Five Reasons Why Corporate Management Should Utilize Construction Software

On a weekly basis, how many times has your corporate management team asked you any of these questions:

— What is the status of this project?

— Is the project over budget or behind schedule?

— Who is responsible for <insert name of task or project here>?

It may only take you a few of minutes for you to log in to your construction management software, gather the pertinent information, and complete a summary report. While it might seem small, when you add up those minutes across multiple projects and project managers, it becomes a large amount. Think about all the time better spent by empowering corporate management to utilize the construction software themselves.

However, your corporate management team is not going to sign off on using the construction software just to save you time and make your life easier. You need to paint the big picture of how it will save them time and make their life easier. You need to paint the big picture of the value that construction management software brings them directly. Below are examples of how using construction software helps corporate management achieve their big picture goals and support the growth strategy of the company.

Culture of collaboration increases productivity

By creating a central, cloud-based repository of project information, construction management software breaks down silos and improves the communication between employees. Jobsite activity is available in real-time for office employees to view. Jobsite activity, document approvals, schedule tracking, resource management – all this information is at everyone’s fingertips with construction software. When corporate management uses construction software for themselves, they no longer need to take time away from their employees to gather the information. Communication between all levels of the organization improves. The distance is lessened and communication is streamlined to foster productive collaboration between employees in the field and the office. When teams collaborate well on projects by sharing information in a timely manner, productivity increases.

Productive employees move projects forward

From digital paperwork to automated workflows, construction software improves productivity of field and office employees in several different ways. No longer are employees spending hours manually completing, searching, and transporting paperwork. The field team can move forward and spend that time building, the accounting team can move away from clerical data entry, and the project management team spends that time working on projects. Time spent on productive tasks projects move projects forward in a timely manner.

Documentation control avoids claims

If there is anything that construction executives wish to avoid it is claims and litigation. Construction software is critical in capturing data and documenting activity to ensure that the company receives payment for work completed. Daily reports, lost hour tracking, and change orders are just a few critical pieces of documentation. These are important to subcontractors in order to receive payment and avoid claims. Construction software will be a wiser investment to avoid claims than the exorbitant fees for claims consultants or lawyers.

Transparency keeps employees accountable

Construction software provides all employees complete visibility of project status, outstanding tasks, and task assignments. With such transparency, employees become more accountable on their task assignments. When corporate management has questions or concerns they can go directly to the source instead of having to have meetings, exchange emails, or make phone calls. In order to minimize those questions or concerns, employees tend to perform their tasks better and faster since with their name publicly attached to the task.

Data-driven decision making drives growth

The beauty of construction software is the capture of valuable data. Data for tracking, reporting, and analyzing. Data to determine if your team is working towards key performance indicators. Management can track hours for labor efficiency or determine if additional head count is needed. Labor productivity and job cost information determines which labor activities and projects are more profitable or not profitable to the company. No longer would management be making decisions from their gut. Decisions would be made based on important data captuered and analyzed thoroughly.

Corporate management may seem disinterested and too busy to use construction software themselves. Especially executives who do not believe the software is of value to them.  When you demonstrate the tangible and intangible benefits that the corporate management team receives from its use, it will be hard from the to argue against their own empowerment. When corporate management utilizes construction software, it will have a positive impact on their people, projects, and profits. Convince them of these important benefits and you will no longer have to spend time completing status reports.

Resources:

Salesforce – 5 Benefits of Using Project Management Software