8 Advantages of Using Construction Project Management Software
Managing a construction project is a challenging task. To achieve your milestones, you must focus on each construction activity, from planning to closure. That’s why investing in a construction project manager software like Bridgit is a way to streamline construction management.
You will find many construction management software available online. Each software provides a unique value, but all of them serve a common purpose, i.e., to efficiently execute and manage a construction project using technology.
This article will tell you about eight advantages of using construction management software.
Easy planning
Planning is the first and most important step in construction. Without planning, you can’t start a construction project or finish it. Even small-scale construction works need planning, which covers the following areas:
- Scheduling – Making a project timeline according to each construction activity.
- Budgeting – Allocating budgeting to the construction teams and tracking financial activities.
- Communication – Establishing real-time communication with all the project members.
- Documentation – Documenting everything related to the contract, project scope, master schedule, and risk plans.
You can plan your project using construction management software, as it can give you multiple suggestions on how you should proceed with construction. Project planning is a vast feature that includes every construction activity.
So, it would be best if you collaborated with other project stakeholders even when you planned your project using the construction software.
Simpler scheduling
Project scheduling refers to making a timeline and assigning tasks to each construction team. While using construction management software for scheduling, you can break the project goals into milestones.
After that, you can make separate schedules for those milestones and distribute all the timelines to the respective team leaders. Construction management software also allows you to make a master project schedule, which includes the following:
- Detailed project timeline;
- Construction activities;
- Project scope;
However, it would be best to collaborate with construction managers and contractors before making the project schedule using the software. You must consider their opinions and give inputs to the system to schedule the project keeping everyone in the loop.
Optimized resource utilization
Do you know that 60% of construction project stakeholders consider poor resource management as the biggest challenge? Although project managers and contractors oversee resource management, other stakeholders are also responsible for this challenge.
However, you can optimize construction resource utilization using construction management software. The software has a separate feature that focuses on resource utilization.
Using that feature, you can do the following with the resources:
- Track utilization – You can check the utilization of particular equipment and devise an operational plan to reduce resource wastage.
- Check status – You can check the equipment’s status to see whether it’s working fine or needs maintenance/repair.
- Generate report – You can generate equipment status reports to prepare the alternate option in case of equipment failure.
Construction management software can help you save money by optimizing resource utilization.
Better budgeting
Budgeting is one of the critical factors for construction companies. They bargain with the project owner or client to create a win-win situation. However, they must quickly make a budgeting document in the bidding proposal phase, and they can’t do that manually.
That’s why construction companies need reliable construction management software to provide quick resource utilization and schedule estimates. That software has the latest construction costs like wages, equipment renting, concreting, and procurement. You only have to give the system project type and important construction dates referring to the activities.
The software will run the financial algorithms to generate a construction budget document in a sharable format. So, you can attach that document with the bidding proposal and share it with the client.
Real-time communication
Using construction management software connects every project member on a single platform. Almost every software has this feature, allowing people to join the construction project and establish real-time communication.
Communication is independent of space and time, which means project members can virtually connect regardless of when and where. However, they must have an internet connection with a compatible system (PC, laptop, or smartphone).
The real-time communication feature enables users to invite others to their construction activity. For example, a construction designer in the office can connect with the civil engineer at the construction site. Both members must connect online and then start working on the task.
Documents sharing
Construction management software allows you to share documents with the stakeholders. This feature is common in all construction software, and you can share documents freely, even in the beta versions.
Some documents must remain confidential, and to do so, you can change the document access and keep it hidden from the users. After that, you must personally invite only the relevant users to view that document.
The document-sharing feature also enables users to make real-time changes in the document. For example, designers and engineers can make changes to an architectural document. The change history will be saved in the document’s online database, which you can access anytime.
Integration with subcontractors
It’s important to keep the subcontractors in the project network. You can do that using the construction management software and invite the subcontractors in the respective groups.
However, it would help if you remembered that only the relevant subcontractors join the communication channel. Uninvited users might breach the project’s confidentiality and hurt the company’s credibility.
You can also protect the private channels using a password so that not everyone can access the secret conversations.
Accurate project management
Sound project management is not successful without sharing information with the right stakeholder. So, you can equip your company with the right construction management tool and make informed decisions throughout the project.
Another aspect of accurate project management is you can keep every project member updated about the change requests. That way, you can make the required changes in due time and efficiently deliver the project milestones to the client.
Conclusion
The above advantages of using construction project management software clearly define the importance of technology in the industry. You can reduce the workforce and eventually project costs by using the right software for construction management. So, subscribe to the best construction management software and boost your construction business today.