with a 1234 or 5 at the end … sometimes 100 different pieces of communication.”

He quickly realized they needed organization.

Construction project management software provides the level of organization and operational efficiencies Yano was seeking. eSUB facilitated a vital transition from the fragmented and manual processes to a centralized, automated system which was instrumental in streamlining operations for Monarch Mechanical.

The Right Software Helps Grow Your Business

You don’t start a new company with an expiration date; you start it with longevity in mind. When your people are more productive and your operations are more efficient, you have the bandwidth to take on more projects, increasing the profitability and sustainability of your company. 

To win those new projects, you need the historical data that construction project management software can provide. Because the technology centralizes the data, historical data is at your fingertips. You can use it to create more realistic and competitive bids so you win more profitable projects. 

That’s a big reason why Ground Breakers Construction started using eSUB. The tool has the capabilities to help the company scale for growth. 

“Over time we will be able to use our historical data to help us bid better, know our strengths, and know what we need to improve,” says Chief Operating Officer Marty Siebe. “It also gives us a competitive advantage over any other subcontractor still using paper; being able to have live, up-to-the-minute data in the palm of your hand is essential.”

Your New Business Needs Construction Project Management Software

The critical lesson here is don’t underestimate the importance of document control and data management to construction projects. 

“Disregarding document control spells trouble in construction,” asserts Stealth Mode cofounder Chris Lee. “By giving document control the attention it deserves, construction companies can significantly enhance their profitability, project outcomes, and stand out in a competitive market.”

As you plan your new company and the technology that will help you build it, be sure to prioritize construction project management software so you maximize efficiencies from the beginning. For trade contractors, the best tool for the job is eSUB.

Schedule a demo of eSUB Cloud today to learn more about why its software is a critical asset for your new construction business.

Images used under license from Shutterstock.com.