Thanks ahead of time

A construction business has five basic operations that are involved in the entire business cycle. They include accounting, estimating, project scheduling, reporting and analysis, and service inventory. These processes are all vital for the smooth operation of your business, the reason why these must be secured and managed with competence.

Most companies today use different kinds of business software which automates their processes hereby ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Not only that, it gives them additional savings in terms of manpower.

Sage has long been a pioneer in the field of developing business software solutions for different kinds of companies. They have developed a complete system for construction companies as well.

Sage Master Builder is a construction software solution that gives a big boost and a cutting-edge advantage for any construction company that wants to be on top of things concerning the different operations of its business.

The Sage Master Builder can monitor the different construction operations efficiently. It monitors accounting process of a construction business. This avoids any accounting pitfalls encountered without the proper software for it. The software includes the automation of estimating processes which helps increase revenues. It also offers project management and scheduling modules which helps you to properly take control of each project phase. It also monitors inventory which communicates with the accounting module for real-time efficiency. Lastly, it helps you achieve a clear picture of the company’s status on an overall or a project basis.

If you are handling a construction company and you want it to perform with optimum competence, then you should have Sage Master Builder Software in your system. The benefits derived from this software spell a big difference in the overall performance of your company. You are assured of reports, analysis, and accuracy, enabling you to visualize the status of your company which arms you with necessary information and steps to further enhance its growth.

Every day, I speak with various users of manufacturing and construction software who are disappointed with their current system. They come to me looking for advice in selecting a new package that will better meet their needs and will solve the problems that they believe their current system is creating. In most cases, their concerns are real and they probably will be better off with a new system. However, I would estimate that about 20% of the cases that I see are companies that are destined to be just as disappointed with a new system. Why? Because the software isn’t the main problem in the first place – the users are. In fact, you don’t have to be talking about construction software or manufacturing software specifically – the bottom line is that any software is only as good as the user that uses it.

Several years ago, I spoke with a medium sized electrical contractor that had a very short amount of time to complete several jobs. They were using a very old version of one of the more common construction management software packages that lacked some of the modern features of new software, such as allowing multiple people to be logged in to the system at the same time. This lack of functionality in their software was having a serious negative impact on the company’s productivity.

Of course, the first thing that popped in to their heads was to get new software that was more powerful and had the features that they needed. I spent some time researching various packages for them and finally arrived at a package that wasn’t completely state of the art, but was more than adequate for their uses. After viewing several demos, everyone concluded that the software looked like a good fit. The final step before purchasing and installing the new software was to have their primary accounting person sit down and try the software out since she would be the one using it the most. Since they were on such a tight schedule, this had to be done late at night and after normal work hours.

Several months passed without progress. Nobody in management positions for this company volunteered to help this lady out and since the assignment was difficult, it kept getting pushed back. Finally, after TWO years, the company decided to buy the software, install it, and do some basic training. The staff and end users were hesitant to use the new software and were not very technologically inclined themselves, so they decided to use both the new software AND their old software in parallel for a period of 12 months. Why? Because there was nobody in management positions that gave the time and effort to ensure that proper training was done and there was nobody overseeing the transition process. In turn, the company did twice the amount of work required for an entire YEAR due to fear and poor management. Undoubtedly, hours upon hours of productivity were lost, as was money!

This case, although funny in it’s own right, teaches us several lessons about the process of evaluating and implementing new construction or MRP software. First, managers need to be involved in every step – from the initial meetings to the training sessions to the implementation time line planning and so on. Second, if management is not fully committed to moving to a new platform, they will likely pass the job on to somebody in the company that is not qualified to complete it. In this case, the company learned later that several employees were skipping the training sessions put on the by the accountant because they knew there would be no supervising manager involved.

Therefore, if your company is in the process of selecting and implementing new software, make sure that you have the support and commitment of upper management. Managers need to know what resources will be required to get the system up and running in a timely manner and must be held accountable if those time frames are not met. It is imperative that the right people are selected to learn and train your staff on how to use new software, and if the management isn’t even committed to making that decision properly, is it realistic to expect positive results from the new software?

But one great thing I got going for myself right now , sorry if I sound like an oppertunist(hey, told ya I wanted to be a hustler), but right now, I go to one of the most prestigious schools in my city and I have politician’s sons as my friends, and construction baron descendants sitting behind my chair, I mean, I know people to can make things happen with a clap.

When I get back to the states, I plan to go to a decent B-School and bachelor in accounting, as that is the blood of all forms of business and it would help me become business literate, and then I plan to major in Finance….after that, I plan to become an ERP consultant in case any of my plans dont work as I obviously need a back-up strategy, I will later use the initial salary earned for my ambitions should anything go haywire…..but if the wind is right, I plan to use some of my “connections”(trust me, not petty people, close people too) as my venture capitalists, to start my own soft-drink company, and after a few years, I plan start a construction/real estate company (like TRUMP)and take both of my companies public, eventually I also would like to fullfill my dreams of starting an electric automobile company along with a Insurance company.

My dad(who was a small time restuarant owner), has a little idea about my plans, as I told him, but I didn’t exactly give him the blueprint I gave you guys even though I think he has an Idea. All I want to know is am I being too overconfident or am I correct about my timing? I consider my self very fortunate to have the right things happen to me so far, its like everything is lined up for me, all I got to do is shoot.

I know exactly how hard it is to fulfill dreams, everybody has dreams, only some fulfill it. My mom say isn’t exactly pessimistic but she knows me and my network, and I dont think the chances I have aren’t something I’m overmining, am I?

Let’s think about it, sons of politicians, sons of barons as my friends, potential backers, dreams of mine…they can pay for. See, I dont want to act overconfidant and start crying if any of these visions actually get nowhere, but I’m a person who believes in vision, and I wouldn’t even rely on just my contacts to get me anywhere, but I can trick a person into buying their own shoes…..Plus I have great managerial skills…. So I’m being optimistic.

Is everything in my favour?

Here are 5 critical traits that your software champion needs to have.

1. Experience in Software Implementation Learning the ins and outs of software evaluation and implementation on-the-fly will jeopardize your initiative. That’s why your construction software champion must have prior experience evaluating and implementing software. For more details visit to www.scripts-to-sell.com Keep in mind that the scope of previous experience needed to make a sound decision increases with company size and complexity of operations.

2. Knowledge of Company Operations Your construction software champion must understand how your company operates. If he/she doesn’t, taking the time to learn the processes and operations well enough to know what questions to ask vendors during demos is crucial.

3. Full Support from Management Choose a construction software champion you can trust. Committing time and money to a complex evaluation, selection, implementation and training process is not a place for wishy-washy management that doesn’t fully trust their champion to complete the project successfully. When full support is provided to the champion, for more details visit to www.software-index-website.com you won’t be tempted to pull the plug when the going gets rough (which almost always happens at some point in the project).

4. Respect of Peers Without the respect and confidence of his/her peers; the construction software champion won’t get the cooperation needed to gather information and data to move to a new system. Choose a well-respected individual to lead your software initiative.

5. An Advocate for Change Most people don’t like change and implementing new software is about as traumatic as it gets for the company’s accounting, project managers and IT departments.

Your construction software champion should have the skills to properly prepare and motivate personnel for change, while helping them feel less threatened by the new system. This requires sensitivity to people’s needs within the new software environment, as well as the ability to make the evaluation, selection and implementation of new software a team effort. Without a sense of participation, many employees will not “buy into” the new software and may even try, in subtle ways, to sabotage the initiative. Summary Your construction software champion is critical to a successful software implementation. He/she is the person with the most software experience and, once chosen, deserves full management support while leading to a final decision. There are many potential pitfalls along the way; trust your software champion to know where the mines are buried and how to avoid them every step of the way.

Input and Software Selection Team Members that are Good to Have

While larger companies will have the advantage of being able to assign one individual to oversee the entire software selection process, all companies will need to get input from multiple areas of the company. The following segments of the entire organization should be included, to some extent, in the new software identifcation and evaluation team. Some of these members will need to be permant members of the team while others can be consulted on an “as needed” basis. To what extent members are “as needed” or permanent will very depending on the company.

1) End users – this group consists of anyone that will be responsible for using the software, particularly those responsible for inputting data

2) Management – Mid and upper level managers will be the ones that use the software primarily for reporting purposes. As such, it is important to know what kinds of data are relevant for the particular company.

3) Accounting – Changes in software will impact how data is recorded and reported for accounting purposes. Thus, the accounting department (or third party accountant) will need to be involved in identifying the best software.

4) Payroll – Regardless of if your company has an internal payroll department or uses an external payroll service, they will need to provide valuable input in terms of selecting new construction accounting software.

5) IT (Information Technology) – Your IT department will play an integral role in installing the new software while allowing the company to not miss a beat. Thus, they will need to know what is required from them for any potential software solution to identify areas where current hardware may not mesh with the new software.

6) Other Departments – this includes any other departments in your company that will be impacted by new software. Which departments these are will depend on your organizational structure and company size.

7) Sub-contractors – These indidivuals need to be aware of how your change in software will impact their business operations with your company.

8) Suppliers – as with sub-contractors, your suppliers will need to know what changes are required on their end to allow you to make the most of your new software.

9) Vendors – When selecting software, be sure to pay as much attention to selecting the right vendor as you do selecting the right software. Check their service history, ongoing relations with clients, and so on to ensure you aren’t without the support you need down the road.

10) Other members, as deemed necessary based on the size of your company and your company’s unique operational procedures.

Factors that All Companies Need to Consider and Evaluate

While smaller companies will likely not benefit from having a full team dedicated to selecting new software, there are still things that all companies much consider when evaluating new construction software.

At the very least, all companies need to complete a thorough evaluation of the following factors and research points:

1) Product varieties – How many are there? What makes them different?
2) Vendors – How many are there? What makes them different?
3) Product history – look for testimonials from trusted sources or check construction software reviews
4) Vendor history – testimonials
5) Product functionality – while most software does the same “stuff” the manner in which it does it will be different. What is right for one company may not work for another.
6) Product protocols – what reports are standard? Can it create the custom reports you need?
7) Product interface – this will come down to personal preferences more than anything, but is important that you choose software that is the most user friendly for your set of users. Again, this will vary based on your unique company.
8) Product integration – will there be any issues integrating it with your current processes? Do you need to change processes or search for a different piece of software?
9) Other – This will depend on the unique organizational structure, personnel, and processes of your organization.

Commercial or Residential

The first decision to make is whether your company is primarily in the business of commercial or residential building, as there is different construction cost estimating software for each. If you feel your business falls pretty much equally into both categories,

there are programs for you as well, however you may find they are more costly.

Work With Your Existing Software

Contractors will usually have several existing programs in use for bookkeeping, ordering and planning, and a program that will be compatible with most of these will make life a lot easier. This will mean you can get the most out of your construction cost estimating software and ultimately use it as a front end system for accessing all your files and records. An example is if you already use Microsoft Office; try to find a program that will be compatible with that program rather than one that is compatible with QuickBooks.

Would You Possibly Like to Customize the Software?

When you become familiar with your construction cost estimating software, you will be likely to start to notice a few things here and there you would like changed or added. This is called customizing a program, and some construction cost estimating software will allow you to do it yourself to a certain degree. It is also an option to have a computer expert spend a few hours making the changes you require, but you need to be sure it is possible with the particular software you choose. It is a exceptional feeling to have a customized program designed to do exactly what you imagined, and even if you think you won’t want it upfront, try to keep it in mind as a possibility for making your construction cost estimating software a perfect fit for your company.

How Simple is the Software to Use?

Contractors are busy people, and although you will want to dedicate some time initially to learning the ins and outs of your new construction cost estimating software, you don’t want it to go on endlessly! Choose a program that is designed to be simple to learn and use and you wont have to spend forever teaching others either. Undoubtedly, any construction cost estimating software is going to be complex, but the ones that have been tested by others in the industry can be learnt more easily.

How Much to Spend?

Almost everyone in the construction industry is continuously on a tight budget, and cutting costs doesn’t often include lashing out on new toys. Paying between one and five hundred for good construction cost estimating software will make its money back in the long run. You will save time, have better records for improvement assessments and appear more professional and organized to clients. Eliminating features could bring the price down, and free trials are available for many programs so you will know what it is you are paying for upfront.

If you cover all your bases and buy the right construction cost estimating software for your company you can save thousands of dollars a year at least! These programs mean more accurate estimates and continuous live update analysis of data, which enables managers to regularly keep the budgets in check. Whether you are a residential or commercial construction company, investing in the right software will mean more profits and more free time in the future.