10 Things to Consider When Choosing The Construction Management Solution For Your Next Project

Given that there are hundreds of options to choose from, it has become really difficult for construction professionals to make a decision about what software solution to use and what technologies to implement on their construction projects.

It’s not just you who is struggling with the “Construction Tech Manager’s Dilemma” and information overload, it’s happening to everyone in the industry.

There are always people on your projects who will come up with a new way of managing punch lists or running safety inspections or sharing drawings or tracking time or something else.

And, as a person who has to — 1) make the decision on implementing the proposed solutions 2) help people adopt it and 3) get the value that the solutions are supposed to deliver — you must have a strategy in place.

You not only need “BIM Implementation Plans” but you also need “Project Tech Innovation Plans” for your projects.

Here are the 10 things you should keep in mind when implementing a Construction Management Software Solution on your projects.

1. Business Case

Consider setting up a task force of 3 to 4 people from different parts of your organization (job site, office, headquarters etc.).

Task them with evaluating the business case for the new construction management software solution.

And prepare a report which includes following topics in detail:

• Vision and mission
• Use cases for the projects in question
• Current tools used to get the same job done
• Pilot implementation data (if available)
• Return on investment (ROI)

2. Budget

Price is not everything but it matters. Find out how much the new solution is going to cost.

Is the vendor asking you about your annual revenue before even letting you test drive the software?

If the answer is yes, run as far away from them as possible.

The cost for the solution does not have to depend on how much money you are going to make on a project.

A transparent pricing policy based on the number of users (preferably free collaborators who come from other organizations) will always land you in the best place.

Remember that expensive does not necessarily mean better. If the vendor is spending a fortune on the overheads and the age old technology, you don’t have to pay for it.

Today’s technology development costs have decreased significantly and you should consider benefiting from it.

3. Technology Platform

In the last section (Budget), I briefly talked about the importance of using the latest technologies when making your decision. The latest technology platforms, not only cost you less, they are also more powerful and highly efficient when it comes to innovation.

Cloud is the latest technology platform and Software as a solution (SAAS) is the latest delivery method.

You should consider cloud based construction management software solutions offered as SAAS for your upcoming projects.

Here is why:

• Anywhere, anytime access on the device of your choice
• Lower initial costs
• Continuous innovation
• Painless upgrades and
• Seamless integration with other SAAS solutions and online services

4. Usability

This is one of the most important considerations when making up your mind about the construction management solution for your upcoming projects.

You should pay very close attention to the user interface and user experience of the software solutions and apps offered by the construction management software vendors.

This might not be as important 10 years ago when that one guy — who was the computer wizard and the IT expert in the company — was handling your entire project management needs.

Today, when the millennial workforce is increasing in numbers and when everyone is already in love with their Digital Lives, the software and apps should be super easy to use.

For maximum impact, the tech wizard in the office to the foreman on the job site and everyone in between — tech savvy or not — should be able to easily pick up and run with the tools without ever going through any extensive training.

5. Security

Username and password hack of Yahoo and Linked In accounts to ransomware, we have seen a lot of security breaches in past few years.

Security should be one of your top priorities when you are deciding on the next construction software solution for your upcoming projects.

Make sure that the best in class security (software, hardware, physical and more) is used by the software vendor you are working with.

Remember that on-premise does not necessarily mean secure. Because the security your IT has in place may not be the best and you can always be vulnerable to something like ransomware.

Leave the security up to the best in the business such as Amazon, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Digital Ocean and try to use a solution which is making use of these cloud platforms.

6. Training and Implementation

I have talked about the usability of the product in sections above (Usability) but you will still need to have a training and implementation plan in place.

Because the software may be easy to use and it might have the greatest user experience of all, but the processes you set up on it and the outcomes you expect from it need to be communicated with everyone on the project.

Ask your software vendor if they have a comprehensive training program in place or not. You should also consider the cost of ongoing training as you will be adding new people to the software platform throughout the construction life cycle.

The training should not cost you a fortune. And the basic training should be free. Your vendor should ideally offer online training resources that can be used by anyone for self-education.

I recommend assigning a technology champion on every project or make someone from the project team the person who knows the solution inside-out and who can help others who are either struggling to understand the value of using the new technology or who may be struggling with using the technology itself.

7. Silos

Beware of creating new silos of project information.

You might be tempted to implement the new shiny toys available on market but try to avoid building too many silos of information on your projects.

The value of a new construction management software does not end with the digitization of age-old paper-based processes and improved communication.

The real value is in using the data produced during the process and making use of that information for quickly making proactive and informed decisions.

The solution you choose should not be a point solution but a suite of different tools that handle all the key project management information in one place. Or at least it integrates with other business solutions you already use for your business.

I am aware of the criticism of “Single-Source-of-Truth” and “Common Data Environment” that one size can not fit all, I partially agree with that view, but there should be a balancing act when making the decision.

And the decision should be based on the value you are getting against the cost of creating the new information silos.

8. Ongoing Support

It is very important to consider what ongoing support you will get from your construction management software vendor.

• Will they provide phone/email/video call/in-person support?
• Will they make sure that your ongoing project needs are full filled?
• Will they provide a rich library of knowledge base and How-To videos?
• Will they be innovating continuously and keeping up with the latest and greatest technologies applicable to your construction projects?
• Will they charge you a premium for prompt response to your urgent needs?

9. Integration

This is one of the most important aspects of the construction management software selection that can impact the success of your technology implementation today and in the future.

You don’t want your team to do data entries in multiple places just because one tool does one thing and the other makes use of the same information for something else.

And, I also know that we are far from the utopia where all the software solutions will start talking to each other. (Please beware of the marketing gimmicks of some software vendors who promise that).

When evaluating the integration, make sure to consider your particular use case and ask the vendor about the specific workflow that you want to see working.

Simple integration with the tools you already use — such as Office Applications, Email Clients etc. — should be considered first as they are universally used and the tech giants have already addressed the issues of interoperability in this kind of applications.

10. Benefits to Future Projects

The data you produce during a project should not be forgotten or considered as something that is only useful for the owners.

Architecture, Construction and Engineering teams can leverage that data to learn from, and improve things on their next projects.

You can, not only identify the bad actors on your previous projects, but you can also learn from the quality control and safety data in your past projects to save lives and deliver higher quality product next time.

At Builderbox.io, we are passionate about building the construction management software solutions that can bring a positive change to your bottom line without digging a whole in your pocket.

Give it a try today. It’s free.