Construction Software

Posts Tagged ‘selecting’

Companies in the middle of selecting new construction software have likely realized that what sounds simple on paper is far from as easy task. Organizations that are the most successful in this undertaking, in terms of both identifying the best possible solution and implementing it as quickly as seamlessly as possible, generally have somebody or group of people in charge of the new software project. If an individual is chosen, this person needs to have an intimate knowledge of both software and of the company’s operational procedures. Further, the individual needs to have a deep understanding of how the software and company operations impact each other. This includes knowledge and experience working with software interfaces and the standard data collection/protocols for construction companies. Unfortunately, most companies do not have an individual with these qualifications working for them, so the purpose of thise article is to describe the kind of input that decision makers should seek out from other areas of the company as well as provide a list of areas that all companies must research extensively when evaluation potential construction management software packages.

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.

The best project manager is supported by a project management software tool that caters to unique project requirements. When selecting a software to run a project or business, many buyers overlook key factors that ensure a successful project management software implementation. The purpose of this article is to provide business owners and project  managers with insights on how to select the best project management software.

Ranking Business and Project Management Priorities

When evaluating a project management software or a business software, it helps to have a thorough understanding of the day to day project management activities and needs. This helps identify whether or not and how the software is capable of solving  business and project management problems. Since every project and business has unique qualities, by studying current project management practices and theoretically applying them to the project management software in question one can almost identify one-for-one how each problem or project management need can be resolved using the software. Listing project management software features in order of priority is time well invested into the project management software selection process. By ranking business and software needs, a manager creates a clear picture on how to create a best-fit between project management activity and software.

Assessing Future Project Management Requirements

Although it may be difficult for a manager to predict exactly how project management software requirements may evolve over time, it is possible to understand the degree of flexibility that the software accommodates. Flexible project management software allows a company to grow and change over time. The more flexible the software, the more options project managers will have to accommodate project-specific situations that were not accounted for or expected during the project management software selection process. Project management software that is simple to use, may or may not have the ability to match evolving needs of a company as volume increases or decreases. The ability to change and adjust to as many situations as possible is of tremendous value to a company, and therefore a project manager.  All too often project management and business data is segregated across multiple different software applications that do not synch up with each other and often create additional, undue burden on the company. Yet, the company still needs a means of tracking abnormal situations. An effective project management software solution accommodates change and can be tailored to meet changing business demands without degrading former or existing projects management needs already set forth by existing projects.

Project Management  Software and Accounting Software Integration

It is a reality that there is no one single software that services every business need a company has. Therefore, the ability for one software to share data, import/export or otherwise synchronize business data with another software becomes an essential component to the software selection process. Software product vendors  may put forth “a one size fits all” attitude however the best way to ensure that a project management software can share data or synchronize with an accounting software is to understand the technical requirements of both software systems. This way, the software systems in place and the software being selected may be assessed as a set of integrated software systems that work together rather than single handedly, as how most businesses select software. In fact, software integration as a primary driver to the software selection process will dramatically reduce implementation costs, due to a reduction of data setup and a consistency of terms and language used across different business software systems.

Project Management Software Vendor/Customer Relationship

The project management software vendor and the customer should establish a mutually supportive relationship. When selecting a project management software to run and manage business data and for project management, the project manager should factor into consideration how responsive and competent the project management software vendor is in both the project management software itself and also the business industry that the project management software is intended to serve. The project manager should also observe how willing to help the project management software vendor is, and how promptly and accurately the project management software vendor follows up and follows through. These are all indications of how the project management software vendor will perform when supporting the customer.

Many project management software vendors offer support for project software-specific questions, however such questions often call for business-related questions on how to handle best project management practices, for example, using the project management software. Since a project software is to support projects for the business, there should be no separation between answering technical questions about how to use the project management software and questions on how to solve project-related questions within that project management software.

The vendor should become an active participant in supporting a project manager or company with it’s own project management processes, thereby having those project processes clearly defined and managed within the project management software. Once a business is invested into a project management software, the switch can be costly depending on whether or not the company wishes to migrate project management data from one software to another. Therefore, it is in the best interest of a project manager to, when selecting a project management software, to analyze how much effort it would take to switch to a new software, if the company reaches the limits of the current project management software.

Although it may be difficult to assess the cost of moving project management software data to a new project management software without knowing ahead of time what the new project software is, part of the project software selection process should identify how such a switch in systems will be addressed, should such steps be taken in the future.

It is in the best interest of both the customer and A1 Enterprise to provide a project management software that works for our customer and our customer’s specific industry. If, in the event, A1 Enterprise feels that the customer needs are better matched with any specific project software, A1 Enterprise makes suitable recommendations and provides assistance in the project management software selection process when needed by the customer. A1 Enterprise has a substantially diverse background in software development and customized software for small businesses and large companies.

Construction Management Software selection can be an extremely trying experience; and, it can also be highly rewarding. The times when you wrack your brain over details such as how to effectively and safely integrate current business practices, processes and other methodologies into a software package that has been designed mostly for a generic scenario can be downright unsettling. Or, perhaps you will wonder how to take advantage of the software’s more broadly accepted practices for your own business.

The bottom line is that you must remain committed to the aforementioned details throughout the process of selecting new software. Only by remaining committed will you find the right software and implement it correctly. If you fail to consider every detail, chances are that you will end up with a less than optimal solution.

However, do not fear – the rewards to come to those who have committed the necessary resources to ensure that the best strategies are carried out in selecting a software package that will serve its intended purpose and help meet current and future business goals.

Selecting construction management software is also quite like selecting an automobile or other similar commodity. Software companies, like most companies, compete with one another to bring the best software packages to their potential customers; and the process for selecting which package is best for your particular company needs can be a frustrating task.

Another thing to consider are your familiarity with the technical jargon that will be used as you speak with software vendors and review potential software solutions. If you feel like your subject matter expertise is lacking in this area, make sure you enlist the help of somebody who will understand and will be able to explain your options to you.

Of course, the individuals involved in the software selection process also need to be intimately familiar with the overall structure of the business as well as its operational procedures. They should have a good understanding of how each piece of the business interacts with the others as well as with external suppliers, vendors, consultants, etc.

They also need to have a keen understanding of software and computers, in order to be able to select the best software fit for the business. If they still think a mouse is a rodent, they probably should not be a part of the software selection team!

Again, the key to making the most out of selecting new construction accounting software and getting the maximum benefit from the new software is staying focused on the details. Remember that you are in control. If the details get confusing, take a step back and get other opinions before moving forward. A vendor’s goal is to sell you software, regardless of whether or not it is the optimal solution for your organization. Staying committed to your plan and addressing all of your concerns before making a purchase will ensure you end up with the best possible construction software for your applications.

There is no doubt that companies of nearly any size can benefit in some way from implementing a new and updated construction management software package. When put to proper use, construction software will be able to handle several tasks that are likely currently taking too much valuable time away from important employees. Freeing them up by automating processes gives them more time to spend on improving the aspects of the company that have a bigger impact on your bottom line.

So what matters the most when you are selecting new software? As obvious as it may sound, the most important thing in the ultimate success of your software is whether or not the software actually does what it claims to do. Nearly equally as important is whether or not the software can do what it says it can without requiring constant training or assistance from you vendor.

Of course, there are other factors to consider. The size of your company will certainly weigh in to your decision making as some software is designed for larger companies and some is designed for small to mid sized companies. Software designed for larger companies will have more functionality and offer more options, but in smaller companies it will offer too many options that streamlining processes with the software in mind will become a nightmare. Thus, careful planning is absolutely necessary. All necessary functionality, based on the size of your company, should be identified before looking for software solutions so that you can maintain focus during the search.

Although all construction software will vary in the available functionality, rest assured that they all share a number of characteristics and are designed with the knowledge that nearly all construction companies operate in similar manners, at least on some levels. Thus, the “common denominators” will be covered in all software that you consider. The key is to pay attention to the less common aspects of your operation and look for the right match considering those.

Examples of the “common denominators” that most construction software covers include things like job costing & scheduling, project tracking, payroll, accounting, vendor & supplier interfaces, proposal generation, and scheduling.

This may make it sound like finding the right software is similar to finding a needle in a haystack. In some cases, the issue of functionality versus cost may be the haystack that you have to sort through, but there are plenty of cases where companies have been able to get it right.

The entire process of software selection and implementation, including demonstrations, customizations, training, and change management is not an easy task. The key to making it successful is quality leadership that is committed to seeing the entire process through. Companies that cut corners or do not stay committed are simply setting themselves up for disaster.

Finally, when selecting new software, it is advisable to stick with a well known name in the construction software world. While there may be new products that seem better than the trusted ones, the bottom line is that if you can’t get solid reviews on the software, you are taking a big chance. Their long term stability has not yet been tested, and that could put your company in a bad place down the road if something goes wrong.

Product Description
This digital document is an article from San Diego Business Journal, published by CBJ, L.P. on October 13, 2003. The length of the article is 692 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Tips for selecting, utilizing the ‘right’ construction software: know what your firm has before you invest.(Special report: commercial contracting)
Author: Joey Shull
Publication: San Diego Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 13, 2003
Publisher: CBJ, L.P.
Volume: 24 Issue: 41 Page: 21(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Tips for selecting, utilizing the ‘right’ construction software: know what your firm has before you invest.: An article from: San Diego Business Journal