Many of us working in construction already know how rapidly change is occurring across the industry. The most obvious change or innovation has been the digitization of information, processes, and data. Most construction companies have adopted technology such as construction project management software and have benefited immensely from reduced rework, improved bottom line, enhanced productivity, etc.  

However, not all companies have moved towards a digital solution for their construction management processes. This blog will discuss what happens when a company operates without construction management software and how our BUILDFitters solution can help. 

Project management is a difficult task, but it does not have to be! Construction companies streamline their operations by investing in an all-in-one platform such as BUILDFitters to keep their projects organized and on track. Let’s look at some of the most common and most avoidable challenges that construction project managers face today: 

Relying on Spreadsheets 

Spreadsheets and manual data management techniques do not belong in the digital world of today. Even if spreadsheets worked for you before, there comes a time when your business requirements become complex and thus move beyond the capabilities of a basic system. It becomes increasingly difficult for project managers to keep track of financials, daily activities, project budget etc.

Furthermore, project owners often have multiple spreadsheets for tracking their activities and gathering and collating data from all of them is not only time-consuming but extremely prone to manual errors. The data is often out of date, which means making quick, data driven decisions is impossible. 

Here are some of the reasons to avoid using error-prone spreadsheets: 

• Prone to manual errors and thus do not allow for quick data reports
• Multiple spreadsheets mean disparate data stores
• Time-consuming and hard to manage
• Spreadsheets are not secure and thus are more prone to malicious parties
• Spreadsheets saved on computers can be lost and over-written
• Spreadsheets lack the functionalities needed by a growing construction business
• Spreadsheets are not designed for collaboration

So, What is the Solution? 

The solution is simple; a construction company needs software that is designed for their needs. BUILDFitters is a construction project management software designed to meet the exact needs of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. BUILDFitters provides project managers with a centralized, easy-to-access location for all project-related data. It automates change orders, RFPs, and other workflows. With centralized information at your fingertips, you can make decisions in real-time without having to worry about lost or over-written data or any manual errors. 

Take it from Adam Scherer, IT Data Analyst of SAFTI FIRST, their manufacturing company found success after BUILDFitters streamlined how they handled information by upgrading their system. Through automated workflows and centralized project data, they can now generate proposals efficiently and quickly.  

“BUILDFitters has helped SAFTI FIRST streamline its internal processes by enhancing the way we handle information. With efficient proposal generation capabilities and automatic submittals, we can now timely meet all project deadlines. Furthermore, BUILDFitters advanced estimation features have helped us pave our way forward!” 

Ineffective ​Communication 

Communication is vital in all industries, not just construction but as construction people; what scares us the most about inefficient communication is its translation into delayed timelines.  

What happens when a sub shows up to the site on a bad day? Or your team is ready to work, but the materials are not present. What if you sent out a request for deliveries which was never answered? It sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it? 

• Ineffective communication results in a lack of coordination 
• Project schedules are disrupted, and there can be overbooking of resources and material 
• Resource and material optimization is disrupted 
• Project budgets and timelines have to be altered 

The Solution? 

Keeping in mind the significance of communicating effectively with your project stakeholders, BUILDFitters focuses on improving communication and collaborating across teams through various features and integrations. BUILDFitters is a connected solution that offers integrations with your existing project management tools such as Wrike and MS Project Online. It further provides integrations with MSFT Teams, Office 365 and Excel making document sharing, collaboration, and communication its strongest suits.  

BUILDFitters allows users to create project teams directly with Microsoft Teams and integrates the project team throughout the platform. Teams can share documents, site pictures, hold video meetings, and benefit from co-editing features, allowing everyone to stay on track. 

Furthermore, project managers can access, track, and view employee timesheets to approve and manage on-site activities from the comfort of their device’s screen. BUILDFitters automated scheduling capabilities allow for a smooth flow and optimized resource utilization throughout the project phases. With BUILDFitters, stakeholders no longer have to hunt for information. They have access to up-to-date project data and can communicate efficiently without switching back and forth in apps. 

 In addition to this, BUILDFitters offers streamlined communication workflows. It automates lethargic tasks such as documenting purchase orders, change orders, RFIs, and submittals and templatizes complex documents. It also ensures that project status updates are available to project managers via real-time insights, thus drastically improving communication. BUILDFitters advanced collaborative features ensure that projects meet the expected deadline and budget.  

 For M Bar C, BUILDFitters changed the way they communicated to their team and tracked employee hours. They struggled with paper-based records and did not have efficient means to track employee hours across multiple job sites. With BUILDFitters Foreman application, they now have complete visibility into employee hours, along with the status of deliveries across their job sites. Their timesheet is now managed within the app and saved securely in the project database. With the Foreman app, they can track the age of their equipment through business intelligence capabilities and thus ensure that all resources are optimized and utilized to the fullest. BUILDFitters has provided M Bar C with immense visibility empowering them to streamline their operations, increase overall productivity and decrease project-related costs.  

“Initially, we were only looking for a project management solution,” says Michael Paterson, Vice President of Operations at M Bar C, “AlphaBOLD helped us take a deeper look at our processes, which helped us understand where we wanted to go. Through this partnership, we’ve significantly improved M Bar C as a whole. This is just the beginning for us, and we’re very excited about where we’re going in the future.” 

Growing Business = Growing Complexities 

As your business scales, it brings more profits, but it also brings more problems. If you have not invested in the technology that can help manage the growing complexities of your business, then you will reach a point where you are growing more rapidly than you can handle.  

For example, a growing business will get more projects; more projects mean more employees, vendors, clients, equipment deliveries, material deliveries, timesheets, etc. It means that you need to stay on top of many things while ensuring that your project deliverables are met. Furthermore, an increasing project list also creates pressure on project managers to save time and money elsewhere.  

• Poor technology adoption results in less profitable and successful projects. 
• Lack of visibility into internal processes. 
• Inability to schedule labor, equipment, and material to meet the growing needs. 
• Poor forecasting and reporting capabilities. 
• Inefficient communication with stakeholders.
• Increased documentation and data challenges. 
• Failure to plan and track growth.

BUILDFitters can help solve all these problems with its advanced project management features that cover any and every need throguhout the project lifecycle!  

C Briggs was a growing business that was struggling to keep up with its schedule and budget. They wanted to advance their design strategies with a robust solution to keep up with the modern construction business landscape. Managing project information without a proper project management system was causing several issues for them.  

By choosing BUILDFitters as their construction project management solution, C Briggs overcame its internal process inefficiencies. They now have a streamlined, connected solution in place that helps foster growth, profits, and productivity, 

 “We at C Briggs were looking for a project management solution to keep up with our demanding schedule and help us with our design strategies; all while remaining within budget. With BUILDFitters as a construction management software, we were able to accomplish this and more. They have provided us with a solution that completely caters to our complex business needs and allows access to real-time project information.” 

Conclusion: 

The challenges mentioned above can be easily avoided with an investment in construction management software like BUILDFitters. BUILDFitters is an all-in-one project management software that allows companies to take their construction business to the next level. Our work speaks for itself! Find out more about BUILDFitters today! 

Do any of these challenges seem familiar to you? 

BUILDFitters helps you connect teams, improve project efficiency, and boost revenue while staying on a budget. Schedule a demo today!