(Article reprinted with permission by Jim Beadman)

A construction project could turn into a giant headache without the proper organization. The project could run late, the work could be unsatisfactory, and money could potentially be lost. Computers have proven to be great tools for organizing work and the right software can have a striking effect on any business. Organization can make or break a construction business, and it often does. Therefore, it really pays to invest in project management software.

In order to see how such software can help a construction business thrive, it helps to start at the beginning. A business that uses a good software application will be able to keep track of previous estimates and have them handy at all times. No more fumbling through a messy cabinet full of old documents. At the same time, a potential customer is much more likely to trust the services of a construction business that is organized and has the appearance of being so. This is exactly what project management software can offer even before a project commences. When a potential customer is handed a fully computer-generated estimate, construction schedule or rich text construction document (well worded contract, for instance) in a timely fashion, they will be impressed, especially if other companies they're considering didn't go through the trouble of doing that.

Once a customer decides on a business that appears to be organized, it will be up to the business to actually be organized. Project management software is just the tool to meet that goal. Once all projects are entered into the system, there will be no more surprises. The business will know exactly which project are coming up and which need to be given priority. Knowing, in this case, is more than half the battle. It greatly benefits construction to be able to see the bigger picture at a glance.

Such software also connects the individual contractors involved in the job, most of the time through email, fax, or both. When a project is large enough, there may be a great many people to keep in touch with. It can be expensive to have staff whose sole purpose is to keep people notified of their duties. Not only that, it can be prone to human error. The appropriate project management software on the other hand can inform the individuals of their upcoming jobs automatically and reliably via email and fax. The contractors involved in the project may even be able to use the software themselves to contact  management and to see what jobs they have coming up.

As touched on earlier, such management software can also act as a central repository of important documents. It could be especially useful if it can be accessed through the internet. A contractor or client may need to peruse an important document to refresh their memory about certain important details. They could go through the trouble of heading over to the management's office or they can try asking the construction company to take time out of their busy schedule to fax it over. Time and money can be saved by letting the client have access to these important documents through the project management software and the internet.

Ultimately, a construction business is actually at a disadvantage if they don't use all of the available resources at their disposal. If a construction business wants to succeed, they'll make scheduling and project management software a part of their daily operations.

About the Author:

Jim Beadman is the Managing Director of Construction Chemicals UK Ltd, who are experts in their field – from basement conversions for the serious renovator to DIY timber treatment products for protecting your home from insects and mold. With depots around the UK and an in-house chemistry specialist, they are the ideal partners for anyone wishing to undertake a renovation project, amateur or professional. When Jim isn’t working full-time helping people to transform their homes, he uses his experience to create articles which can be found around the Internet and organizes charity events from his home in Leicestershire, UK.

(This article reprinted with permission. Thanks to Josh Groves, President of jobtrio.com, the largest directory of construction contractors on the web. The goal of jobtrio.com is to efficiently connect contractors with consumers who truly value their services.)

Within any company, it is never easy to convince the workforce that a new, technological advancement has made an old way of doing things obsolete. For instance, no matter how my staff tried to explain to me the advantages of the new Windows 7 operating system over XP, I dragged my feet and resisted the change. From my observations, this aversion to technology adoption is far more present in the construction industry than any other major field.

For the most part, construction companies live and die by their continued presence and productivity on the jobsite. Typically, there is little thought given by management to company-wide initiatives or employee training because these acts would necessarily pull the workforce out of the field. Therefore, even if one day of training on a new technology might result in large future gains in employee efficiency, managers usually are not willing to take the risk.

I experienced this first hand as a construction industry Operations Manager for a medium-sized company. Every day I would watch at least thirty minutes get wasted by each employee as they struggled to determine which tasks were to be priorities for the work-day.  The fix seemed simple to me: adopt a basic, web-based system which could allow workers to login and view updated project management information. My estimate was that this system, taking into account training and maintenance, would pay for itself in a matter of a month.

Needless to say, I encountered tremendous resistance from my boss and from all of the workers in the field, and the initiative never got beyond my written proposal. 

This is just one example of what I experienced time and time again -- PDAs, driver GPS, field laptops -- I could never get my company to consider any of these technologies, and, from speaking with others whose businesses rely on their contractor's license, this sort of stone-walling is quite typical.  But, what is to be done? 

My first inclination is to say that until a younger, more tech-savvy generation of contractors who understand the value of technology investments steps into management positions, we aren't likely to see a change anytime soon.  However, if you are dedicated to your company's long-term success, it is wise to fight the good fight, and eventually your supervisors might adopt some of the new, money and time saving technologies which could be key to your company's survival.

10 years ago, you'd be hard pressed to find many residential construction professionals giving serious consideration to desktop construction software. Web-based construction software was in its infancy and contractors were generally reluctant to delve into these unproven digital power tools.

About the time the "dot-com bubble" peaked in early 2000, the founders of BuildIT saw a need for a "mobile office" approach to managing construction businesses. A laptop computer or tablet PC, connected wirelessly to the Internet via an "air card" would give contractors access to their critical business information, job schedules and communications from literally anywhere at any time.

Since then, there has been a convergence of trends that has made web based construction software a hot ticket item.

Convergence of Trends

1. Wireless internet access has expanded to the point of being ubiquitous, and expected.
2. Laptop computers have come way down in price, and up in speed and screen size, and have built in Wi-Fi.
3. Handheld wireless devices such as Blackberries and iPhones are becoming standard issue for mobile construction professionals.
4. Web based construction software tools like BuildIT have been in development for years, building on user feedback from a growing group of "first mover" construction professionals.
5. As we end this decade, those that were still in school during the "dot-com bubble" of 1998 through 2001 are now in project management and supervisory positions; many of them now own their own construction business. And these folks were raised on technology, so web based construction software is a natural fit for them: short learning curves and high adoption.

As for construction scheduling software, it's important to have a rich feature set. However, there is always the risk of ratcheting up the complexity factor too much, to the point of losing those who just want a simple tool to get their job done. When it comes to residential scheduling, there are a host of options available.  Time and time again the feedback we get is that most construction scheduling software is too complex and way beyond what is needed.

Many potential users suffer from "feature shock" after checking out corporate websites, demo versions, and free online trials of construction software – an enormous number of features that literally bog down the user.

BuildIT Advantage

Our approach at BuildIT is simple - we focus on 3 main areas: organization, scheduling and communications.

Organization – Time and time again, searchers that connect with BuildIT say they are looking to get better organized. They understand that a organized and well run business is a profitable one. BuildIT has a logical place for every piece of information on the job.

Scheduling – Our system allows construction professionals to run multiple projects concurrently, and see the schedules for these projects in one view. This gives them the big picture.  And since the system is web based, they can share the schedules with other stakeholders (vendors, subcontractors, clients, design professionals) and realize the benefits of a real-time collaborative tool. Gone are the days when you'd rely solely on a printed schedule.  In residential construction, a printed schedule is generally out of date about an hour after it has been printed!

Communications – It is one thing to create a schedule, it's quite another to make sure the right people get the right scheduling information at the right time. Web based construction scheduling software allows the construction professional to disseminate time sensitive information to their key contacts, in their preferred method of communication – email, fax, text message, or a website "notice board" where assigned tasks, and related files are readily available 24/7.

Current Trends

Some trends we're seeing:

1. Pricing - While "enterprise level" construction software packages (software + setup + training + maintenance + consultants + customization $$$) are priced well above the budgets of most small to midsized (SME) residential construction firms, the web based software companies are jockeying for position for the SME marketplace. Competition from agile players like BuildIT is likely having an impact on boardroom discussions – you're hard pressed these days as a construction software company to get away with charging $1,000's per year (some well over $10K), or hundreds of dollars per project per month when that same customer can get a similar feature set and all the main online scheduling benefits from BuildIT for $85 per month.
2. Schedule creation – Many construction professionals that come to BuildIT are looking for a solution to their problem... today. Rather than mastering a particular software program, what they really want is their problem solved. It's the old adage about the guy who buys a drill bit, but what he really wants is a hole. And their problem is simply this: they need a schedule to satisfy someone – the owner, property manager, design professional, lender, investor, etc. Sometimes, they need this to submit with their bid, and in those instances, time is of the essence. So we offer a service to help them create a schedule, often right there on the spot when they call. They get their problem solved, and they get usage of the web based system, and our support, to help them along the path from "problem solved" to "loyal BuildIT customer".
3. Handheld devices – Construction professionals are mobile. The days of being anchored to a desktop computer are over. With the advent of Blackberries, iPhones and other handheld wireless devices that can access the Internet, the construction professional literally can have his entire business at his fingertips. BuildIT has strategically invested in building a strong, robust application over the years. With the release of version 4.7 in October 2009, we have the underlying architecture and code ready for a new "mobile development" phase, currently underway and to be released first to our lead users in the next couple of months. Users with small handheld devices will be able to more easily access key information in their BuildIT account.
4. Disruptive innovations – There is an emergence of free applications, like Google apps, that offer generic solutions.  Construction professionals who have the time to configure and master these solutions may find some of the benefits they need.  Presently, we’re not seeing anything on the market that fits the specific needs that our customers are demanding: like job-centric organization, related construction timelines, construction-specific terminology, etc. However, the challenge for all construction software companies will be to continually improve their apps, and deliver value which ultimately helps their customers become more efficient and generate greater profits.

BuildIT Systems is a great company (we’re biased) that builds even greater construction scheduling software (so say our customers). We started a lean company while the air was quickly escaping the dot-com bubble to provide SME construction companies with an online scheduling, information management and communications tool. Today, many of our first customers are still with us (thanks, we’re honored, really!), and are joined by construction professionals around the world who want better control of their information, and job scheduling. We get up each day eager to meet our next customer, while servicing the dickens out of our loyal user group.

BuildIT Systems sells BuildIT – a web based application, on a subscription basis. We also do custom software development for clients who use BuildIT… and others. Have an idea you think our team can help you with? Call us.

Scott Hutchinson, CTM (Chief Trend Monitor)
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1

There are literally 1000's of software options for contractors.

You could spend days if not months researching all the different software packages. In the meantime, you've still got a job to do. So software review is often put on the backburner... and months later, you're still in the same position, still plaqued with the same problems, and without the right tool to help you take your business to the next level. 

Save yourself the pain, and the hours. Check this out:

http://issuu.com/builditsystems/docs/construction_software_buyers_guide

Spend a few minutes here and narrow down your choices. If BuildIT looks like it could solve your problems, then click the big green button in the top right of this page, and take the system out for a free test drive.

Scott Hutchinson
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1

There is a lot of "free" software popping up on the Internet. You may have noticed this - you may be using some of it. Or you may be looking for it.

But what about "free construction software"?

Consider: a software company invests time, a lot of $$, and has programmers, support staff and perhaps commissioned sales staff - and they're offering you something free. What's the catch? Why would such an animal be offered?

I think it's because they're kind, and want to give back to the industry, and want to offer you something with no strings attached.

Rubbish.

They want users. And they want to convert those users, at some point, to "paid customers". Otherwise, what's the point? They're in business to make money. They need revenue - it's gotta come from somewhere.

You have a product. You have a customer. In the middle of that, there has to be a "price", or there's no revenue.

And if it's totally free, the full version - you have to ask yourself some questions, like "how good is this", "what about support", "will it meet my needs", "is it worth the risk to spend time figuring this out, have my team run off it, only to discover later it's buggy, or deficient in some way"?

Some software companies may lure you into a free "limited" version of their software. But who wants to be limited? You get to see part of the picture only, then realize later that you actually need to "upgrade" to get the functionality you need. Can you say "bait and switch"?

Think about it. You're in business to make money. If you're a contactor, you "contract" to do something, get paid a fair dollar for the time and materials you put into the project. This is your livelihood. Can you imagine offering to do a job for free, or expect your subcontractor to do a job for you, for free? Shouldn't you expect that a software system you need to move your business forward, or solve some critical business problems, is worth investing in?

Enough is written about the "service" side of software. It's one thing to have a CD, or access to a web based application, it's quite another thing to get your questions answered, your problems solved. And the best way to do that is still picking up the phone, and talking to someone who can help. Try calling BuildIT at 1-866-585-5050 ext 1 and test us - we'll answer the phone, 7 days a week (or if you call us in the middle of the night North America time, you'll get a return call within hours).

As for "best", "best in breed", or "the construction industry's #1 software"... words are cheap. I actually read about a new kid on the block, a construction software company with a funny name. They are still in beta, have a few contractors apparently that are testing their system, and claim these contractors are "beta testing what can only be described as the best construction management software ever made".  Yikes - they don't even have a product available to the market yet, and somehow, they're the best. I'll give them top marks for self-affirmation, but really - it's not what they think about their software that matters.

The "best" construction software package is the one that you choose, use and get huge value from. The tragedy is the construction firm that spends $5 - $10K on a software product that never gets used. What a waste, and we see that all the time. That would buy a great vacation, why waste it?

Get some success under your belt before you buy. Take advantage of a free test drive. Make sure you understand the guarantee, if they have one. Ours is simple - if you don't think BuildIT is the best fit for your team in the first 30 days of being a customer, we'll refund your subscription, and part as friends. Period.

For the record, we've been around since 2000. We don't claim to be the best, or #1 anything (but many of our customers would make that claim about us ... see what they have to say on our proof page). But we have talked to 1000's of you over the years, have a loyal following of customers getting success with BuildIT, and have online scheduling, file management and communications nailed, with user feedback driving new development every week.

Wondering if BuildIT is "the best" for you? Take the next step - click the big green "Free Trial" button in the top right.

Scott Hutchinson (whose favorite numbers are 16 digits long and starting with a 4 or 5 !!)
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1

Most software is designed for businesses that:

• sell goods and services from one or more fixed physical location(s)
• operate on a transactional basis (one sale at a time, one after the other)
• have the same staff working day in, day out

Construction is different; it is a "manufacturing industry" that is:

• mobile
• works on a job-by-job basis
• works in multiple locations
• works with different people on each job

So, it is critical that information is managed, organized, scheduled, and communicated in an entirely different way on a job-by-job basis, accessible from multiple locations by the people that need to see it.

Software systems designed for "regular" businesses are simply not well suited for construction businesses.

To understand the three most common types of construction software (and the very big gap), click here...

Over the next 10 - 15 years, 2/3 of all private business owners will be looking to sell out and retire. These 'baby boomer' businesses have only one place to look for buyers - the next generation.

However, the next generation has fewer people - that means a lot more businesses than buyers.

Whenever supply is greater than demand, prices are forced down. That means many businesses will never sell; they'll just close - not much reward for a lifetime of work.

What ingredient will set businesses apart from the crowd? What will make them sell faster and at a higher price?

Sure they'll have customers and be profitable (but so will businesses that don't sell). The magic ingredient is that they'll have good business systems in place - which will help them sell, while competitors shut their doors and close forever.

Construction software systems help businesses sell because buyers find business with good systems very attractive. If you were buying a business, which would you rather buy? A business with organized predictable ways of doing things or one without?

Systems create lasting value because the seller has a well oiled machine to hand over to the new owner - a predictable working systematized business.

Systems are the same magic ingredient that make franchise businesses and retail chain stores dominate.

More on the advantages of systems for contractors...

More on the advantages of tapping into proven business systems...

More on the advantages of web based construction software systems...

Web-based construction software is more user-friendly than conventional software.

A lot of work is done behind the scenes - and that makes it easier for you and the people you work with to use it.

• access Job information anywhere, anytime through the internet
• no software to install (just access it thru the web)
• no software to upgrade or maintain (it's done for you)
• no data to back up (it's done for you)
• no hardware to maintain (it's done for you)
• no expensive computer networking required (the web is the worlds best computer network)
• automatic virus protection and spam filtering (it's done for you)
• located in high security facilty managed by a professional technical team

Access and manage your business information from:

• home
• office
• site office
• a customers home
• while on the road (with a wireless air card)
• at many coffee shops and restuarants (with a wireless connection)
• while traveling (even on vacation)
• an interent cafe on the other side of the planet

With BuildIT's web-based system computer headaches are a thing of the past. It's like having your own team of high tech professionals taking care of your construction software systems - for a fraction of the cost.

More on the advantages of business systems for contractors...

The three types of construction software (and the big freaken gap)...

More on the advantages of tapping into proven business systems for contractors...