The outbreak of COVID-19 or the Novel Coronavirus has had a spiralling effect on almost all businesses, small or big. These are testing times if you are a business owner or someone who leads business from the front. Any business that runs short of innovation is destined to fail under these circumstances. Traditional businesses that have had adopted technology at the core of operation can afford to enjoy a reasonably smooth ride. And those that failed to have one will have a tough road ahead.
Agriculture and construction, perhaps two of the oldest business sectors, unfortunately, have had very little to boast in terms of management automation. Construction sector is quite capital-and labour-intensive;the lack of right management processes in place can spell chaos.
Gone are the days when construction firms have to rely on cumbersome, tedious paperwork and filing systems which are time-consuming. However, many construction firms think a lot about investing in an integrated construction project management software thinking it is an unnecessary business expense.
A research study shows that 21% of construction firms, its survey respondents, saw a considerable improvement in project estimating accuracy, followed up by project completion time, bidding, client communication and accounting by adopting project management software at the core of their day-to-day operations. Therefore, is there something that construction firms that do not take the project management technology route lag behind in terms of competition? This article will cover those points, though not in detail, but should still highlight how construction mobile project apps can disrupt the construction space.
Advantages of Construction Mobile Project Apps
Generally speaking, any project management software or application built specifically for the construction industry should support communication, job scheduling, budget management, cost control, etc. Here are the advantages of any construction mobile project app or software:
Effective Management
Construction project management apps make construction management systematic and easy to pick, ensuring the project proceeds as per the plan. They enable staff to create professional transmittals, RFIs, business letters, submittals and change requests. The integrated built-in nature of the construction project management apps allows project managers, project sponsors, clients, consultants, contractors and subcontractors to instantly share project updates and track project budget.
Related article: Top Project Management Tools
Document Control:
Project management involves a lot of documentation including paper work, bills, vouchers, invoices, tender agreements and other printed documents that need to be stored in a filing cabinet. Documentation management system that most project management software or web- or cloud-based mobile apps offer make short work of documentation so that the entire project team can visit, track and retrieve the required documents easily.
Easy Access and Sharing of Information
When paperwork and manual filing are a thing of the past, logically what the project team in any construction project should be looking for is instant access to information, and sharing it on a wider scale with a particular individual or assigned work groups. This greatly enhances collaboration, bringing in the various participants and stakeholders of the project all at one place
Risk Assessment
Construction projects are fraught with risks and uncertainties at all points. Risk assessment is critical to identify risks and deal with them at various points for the project to sail smoothly.
Integrated Construction Accounting Software for Cost Control
Cost control measures to prevent budget or cost overruns involve regular monitoring of account statements, bills and budget status, and updating the same across the project team. Most construction project management apps come built-in with construction accounting software to gain access to financial information in real-time, act on it in a timely manner, lower operational costs, and make informed business decisions to put the project back on track.
Aids Efficient Service Delivery
Project management software or apps can improve service delivery considerably, as the entire project team is committed to faster delivery and efficient service through proper collaboration and simplified process. This is vital for the continuance of business and an improved bottom-line.
Improves Communication Top to Bottom
Communication tools built into the system can improve communication at various fronts. Lack of communication can delay the progress of the project, and create unnecessary gaps that can be easily identified and fixed with a construction mobile project app or software suite.
Improved Transparency
Project management software in the construction area has improved the transparency levels appreciably. Because every single aspect of project management can be easily tracked and updated across the team, there is 100% transparency and confidence from project start until completion.
Project Planning & Visualization
Visual dashboards, data analytics and reports can offer clear project status updates in real-time. This can help not only to measure process effectiveness, but also improve project planning by a long way. Analysis of historical trends, audit logs and data analytics of the construction project, in addition to measuring its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), helps maintain the project in a more structured and logical order.
Project Turnaround Time
Most construction projects fail big time due to high turnaround time. High turnaround time=a long delay. Powered by visual dashboards and real-time updates, project turnaround is drastically reduced boosting the confidence of the project team, increases ROI, and creates a conducive environment for subsequent rounds of funding or investment.
To conclude
Effective project management in the construction area is an integration of people, process and technology. Only the right adoption of tools and processes in place can enable the project team to pull off the expected outcome within the stipulated time and budget. Therefore, construction firms should be looking towards improving project management by considering a fully-integrated cloud-based construction management mobile app.
