Tools in construction go beyond the machinery needed to raise the buildings; they also involve construction management tools to oversee and monitor the progress of your project. Hence, construction project management services often utilize software that enables them to plan, budget, and communicate the project’s status to interested parties.
These management software solutions make the work of project coordination experts easier, as they allow them to create cloud-based spaces that centralize access to all critical information, including project tasks, responsibilities, deadlines, and technical and contractual specifications. In this way, all involved teams and stakeholders can view the project’s state without needing to visit the jobsite.
Likewise, construction management software offers a range of tools essential for managing any construction project. Although they may vary depending on the software and the specific project, certain tools are commonly used among construction project management services.
What are the most common tools for construction management?
Gantt charts
At this stage, construction project management services can help you decide vital elements of your design, based on the construction site’s size, the estimated size of the building, and the purpose of the project. Likewise, they can help with:
- Schematic sketching: Designing the floor plan, elevations, and, in some instances, the site plan for your project.
- Design development: Researching to determine the most fitting materials and equipment for the project, according to the building code requirements, as well as the estimated quantities and labor needed. Project coordination experts typically create a bill of quantities to specify all this information, enabling you to obtain more accurate estimates from contractors.
- Organizing the contract documents: Based on the construction drawings, technical specifications, and material and labor requirements, construction project management services will gather the necessary information to create the contractual blueprints for the project and share them with the potential contractors.
Dashboards
Dashboards are great tools for monitoring the progress of a construction project and ensuring it’s developing as planned. These tools enable construction project management services to obtain a high-level overview of the project, collecting data and translating it into charts and graphics that provide managers with crucial information, such as the progress of every phase, the number of completed, remaining, and overdue tasks, the workload, and more.
Thanks to this data, the project manager can evaluate the progress and compare it against the initial plan, identifying areas for improvement and corrective actions.
Task lists
Task lists are simple yet highly effective management tools for project coordination experts and construction crews. They help them keep track of their daily activities, create daily construction logs, and punch lists. With task lists, construction project management services can track the job and monitor the progress of each team within the overall phase.
Resource management
Team scheduling and resource management are essential tools that help the project manager chart the availability, cost, and allocation of resources, such as the workforce, rented equipment, and necessary materials. Resource management software is crucial in construction scheduling support, as managers can monitor the crews’ workload and create calendars to manage their hours, plan for time-outs, and ensure timely shift completion.
It also helps keep track of rented equipment to ensure that it’s returned on time, avoiding overspending on late fees and ensuring the project stays on budget.
Time sheets
Another standard tool in construction project management services is time sheets. These are helpful to overview the crew’s workload and dedicated time during the week. With time sheets, it’s easier to see the individual progress on the project, monitor how much time all the personnel dedicate to their task, and identify areas that could slow the project down.
3 software programs ideal for construction project management services
Thanks to advancements in the technological world, project coordination experts no longer need to have five different Excel sheets, each with a specific tool on it. Most of these and other project management tools are gathered in several project management software packages, whether free or paid.
The software choice will vary, depending on the construction manager’s requirements and the project’s needs, as some software specializes in different aspects of commercial construction oversight. However, some names stand out among the crowd. Let’s further our understanding of construction management by learning about some of the tools your next project manager may use.
- Asana: Asana is a renowned project management tool that enables you to visualize each task of a construction project in a calendar view, allowing you to add attachments and centralize access to vital information.
- Clockify: Clockify is popular for its free time-tracking feature, which allows construction project management services to see how much time each team member spends on different tasks. It also generates detailed reports useful for the project’s time management and calculates billable hours based on the contractor‘s hourly rate and hours tracked.
- Sage Timberline Estimating: Sage Timberline Estimating is a powerful tool for accurately estimating the total costs of your project. Powered by trade-specific cost databases, it enables project managers to obtain accurate and up-to-date costs for every item on their estimate.
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