Imagine solving one of your biggest construction problems while simultaneously improving your client’s experience with one simple smartphone app.
A recent Consumer Reports survey tapped into the biggest sources of dissatisfaction consumers have with their construction contractors and found the two biggest pet peeves were based mostly around these issues:
One potential solution for both the time and communication issues is using a construction scheduling app to untangle the management of multiple construction jobs.
While there are a host of different “project management” apps out there, there are really only a few aimed directly at the specialized needs of construction professionals. These seem to be packed with the most useful features to help you stay on top of multiple construction jobs at once, helping to resolve communication and time issues that result in projects going into overtime.
Here is a look at a few apps that receive the most accolades among construction managers:
E-Builder Mobile
Available for Apple and Android devices, E-Builder Mobile helps you organize and schedule all of the essential tasks for multiple construction projects in one, cloud-based location your team can access when and where they need it.
It helps your team:
- Boost productivity
- Cut costs
- Keep essential steps in each project on time
E-builder Mobile also helps track, organize, and share
- Scheduled tasks
- Planning and design documents
- Procurement tasks
- Operations
- Each project’s progress
It helps keep everyone on each team informed and ready to do what needs to get done, when it needs to get done.
Particularly helpful are the customized forms that help you drag and drop essential data right where you need it. You can view the entire schedule for any project from your mobile device and catch potential snags before they happen. Then send documents to clients and other team members for approval or direction.
This helps you save time by making sure everyone involved is on the same page—and cuts down on communication problems that can cause issues with homeowners and clients. Of course, there’s no substitute for face-to-face discussions, but by sharing important documents via E-Builder Mobile, all parties can be well prepared for those conversations so they’re clearer and more productive.
Bridgit Closeout
Bridgit Closeout is specifically designed to help you manage your punch lists. This is a huge boon for your scheduling—particularly when you’re on a tight schedule and have a lot of tasks to manage.
It distills what used to take hours (managing a boatload of punch list tasks and dealing with the problems that inevitably come up) and turns it into a few minutes from your mobile device. These updates can then be shared across your entire team, drastically reducing time spent tracking people down to let them know what’s going on.
With a few finger swipes, construction managers can:
- Create tasks
- Review tasks
- Edit tasks
- Approve tasks
Bridgit Closeout will help you keep the ball rolling and keep your projects on schedule.
AutoDesk BIM 360
This full-featured project management and construction scheduling app keeps all of your important docs and schedule in the cloud. AutoDesk BIM 360 also tracks location progress in real time so that you know where everyone is at any given moment on the schedule.
Why use AutoDesk BIM 360?
- Keeps your office and various locations connected
- Puts a library of essential documents and plans in a secure location in the cloud
- Tracks equipment locations
You can access this information no matter where you are, cutting confusion, communication hang-ups and the time it takes to get things done by nearly half, according to case studies in the field.
CoConstruct
Another highly-rated construction scheduling and overall management app that is both mobile and cloud-based is CoConstruct.
This app contains the power to:
- Manage multiple schedules for multiple clients
- Manage the needs of each client
CoConstruct allows you to keep track of
- Subcontractors
- Documents
- Plans
- Specs
- Photographs
- Job logs
- Warranties
- Time clocks
- Several other construction project must-knows
It also helps you manage the financial aspects of any construction project, helping you keep both on time and on budget.
Users report great results with the app, but as a very full-featured program, it does require a bit of a learning curve, particularly on the client side; although users (both construction management teams and clients) seem to feel the learning curve is worth it for how well scheduling needs and client expectations are delivered.
Of course, each of these construction scheduling apps has different features and benefits that may or may not fit your needs. Take a closer look at each of these systems and see which one best fits the need of your projects and your team —and enjoy pleasing your clients with on-time, on-budget, well-communicated construction projects!
