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Archive for April, 2011

The Essentials of Online Construction Project Software

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
If you’re looking to make your work life easier with construction project management software, online construction management is the solution you need.   While all types of project management are complex, construction project management programs come with unique challenges.  Managing multiple contractors, numerous deadlines, and the members of the entire project team can be overwhelming without a way to administer all aspects of the project.
Software for construction management has been around a long time, but today, facility owners and construction managers alike are looking for an online construction management program that connects all the players on a particular project in real time.  Online construction management allows you to keep everyone in the loop -copied on the latest updates to the project and informed about changes or concerns from the client all without having to leave the office or work site.
Using project management software for construction can help to eliminate time wasters and potential obstacles to getting the job done right and on time.  Online construction project management can:
  • Cut down on face-to-face meeting times that can be less than efficient
  • Reduce travel time to and from the work site or office
  • Reduce the amount of paperwork- faxing, emails, and copies- that must be delivered individually
  • Reduce the incidence of key players being left out of the loop in a particular decision
  • Provide an accurate and reliable history of receipts, work orders, contracts and change orders
Online construction management software is an absolute necessity in today’s construction industry.  Increased regulation alone has resulted in the necessity for government and regulatory reporting and records.  In addition, clients expect and deserve regular and reliable communication about how the project’s progress.  A construction project program allows you to provide all of this and more -without increasing your time at the desk and away from the project itself.  Online construction management software actually creates more hands-on time and less time shuffling paperwork and putting out fires.
Before you purchase a program, you’ll want to ask a few basic questions about the particular features of the online construction management software program you are considering:
  • Does the addition of new entities and individuals to the project team add to the program costs?
  • Can I control the flow of information to various entities and individual with ease and simplicity?
  • What type of reporting is available?  Are reports easy to create?  Customizable?
  • Can I customize forms, reporting, communication, checklists, etc. without contacting the software company?  Is there an additional charge for customization?
Get armed with the right questions and a vision to manage your construction projects in a way to grow your business. Providing a quality product and a superior client experience, online construction management software is the tool you need to bring your business solidly into the future.

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Specifying Electronic Project Controls Systems in Project Specifications

Monday, April 11th, 2011

This executive summary provides an overview of the benefits and risks of including electronic project controls solutions in your front end specifications.

Background: Technology is rapidly impacting the way capital project information is managed. With the advent of email and project controls applications more and more information is being generated and transmitted electronically on capital projects. Combine this with distributed project teams across the globe and the need for increased control of the increasing volumes of information being generated poses the challenge of how to address these controls in the project specifications.

Project specifications are legal documents stipulating how a project is to be executed by the Contractor. Historically specifications have been based upon information being submitted via paper to the client or Engineer for review. The specifications provide timelines, formats, and delivery requirements for this information. With the advent of electronic information specifications have been updated to require documents like O&M manuals and project schedules be submitted electronically. The next logical step is to include pay estimates, change orders, RFI, submittals, and all other forms of project communication. Todays project controls solutions provide flexible work flows that allow for controlling the sharing and exchanging of information electronically. They give the users the same level of control as the current paper process without the cost of the paper. Cost savings of these systems is reaped by the clients, engineers, and contractors since no one on the team has to pay to ship, log, or file the burdensome volumes of paper on a project. All these cost savings role up to the client in the form of lower cost projects. Electronic project controls systems also provide incredibly detailed audit logs and reporting on this information. Electronic systems greatly reduce the potential for human error resulting in greater control and information accuracy. By specifying a system in the front end specs the contractors and engineers know exactly how they are going to be communicating with the client and can include the cost savings in their bids.

With any change there are always risks to consider. Legal risk is always the biggest concern on everyones mind when up dating specifications. The courts have ruled that electronic information is to be treated the same as paper unless proven that it was tampered with. To mitigate this risk clients should select a tool that is maintained by a trusted 3rd party and provides complete audit logs. Clients should also review an update to their specification with their legal counsel to make sure all applicable local laws and ordinances are met. Going to an electronic project controls system means the system must be available 24X7 to the contractors and project participants to prevent potential project delays . To mitigate this the project controls system should be deployed in multiple secure data centers with highly available building systems. With electronic project controls systems in the specifications less sophisticated contractors will not bid the work. This will lead to a smaller pool of bidders on smaller projects. Some owners will view this as a positive since they will have a smaller pool of highly qualified bidder where some will view this as a cost risk since a small pool could mean higher bid prices.

With modern project controls solutions providing for the same level of information control as paper currently provides there is little reason not to update your specifications. Clients are continually looking for ways to cut costs and increase control over their large volumes of project information. Todays project controls yield both the costs savings and improved control. Including the project controls system in the project specifications reduces legal risk to the client as well as can lead to greater cost savings.

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4 Questions to ask While Making a Construction Management Software Comparison

Monday, April 4th, 2011

Many construction projects are turning to technology with the hope of easing some of their common project pains and trouble spots. There are a few construction project management programs available, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a closer look at some construction project management software comparison to help determine which program would best fit your construction project’s needs. Answering these questions will help determine which construction project management software is best suited for your needs.

1. What are the Construction Project Management Software’s Hosting Options?
If a construction project management program offers hosting as part of its package, this provides a safe and secure way of accessing documents, project information, budgets, etc. from many different locations where internet access is available. For projects where all departments are housed in the same office building, this may not seem like such a big deal. However, most construction projects involve many departments and teams that do not see each other face-to-face every day. Construction project management software hosting is what allows communications to travel quickly and easily from portal to portal. EADOC, Autodesk, and Trimble Navigation’s Meridian are examples of construction project management programs that offer this option. Other programs such as Oracle Primavera and Microsoft do not.

2. What Web Browser is Needed to Access the Construction Project Management Program?
Of course, hosting does not do much good for a construction project if it cannot be accessed by the computers your team members use. Most construction project management programs are only available with a specific web browser, which can cause problems for inter-office coordination if different departments and corroborating companies use different browsers. Usually, this is easily fixed with a free download, but don’t be taken by surprise. The most universally accessible construction project management software is EADOC which can be accessed with Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Construction project management programs such as Autodesk Constructware, Trimble Navigation’s Meridian, Oracle Primavera, and Microsoft, are only accessible with Internet Explorer.

3. How Much Time Will Be Needed to Train Individuals In Using a Construction Project Management Program?
Learning new software can be difficult and time-consuming. Making the time to learn a construction project management software can be frustrating, but it is needed to help ensure that the months during the construction project run as smoothly as possible. Only if everyone involved in the project knows how to use the construction project management system well can it be truly helpful. Thankfully, EADOC is a construction project management system that only requires 1 to 4 hours of training in order to be properly used. In comparison, the amount of training time required takes a steep climb among the competition. Other construction project management systems take quite a bit longer to train in. Oracle Primavera requires a minimum of 5 days. The construction project management system, Autodesk Constructware, takes 5 to 10 days of training. And the amount of time training for Microsoft’s construction project management system depends entirely on the solution you develop.

4. Does the Construction Project Management Program Have a Demo Available?
In the end, you can read and compare construction project management programs all day, learning their strengths, weaknesses, usefulness, and setup. But the only way to truly know whether or not a particular construction project management system will be the best fit for your construction project is with a demo. To be able to have a look at the inter-workings of a construction project management system offers invaluable insight that cannot be gained any other way (short of purchasing each program, of course). EADOC and Microsoft recognize this importance and offer a demo on their websites. Unfortunately, Autodesk Constructware, Trimble Navigation’s Meridian, and Oracle Primavera do not offer the same help.

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