Embarking on a construction project without a schedule is like going on a road trip without a map. You’ll eventually get to your destination, but not without wasted time and money. And, in construction, any delays can be very costly, and sometimes can result in litigation.
A construction plan is crucial to the success of any construction project because it makes sure that all the team members are on the same page, and all resources ( both material and manpower) have been properly allocated.
Continuing on the road trip analogy, a traditional road map may get you to your destination, but a modern-day GPS that can foresee traffic and suggest alternative routes can get you to your destination faster and more efficiently. In the same way, a construction project scheduling software works the same way – it allows the contractor to finish the construction project more efficiently. Here are the top ten reasons why a construction project scheduling software is useful to your construction business.
- It increases accountability and encourages transparency. For a construction project to be successful, it is imperative that each team member is accountable for every task that they are assigned. A construction scheduling software provides a central location to track each and every task, resource and cost all throughout the project.
Clients typically want to be in control of the construction project, and a construction scheduling software gives them that control by providing them project overview, real-time updates, accountability, and transparency.
- It can foresee any problems with the cost and cash flows. A construction scheduling software allows the contractor to plan a project before embarking on a bid to make sure that the cost is affordable. Depending on the contract, often times contractors are required to cover all the out of pocket and are not paid until the project is finished. A thorough schedule will show the cash flows at any given time and allows the contractor to be in control of the costs.
- It provides cost analysis. Unfortunately, it’s a well- known fact that a lot of construction projects suffer from poor planning, resource misallocation, and in the end costly overruns. A construction management software allows efficient budget planning and waste management. This software also allows to track these estimates, and in doing so will be able to find out where the leaks are in the project and can lead to the improvement of cost allocation
- It allows your company to go green. Nowadays, everybody is doing their part in trying to save the environment, and the construction industry is no stranger to this. From creating vertical gardens to new construction materials that don’t hurt the environment, construction is shifting towards preserving valuable resources. And, the effective application of a scheduling software can contribute to this by focusing on construction processes that are environmentally friendly. By providing solutions that focus on waste management as well as proper resource allocation can help your construction company more green-focused.
- It helps in efficient service delivery. A lot of project managers treat construction management software as an important component to the success of a construction project. A construction project management scheduling software makes sure that all resources whether it be manpower or material are properly allocated. This schedule provides a sort of roadmap to follow until the job is complete.
- It provides you with a contingency plan. Schedules that are made with the critical plan method requires the identification of critical paths which becomes critical should the client changes some things that can affect the completion date. It is a fact that sometimes, not everything goes according to schedule, but have already figured out the many paths that can take you to the completion of a project without being late will provide you with the security of a backup plan should the things go south with the original plan. Scheduling helps you plan for the things that are out of the ordinary.
- It provides a central hub for the team members. Construction is all about teamwork and communication. And often times, in any construction project, information is generated on a regular basis, and this information needs to reach the needed team members so it’s important to have a central hub so that people involved can have access to this information. The best construction scheduling software for your company takes all the information and stores it in a single place so that everybody can have access to the project flow whenever the need arises.
- It can help get you to win the bid. Creating a schedule before you submit a bid can be advantageous for you as a contractor in a couple of ways. One is that it can spare you from getting stuck with an unreasonable time frame. Creating a schedule to double check the deadline that the client gives you will a good idea if the timeframe is reasonable. If the two schedules are not similar, you as a contractor have the option to abandon the bid or submit the new timeline for the client to review.
Secondly, including a project schedule with your bid can show your client that you have thoroughly understood the scope of the project, and in turn can help you win the project.
- It makes the allocation of resources more efficient. Having an accurate schedule either made manually or thru the use of a scheduling software allows you, the contractor to assign materials and manpower appropriately with no wastage.
- Time management. One of the indications of project success in construction is the project being finished and delivered on time. And, often times if there are project delays, the biggest factor that causes this is poor planning. Using a good schedule software can help the project be more time efficient. Features like real-time updates can significantly reduce the time it takes to inform relevant parties of information and enables a more efficient decision making that’s based on facts.
