Spreadsheets and messaging apps are the most popular digital tools at construction sites – but that doesn’t make them the best.
Excellent construction management tools boost collaboration and communication on-site, improving productivity, quality and safety. It can be hard to find the right software for your needs with so many options available. Ease this by comparing the six types of tools below. 👇
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The best construction project management software eliminates guesswork and helps you manage and track your projects quickly and visually.
✅ Get a general overview of all your projects in one place.
✅ Understand the progress of the schedule and budget.
✅ Check that all the management tasks are taken care of and that, for example, design, procurement, and resource management activities align with execution.
❌ Manage the entire production process with just one tool. Combining things like scheduling, cost control, task lists, and communication into a project management tool will most likely lead to problems.
❌ Execute bottom-up management. Most project management tools are built for the people at the office, not to support the everyday work on-site.
Schedules should be at the core of site management as they tell you what happens, where, and when. With this information, everything else, like progress tracking, reporting, site management, condition management, and logistics, is ten times easier. So, if you are still building rough schedules on a spreadsheet, switch to software.
✅ Quickly plan a schedule for your project.
✅ Manage a simple project where the schedule doesn’t have hundreds of tasks.
✅ Share the master schedule with all stakeholders.
❌ Create a detailed schedule for a complex project.
❌ Keep everyone informed about changes.
❌ Share task lists with the crew.
Construction project tracking software helps ensure your project is completed on schedule, keeps everyone on task and helps you swiftly address any roadblocks that come up.
✅ Share up-to-date task lists with the crews.
✅ Report roadblocks and discuss them.
✅ Track progress and quality at the site and create punch/snag lists.
❌ Share the real tasks being done. Task lists often don’t match the schedule. To make them work together, you need to link your task lists to the main schedule. Jobsite management tools usually can’t do this.
❌ Connect the punch list with progress tracking. Again, the challenge arises from not being able to combine the data. Knowing what to do next is not tricky.
❌ Handle all activities. Separate realities of job site management solutions and project management software lead to more frustration.
Reality capture solutions in construction refer to technologies and methods used to digitally document and model the physical environment of a construction site using data captured from the field. These solutions typically involve 3D laser scanning (LiDAR), photogrammetry, drone aerial surveys, and 360-degree photography.
✅ Document what has been the situation at the site on a specific day
✅ Produce a digital twin of the building.
❌ Manage the actual activities at the site. Sending someone to check the site and compare results with Building Information Modeling (BIM) takes time.
(Usually, BIM is not even done on a proper level of detail that matches the exact components that must be built. Yes, you can see if you are missing a wall or windows. But then again, I’d rather worry about having all the parts of the water pipes in place so as not to get any leakages.)
Construction ERP software helps organize project details and automate tasks. This software creates cost and schedule reports using project information.
✅ Standardise your production activities across the whole portfolio.
✅ Manage your supply chain activities.
✅ Manage overall resources for your organization.
❌ Define actual schedules for projects.
❌ Use data from the site. Training everyone on-site to use complex software like this is challenging.
❌ Ensure exact, punctual deliveries to the sites.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all these key features were available in one solution? Switching to production management from regular project management will make your construction business thrive.
✅ Continuously improve your production lead times, quality and budget performance and ensure high-standard delivery.
✅ Take advantage of popular planning methods like Gantt charts, Takt, and Line of Balance.
✅ Connect your production management data to other systems, such as accounting and logistics.
Sitedrive is the only tool available that can do it all.
▶️ Get a demo of Sitedrive
❌ Organize your documents and design files. A production management system focuses on what actually happens. If you need a good folder system for all your files, consider using something like Trimble Connect, Autodesk Cloud, or M-files. Just make sure all files are linked to the production management system.
❌ Build a control room for company-level business operations. If that’s what you need, look for Business Intelligence Solutions.
❌ Track down all your contacts, clients, and projects. This is much easier to do in a CRM system. CRM tells you to whom you agreed to deliver what and when, but the production management system will make it possible to deliver what was promised.
Here are a few things you should consider when looking for the right digital construction tools for managing the site:
Here’s a quick recap of what you need for construction management – everything on purple is essential:
➡️ Read how the right digital toolset can help you increase your construction company’s investor appeal
We would love to show you how Sitedrive works & simultaneously discuss what type of digital toolset your construction firm should have to save time and money. You can also get a free trial to test Sitedrive out yourself!
Book a demo of Sitedrive