These programs are said to be free. I haven’t “vetted” them. Check them out before you download:

RationalPlan Project Server

A Ruler For Windows

Ace Project

Microsoft Project Viewer

I’ve been in construction for over 20 years. When I look at all the web sites for different construction software, I ask myself, if I were new to this where would I begin?  This is an intro to that process.

The problem:

There are hundreds of programs out there. Ask yourself these questions to help sort out what you need

1)          Are you a General Contractor?

2)         Are you a Subcontractor?

3)         Do you need Quantity Take Off software?

4)         Do you need Estimating software?

5)         Do you need Bid Management capability?

6)         Do you need Project Management?

7)         Do you need Accounting?

8)         Do you need Job Costing?

9)         Do you need Document Control?

10)         Do you want your data to be stored In-House or On-Line?

11)         Is your company union or prevailing wage or is it open shop?

The solution:

You may be tempted to think that you want everything.  However, it is important to examine what your company really needs to:

1. Work more efficiently
2. Increase profitability
3. Increase the scope of work that you can manage

Look at the systems you have in place now? Do you need to scrap what you have or should you augment what you have?

Give some serious thought to the categories of the software that you need. It’s a matter of matching what you need with the software that will meet that need.

Sort what you need into categories on a spreadsheet and then sort the available software into categories. This will narrow down your choices.

Keep in mind, the more that a program offers, the more it costs. It is possible to spend too much money getting software that is too complex for your operation.

Software can be highly specialized and won’t be appropriate for your company. Other packages are very expensive and aren’t appropriate for the size of your company or for the complexity of the work that you do.

A concrete company will have different needs than a general contractor. An architect’s needs differ from an engineer’s.

A general contractor that subs out all his work will have different requirements than a general contractor that does a lot of work in-house.

A company that does prevailing wage work will differ from one that does residential or commercial work.

Quickly eliminate programs that are not for you and focus on the programs that will work for you.

Keep working your spreadsheet and before long, your construction project management software solution will come into focus.

Construction Project Management Software seems to come in two varieties these days, either Web Based or company computer based. To some the idea of having your data on somebody else’s server, Web Based might sound a little risky. But, there are numerous advantages to Web Based software:

A)  Security It is not unlikely that you are already using web based software in your life, now. Yahoo mail, Google mail, You Tube, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are all web based. Web based software is pretty common these days. Software companies  recognize the need to keep your company data confidential and secure. They do that through redundant back ups, encryption and password access. Is it perfect?  Probably not. But having your data on a computer, in your office, vulnerable to theft, fire, malfunction or vandalism isn’t perfect either. It’s a risk/gain, trade-off thing. In my book, it’s probably the safer alternative.

B) Universal Access:  Management, design team, field guys, clients, office and construction staff can all access the same data base. Anywhere there is internet access, you can log-on. There are no multiple copies, integration problems. Everybody is working on the same data set. Access can be granted on a need to know basis. Clients can access client focused files, Field Staff can input documents, view/change the  schedule and review budgets. Office staff can enter accounting related information and the design team can access design, schedule and coordination files. Management decides who sees what. This brings a whole new level of integration possibilities. The design team will enjoy their integration in the development/construction process. Field staff productivity will be facilitated by having access to what they need.

C) Backup: By Storing your data on a central server, backup of your data and your programs is scheduled automatically. Back up occurs redundantly on geographically separated servers. You generally have the option of downloading a data set to your own computer for additional security. Chances are that no matter how you intend to back up your data on your own server on a regular basis, for many firms, it’s not really happening. Then when backed up, where do you put the backup data, where it is firesafe and burgler proof. Mine usually ended up in my briefcase, which wasn’t the most secure location.

D) Installation and Updating: Software companies develop and update their programs on an on-going, full time basis. When you install software on your company computer the responsibility for installing and updating the software often lies with your company staff or consultants. On a web based program that’s all done for you. You just sign up and log in. Updating occurs on a continual basis, not once a year. Do you want to add a module, no problem, it’s done for you. This saves your staff time and frustration.

E) Payment Plans:   Web Based software is often paid for with monthly, ongoing payments. Your management software expense becomes like a utility bill. You are paying for a service rather than a product.

Overall, if you have good internet access, I’d recommend the Web-based alternative. Your construction project management software data is more secure, less trouble, more integrated and readily accessible by those with you wish to include in the management circle.

This article will spell out the four steps you need to take to choose the right software for your company.

Step 1:  Figure out what it is you need to be efficient.

The First thing to do is to talk to people.  A lot of what you need in software is probably a solution to the part of the construction management process that is frustrating you right now.  Depending on your role in the company, what it is that is bugging you, is going to be different?

If you are the project manager in the office, you’re going to have different frustrations than the superintendent at the site. Accounting will have different concerns than estimating. Estimating will definitely have some concerns. Recovering cost data from previous work is always a big plus for an estimator.

So go take a survey. Have some lunches with your key people. Brainstorm. What would make these people’s lives easier? What will improve their efficiency?  What will increase the potential capability of your company?  Don’t just talk to your managers; while your office manager may have the big picture, talk to your clerical staff, they are the ones entering data.

I once worked in an office where the business owner marched in with a new program. Everything was going on the computer. Some salesman had sold him! It doubled the work in the office. First you did what you always did, then you put it in the computer. He should have talked to us. After a month we dumped the program.

What will make it possible for your firm to do more work, or more complex projects, or work in a bigger geographic area? Maybe you don’t increase your work volume, but you increase your efficiency, decrease your cost and increase your profit. What will make your life more fun and less stressful? These questions are a good start to figure out what you need this software to be able to do.

The solution has got to fit the problem. Choose the software that best suits your operation. Software can be broken down into four categories.

A)         Microsoft Excel. Ok, there are other spreadsheet programs, but this is the big one.  For many projects you can get a lot done with Excel. Contacts, lists, schedule, estimates. I’d draw the line at accounting, but you can do that with QuickBooks. These programs are not that expensive and they can go a long way to help a simple operation get organized.

B)          You can acquire individual software packages to do separate tasks. Plan Swift does a great job of doing on screen takeoffs. American Contractor provides a lot more sophisticated accounting. Microsoft Project will work for your scheduling. These or other programs are a great upgrade from just using Excel, without the expense of buying a big package.

C)          The next step is the integrated construction project management software packages for medium sized companies. This is one program that does a bunch of things. You can get packages that will do your estimating, accounting and job costing. And, will integrate this information  to facilitate future bids, profit analysis, efficiency studies, etc. You can manage documents and create and monitor your schedule. Sometimes these packages are sold in modules so you can get just the features that best suit your operation.

D)         Now we are talking about the big dogs in the project management software arena. These programs are for the huge, complex firms doing a lot of sizable work, scattered over a big area. This is Halliburton scale software.

So, when looking at software, concentrate on the package that is scaled for your business. If you’re the one-man shop, don’t waste your time looking at the big dogs.

Ok, now you have an idea of what you need your software to do, it’s time to do some research into what different software packages offer. I’m going to skip reviewing Excel and QuickBooks here and go on to the software packages.

A)         Go on-line, punch in “construction project management software”. You will be presented with this web site as well as a bunch of others. Most are web sites for software companies. Start checking them out. Get an idea of what they do and what they cost.

Start a spreadsheet to record your observations. What will the software: do, cost, take to implement, what is the software company staff’s attitude, anything, and everything? Put it all on a common spreadsheet so you can visualize which software offers which advantages.

B)         Make some calls, talk to the sales people, ask for demonstrations. They can do this by presenting their computer screen on your monitor, while they talk to you on the phone.  They can walk you through the whole program. Are there free trial periods available so you can play with the software? When you start narrowing down what will be right for you, go back for another demonstration to see what you missed. Try doing entries yourself Take notes! Features, price, write it all down on your spreadsheet.

Get the sales staff to document all the costs associated with this product? This should include: Initial costs, ongoing maintenance costs, upgrades, annual tax tables, phone support, training and help with implementation. Know what your costs will be before you commit.

Go through the list, you will get quite an education just going through the demonstrations. You will learn about capabilities that you didn‘t know were available. Note the sales people’s attitude. Is this somebody you want to work with? Do these people care what you need or are they just focusing on selling you what they have? Consider what this software will do for you vs. how much it will cost. This change is supposed to be making you more profitable.

C)         Consider implementation.  Once you’ve narrowed down your choice ask yourself, will your staff utilize this software?         How will they like it?  What do they think of it?  Get a demonstration done where your key staff can be part of it.  It is important to get your staff’s buy-in before you make your final decision. You want them to embrace this change, to be excited about it.

D)         Get references from the salespeople for others that have implemented this program. Call them; go see the program in action. Benefit from their experience with this management tool.

E)         What will you have to do to get up and running?  Is there training available?  Is there help available to get the program set up? What is support like? Are there consultants available, in your area, to help you solve set up problems?

This is the time to go get a cup of coffee and think about it. Sleep on it! Talk it over. Have a meeting. Go over your choices.  Not to add to the pressure, but there’s a lot at stake here. You are going to spend some significant cash and invest a boatload of time getting this program up to speed.

On one hand there’s the question, what’s the cheapest way to get the management that I need? And, on the other hand, what is going to serve me best, both now and in the future.

Go over your spreadsheet. Review the product literature.  Call up the salespeople and check out that point that concerns you. Review the assumptions you made about what you need and what you are getting. Call another reference.

There’s going to be times, when integrating this software into your operations when you will hit a snag and will need somebody to come fix it. Contact your support person and be sure they are capable,they  have sufficient staff, the expense is reasonable and they are people you want to work with.

Now it’s time to make the call. It’s up to you. You don’t want a salesperson to be the decider. You the boss! You “The Man”! Or, “The Woman”! Where is your company going?  Where do you want it to go?  What will help you to get there? Make your decision and get to work on implementation.

Wrapping it up:

Having the decision behind you is a relief. You know what you’ve signed up for. You know what the task ahead is. You know what you need to do. You’re starting a new era in construction project management. Software can be your friend. It will help you be efficient and help you make better decisions.

You can spend more time with your head up looking to the future than with your head down, looking in the files. Take the time to really master this software. Make it your helpful assistant. Have fun making it perform for you, get everything you can out of it. It’s your life and your business!

An example of other On-Line computer applications would be You Tube or Face book or Yahoo mail or Google Mail. On-Line applications are getting used all over the place.

Which is the best way to go?  It really depends on a couple of factors. The advantage of having your data On-Site is that you can feel that you have control over who can see that data and you can access it without having Internet access.

The advantages of having On-Line storage are numerous. The data is backed up and redundantly stored, so no worries about computer failure.  Your software provider updates the software automatically.  The data is accessible to employees regardless of where they are.

So, Your PM in San Diego can be entering information to the same database that you are using in San Francisco. There are no duplicated or non-current files. Everybody is working on the same database, the same page. Everything is on-line. Some programs allow you to scan and store hard copy on line. You can upload bids, estimates, documentation, and photos.

You can grant partial access to your customers to check job progress or see job photos, partial access to subcontractors for coordination or schedule issues and graduated access to employees depending on their level of management.

Data files are password protected, so the chances of your data falling into the wrong hands is more an issue of who has been granted access and who they have passed their password on to.

On-Line software really offers a lot. However it is limited by Internet access and speed. If you are working at a remote site, you may have to wait until you get back to Starbucks or the Internet cafe before you can access your database files.

Each Software package will offer different capabilities that you can access On-Line.  If you have a far flung operation. This approach to software could be a real advantage to you. Even if you are a smaller operation, the advantages can be well worth it.

Contact Management, Marketing, Sales, Construction Takeoff, Estimating, Bid Management, Legal, Customer Management, Scheduling, RFI’s, Transmittals, Change Directives, Submittals, Change Orders, Job Costing, Invoicing, Payments and Lien Releases, Accounting, Payroll, Subcontractor Control, Quality Control, Progress Tracking, Punch list, Service Management

Do you have to get a software package that does all this stuff?  Well, no, not necessarily one package, but you do need a management system that includes all of the above in one form or another.

What criteria do you use to determine how automated your company should be?

One criteria is the size and complexity of your business. A one-man shop has one easy access computer mounted between his ears. The trick is to keep that computer free for thoughty processes. You still want some automation so you keep your data on your laptop, not under you hat. This keeps your head clear.

On the other end of the scale is a big, complex construction company, where the guy in San Francisco needs to know if the Change Order in Kuwait was signed. Or, where cost data from one job needs to be available and integrated into a database for use in estimating other projects. Or where the home office wants to do the accounting on invoice input that was done in the field.  This is where the big dogs of the Project management software field weigh in.

So, You need to get an idea what the capability of the construction software you are going to incorporate into your company needs to be.

If you are a smaller operator, a collection of different inexpensive software packages might do the trick.

You might do your takeoffs using PlanSwift.  You export your takeoff to Excel, where you assemble your bid, integrate pricing, list your subcontractors, list the contract documents and plans, and spell out limitations/conditions.

Once you get the job, you convert the bid to a worksheet for use in the field.  Here you specify what you bid for each component of the job, who submitted what bid, names and phone numbers.

Depending on what software you use, you can input your bid information into your accounting system so you can track bid vs. cost and compute profitability.

Everything else you track with Excel spreadsheets, folders and file boxes with Standard filing procedures used to keep your paperwork organized.

This approach to management, gets the job done while minimizing the cost and complexity. It will work for companies and jobs that are not too complex. For larger companies, we’ll have to go to another blog post.

Make a list of those things that you want your software to help you with. Look at your operation and itemize which tasks you want to systematize. Each company is going to be different depending on the size, the scope and the complexity of both what you are producing and the way that you are getting that work done.

Do you sub most work out? Do you do work in-house? Are you a design bid firm or a competitive bid firm?  Do you do commercial, residential, industrial, infrastructure or public works?

The project management software packages  vary from spreadsheet based packages that sell for pretty cheap to huge, complex packages  that cost tens of thousands. Picking the package that is appropriate to your present and future needs is critical.

You can’t decide what you need just by reading sales letters and talking to sales people. The way to stay in control is to know what you need, now and in the future, and look for the most efficient way to get those needs filled.

Like many projects the first step is to start a spreadsheet. List those functions that you want your software to manage. What tasks are you handling in some fashion now. How are you getting your estimating done, your accounting, your document control, your job costing and your scheduling? How do you handle change orders, how are they integrated into your invoicing and into your original estimate. How are your change orders integrated into your reports?. How do your original estimate, your change orders, your actual costs integrate into your database for future estimating? How about Requests For Information (RFI’s)? How about change directives?

When I started construction management, I did everything on spreadsheets. I eventually stepped up to an accounting package! Reports were printed and filed, as were RFI’s and change directives. But primarily I relied on my memory and my lists to keep control of my projects. That was a lot of work and worry. And, I couldn’t delegate without losing some continuity. Today, with proper software, it is possible to put a lot of the tasks of construction management on automatic. Properly systematized, construction gets to be a lot less stressful and more efficient. Information is power. Information about your own organization gives you the power to manage resources, people and finances so that you can maximize your profit. You can concentrate on the real work of forward thinking, decision making, communication and delegation and turn to your computer for stored information, rather than carrying that responsibility between your ears.