7 Ways Residential Construction Project Management Software Can Work for You
Residential construction project management software streamlines tasks and helps you keep track of projects and personnel. Whether you need accounting or scheduling management, project management solutions offer many options that make a contractor’s job easier. What features you need will determine what software works best for you, however, there are certain features that are useful across the board to every contractor looking to manage their business more efficiently.
Here are the seven most essential features your construction management software should include to ensure it will give you the most functionality to manage your projects even better.
Accounting
Accounting features are crucial, especially if you don’t have someone handling your accounting for you. You should make sure these include budgeting, invoicing, billing, payroll and cash flow options. The costs of every construction project need to be watched closely, especially as the project moves along, and it’s even better when it integrates with your accounting software. Automation of functions is also very important to a construction program. Accounts payable, account receivable, work orders and payroll should all be adjustable depending on the client and the job at hand.
Job Costing
Your home building construction project management system needs to be able to set standard rates for all types of services your company offers, and explain the cost for each employee, contractor, production manager and supervisor. Tracking time and expenses, managing project timelines, generating purchase order or creating invoices and producing actionable data are just a few of the job costing functions that are necessary in good software.
Service Management
Managing dispatched work orders, assigning assets and equipment, creating and maintaining schedules, managing contractors, booking new jobs … the list of responsibilities for CPMs goes on and on, and project management software needs to help. Scheduling features may seem simple, but they remain helpful whenever you need to organize your days and jobs most efficiently and keep track of your teams’ activities.
Construction Project Management
Some contractors prefer separate project management functionality, allowing them to have an overview of their projects, but also to focus on and keep track of every small detail. Even a management team might have a hard time planning resources, tracking project management, managing and integrating new client requests, gathering teams for collaboration, scheduling or changing timelines and tracking any issues that may come up on their own. Good management
Job Scheduling
Job scheduling is a function of construction management software that helps with scheduling tasks, balancing workload (including rebalancing unforeseeable delays) and updating everyone on project timing. This function should also be able to layout a project timeline and assign employees or subs, create reminders for all staff in the office and on the jobs and adjust the schedule as the project dictates.
Document and Photo Management
All the information and data in construction management can be more than the company is able to handle, especially when it falls on a small team. Document and photo management is an essential functionality for managing a more paperless office. The resources of a construction company are also far greater and more intricate than most companies are equipped to handle without a little assistance. The most crucial feature? Unlimited storage. With so many projects going on at one time, construction companies need a platform that can handle the amount of documents and photos they’ve got floating around.
Mobile Capabilities
Businesses today need construction management software that can work across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile platforms. The ability for all employees to access cloud-based project data whether in the office or at the job site cannot be undervalued. Successful project management leads to more jobs and revenue.
In particular, managing the needs of remodeling residential construction projects can be challenging, as you need to consider the home’s residents in your decision-making. A delayed remodeling job could cost your clients more money. The increased capabilities that web-based remodeling software project management offers can further enable reviewing project conditions, schedules, deadline changes, job progress and new client input in a way that reduces the stress on the homeowner. All of these aspects can help the company complete more projects on time and budget.
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Are you ready to start using the top construction management software in the industry, trusted by more than 1 million construction business owners across the globe? Contact Buildertrend today to learn how we can help.