Top 5 Software for Easy and Efficient Project Management in Construction
One of the most crucial yet often overlooked qualities of a successful construction company is its ability to efficiently manage its projects. As a company owner, having a well-functioning project management system can directly save you time and money, as well as mitigate any potential risks.
So, what exactly does construction project management mean? And what can you do to help your company become more successful through proper project management?
First, construction project management is an intricate aspect of business that involves addressing concerns like cost control, scheduling, procurement, and risk assessment, as well as interacting with many important stakeholders like architects, owners, government representatives, and contractors. Essentially, construction project management is the overall organization and direction of your job.
If that brief definition of construction project management sounds complex, time-consuming, and difficult, it's because it is or at least can be. So in order to help your company successfully navigate the complex processes of construction project management, choosing and using the right construction project management software can help you simplify, organize, and even automate the entire project management process.
In case you were wondering - construction project management software are digital programs that help you coordinate work at every stage of your project. Companies use construction project management software to allow for collaborative workflow amongst stakeholders and merge multiple team members into one common digital workspace.
Nowadays, having the right construction project management software as an aspect of your company is crucial. In an effort to help you decide which of the many construction project management software are right for your company, we've put together a list of the top 6 construction project management software for different types of construction and contracting companies.
Table of Contents
1. Procore
Out of all the available construction project management software on the market, Procore offers one of the most complete packages. That's probably also why it's one of the most popular and preferred amongst contractors. Although it's suited toward larger-scale projects, Procore's all-encompassing construction project management software can be used by any kind of contractor for any sized job.
Procore's full software package includes software services that assist with running your overall business. For example, they offer products for not only project management, but also tender management, estimating, invoicing, design coordination, and more. Specifically, the construction project management side of their software features loads of integration with other applications. In fact, Procore's software can be integrated with over 300 different applications like Smartsheets and Microsoft Projects.
Some of the many project management features that Procore's software includes are:
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a digital directory to store important contact information
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a document management tool that allows for sophisticated document management and archiving
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a powerful daily log tool that provides the ability to keep track of every detail on the job site
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deficiency lists
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a correspondence management system that connects the entire scope of business processes on a project
Overall, the entire project management suite consists of 17 different and powerful tools that could stand to serve as their own individual software.
Their software also includes mobile collaboration tools that are built for use in the field. This great feature makes it easy for everyone on the job to have a clear understanding of what's going on in the project at a micro and macro level.
The reason why we've stated that Procore's project management software is best for large-scale projects is because of just how powerful, versatile and robust it truly is. Smaller contractors working on smaller projects can still make great use of this tool, but this construction project management software is fully highlighted on large-scale projects with a lot of moving parts and many stakeholders.
2. Smartsheet
Similar to Procore, Smartsheet is another versatile and all-encompassing construction project management software. The difference between the two, and the reason that Smartsheet stands out by itself, is that this software caters more to smaller construction companies that work on generally smaller-scale projects. When it comes to smaller operations, Smartsheet is one of the most popular construction project management software available on the market.
With its spreadsheet-like user interface and functionality, Smartsheet helps to manage construction projects with its many templates and tools. Similar to Procore, this cloud-based program also provides overall business management functionalities in addition to their construction project management suite. Notably, Smartsheet prides its software on its flexibility, simplicity, and ease of use, making it great for smaller-scale companies.
Some of the many great project management features that come with using Smartsheet are:
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the ability to create project plans that break down by task
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the ability to manage resources with project-specific and cross-project resource views
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the ability for organized budget management, the ability to automate project creation and reporting with templates
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the ability to create automated workflows to eliminate time spent on repetitive tasks
The highlight of this construction project management software is its simple, easy-to-use interface and functionality, as well as its real-time collaboration capabilities, templates for project timelines, and closeout checklists.
The reasons why we consider Smartsheet to be a better fit for smaller construction companies is because of its easier user interface, flatter learning curve, and overall less complex functionalities. Where software like Procore might need multiple teams of individuals to keep everything organized, Smartsheet could be properly run by one or two people.
3. Buildertrend
Another construction project management software that's popular with smaller-scale companies is Buildertrend. The unique thing about this software is that it's geared toward project management for home building and remodeling companies. Again, just like the other software already mentioned in this list, Buildertrend has more than just project management capabilities. That said, Buildertrend's innovative construction project management suite is focused on helping companies with team collaboration, accurate timelines, and especially customer service.
Buildertrend provides construction companies the ability to centralize all communication with homeowners, share progress updates and manage various material or appliance selections. Since this software lets the customer access their project, it gives contracting companies an edge over their competition in the transparency they can provide. Beyond just managing the project at hand, the program's interface is set up to allow contractors to keep track of their customers as well as provide better follow-up to their clients, making pre-project and post-project customer service management easy.
Some of the many special project management features that Buildertrend provides are:
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the making of to-do lists for creating and tracking required actions for the job
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the input of daily logs to keep teams accountable
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creation of work-in-progress reports
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in-platform messaging
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the ability to digitally clock in and out from work
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functionality in a great mobile app
Other collaboration and organization features, like scheduling, document and photo storage, punch list creation, and plan markup, also help with the overall construction project management process.
One last noteworthy aspect of Buildertrend, and one of the many reasons why we've listed this program as homebuilding and remodeling-oriented, is the unique integrations that this software allows for. Because social, and personal nature of the homebuilding and remodeling industries, Buildertrend also allows for the integration of social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Although this isn't really a necessary project management duty, it's still pretty cool.
4. eSub
Similar to Buildertrend, eSub is another niche construction project management software that's geared toward specialized trades. For example, eSub is popular amongst HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other specialty contracting companies.
This mobile application and cloud-based project management software heavily focuses on the project management process. It's specially designed to help both field and office workers gather, share, and analyze their vital project documents and data. Furthermore, eSUB is also designed with the mindset of creating paperless projects by providing one central digital storage space for all of a project's information. eSub prides itself on being the one and only project management solution that a trades company will ever need, seeing that its eSub Cloud offers a wide and extensive range of tools and features.
Some of the many special project management features that eSub provides are:
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creation, logging, and tracking of important documents like requests for information (RFIs), and change orders
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tracking of labor hours and costs
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creation of useful fields notes in a simple, collaborative interface (including text, images, and video)
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tracking of daily and weekly weather conditions
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purchase order management capabilities
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functionality in a great mobile app
Overall, eSub is a great construction project management software for specialty trades because of its flexibility, adaptability, and general functionality that serves the high-speed project management requirements of subcontractors.
5. STACK
Some types of construction, like bridge building and skyscraper creation, for example, warrant a much longer and more difficult pre-build process than projects like residential home building. So much so that the pre-build process for projects like these requires its own separate stage of project management. Luckily, STACK can help with this unique pain point.
STACK is one of the most popular and effective software for pre-build construction project management. This software specializes in the management of estimating and project take-offs by allowing users to easily upload and submit digital plans. The bread and butter of STACK is its focus on the organization of digital documents. Through its digital central hub, STACK helps to eliminate unorganized overflows of blueprints and other project-related documents, making organizing and searching for necessary items simple.
Some of the many great project management features that come with using STACK are:
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pre-built database that includes in-depth lists of equipment, labor, and materials of all common construction items
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training and support teams by phone or by using the in-app chat
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creation of detailed estimates to submit accurate bids
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advanced collaboration features for all pre-construction teams
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advanced mark-up tools to speed up the pre-build process
Overall, STACK's pre-build project management capabilities make getting to the job site and breaking ground faster. This software's advanced pre-build project management capabilities also help to mitigate risk while managing the actual construction process since there will be fewer errors in project plans beforehand.
Which to Choose?
As demonstrated above, choosing the right construction project management software really depends on the industry you're in and the scale of the work you do. Use this list as a starting point for the more in-depth research that you'll do in order to find the right construction project management solution for you.
