Find the best construction project management software, including both full and supplemental versions. We reviewed them all so you don't have to.
As surprising as it may be, our career field is booming with construction apps, software, and other technology to make your job easier. Construction project management software is one the most commonly-used tools to manage tasks, timelines, and updates.
Currently, about 21% of companies have a set project management program in place. However, the statistics from American workers show that many more need to be implemented in the near future.
Other surprising project management statistics for construction include:
- 90% of projects require a team effort, not individual work.
- 12% of project failures are due to unclear task descriptions.
- 29% of workers blame lack of accountability.
- 59% of project participants say communication is the largest obstacle in project success rates.
The use of project management software for construction is also predicted to continue growing over the years as more and more companies turn toward its benefits.
Overall, these findings show that when projects don’t go as planned, participants feel it could have been easily prevented. They state that communication and organization are the top reasons for failure. Thankfully, these two areas are also top priorities in construction project management softwares.
Project management in construction makes a difference. But with the market fairly saturated in software and applications, how will you find the version that suits you and your team best?
Below, we'll help you find the best construction management software, the various types, including both full and supplemental versions, and the questions you should ask to find the one that’s right for you.
Full Construction Project Management Software
Full project management software for construction are simply apps and software that offer all the features without the need to turn to other technology. Below, we’ll list some of the main features that these apps include:
- Scheduling and Gantt charts
- Task management
- Document management
- Cost and finance tracking
Scheduling and Gantt Charts
These features allow you to schedule project participants and the work they need to complete on each project to wrap projects on time. It’s viewable by the individual workers, so each project participant can check where they should be and what they should be working on each day. Access can even be given to homeowners, subcontractors, and internal workers to keep everyone in the loop.
With the addition of Gantt charts, you can see what’s coming, where the interdependencies are, and what can be shifted up if a schedule delay occurs.
Task Management
This goes further into detail regarding the tiny parts of each project and which participant is assigned to complete them. Many construction project management softwares can help you create, manage, and assign tasks. They also let the worker comment on them, ask questions about them, and mark them as complete once they’re finished. Tasks normally have due dates, and reminders that notify the assignees when those dates are coming up or have passed. notifications, and reminders if their time frame was accidentally missed.
This isn’t just a way to stay organized, though it helps in that area quite a bit. It also ensures that no tasks are missed and that every project participant knows what they're responsible for.
Document Management
Paperwork is one of the best ways to reduce legal liability in the construction field. You need invoices, contracts, and receipts to keep yourself out of legal trouble. You also need project plans, blueprints, and more as you go through each project stage, with multiple teams working toward a common goal.
Project management software for construction typically gives you a place to store all these documents, as well as any other paperwork you may need down the road. This central storage spot is typically cloud-based, giving everyone on your team access, no matter where they are when they need it.
Cost and Finance Tracking
Costs and finances play a significant role in construction management, but software can help. Financial reports can be stored in the apps, such as subcontractor pay logs and supply receipts. You can also use the technology to compare different financial documents for future planning, such as estimates and actual costs of the work you complete.
This feature may also include integration from other construction apps, such as accounting, invoicing, time sheets, and more.
These are the typical features of construction project management software, and it’s important to note that the different options may perform even more for your business. That’s why we’re here to help you find the one that’s perfect for you.
Let’s move onto benefits as we make our way toward that important software discovery.
There is clear value for your businesses in many of these apps’ features, but it can be helpful to dig deeper into how project management software can transform your construction business.
The best construction project management software has the ability to:
- Improve communication
- Track finances
- Boost quality and quantity
- Grow and expand your business
Improve communication
Project management software for the construction industry often allows all project participants to communicate in one place. This may be through text or email tools where more people have visibility, or simply through the task and work oriented tools that allow people to provide updates by commenting, sharing photos, or marking items as complete.
Your field and office teams can stay in sync, as there are fewer miscommunicated or dropped messages critical to the project. Additionally, there is a record to go back to when an issue, error, or question comes up.
Track finances
When finances are thoroughly looked at and often referred to, they’re much more likely to be done well. Some construction project management software makes this possible with its financial tool integration options, document sharing, and remote access capability.
Boost quality and quantity
The best project management software for construction makes your job easier. It provides a roadmap and a place for everyone to see that picture. It gives you more time for yourself, your workers, and the other organizations participating in the project. For you, all this means you can take on more jobs, boost your income and your workers, and spend more time building with less stress on the admin side of things. That extra time can improve the look and quality of the work you complete, as there will be no need to rush onto the next job when you finish.
Grow and expand your business
Better quality, accurate timelines, and improved customer service — these three factors play a significant role in boosting your business's success. The integrations offered by construction project management software will also improve your success rates. In many cases, the more effective tools you have access to, the better your business can be.
Supplemental Construction Project Management Software
If you have a smaller team or a few tools that are already working well for your business, you may be interested in supplemental construction project management software instead of a complete version. You may also be experiencing difficulties getting every one of your team members on board with the app you currently use — making a communication-only version essential for business success.
These apps can make the conversation process simpler, allowing everyone on your project to enter to talk — and take in what’s being said. They lead to faster answers, clear and visible conversation, and a record in case documentation is needed in the future.
It may seem like a lot of work to download multiple apps and use them each day, but it may also make your days simpler. One main benefit of supplemental tools comes to mind: It dives into one main issue (communication), and solves it entirely.
Picture it for a moment — every branch of your team could use a different tool to strengthen their efforts. For example, you wouldn’t use the same smartphone application to communicate with your family and the people you bank with. Different tasks often require different tools, and that is okay.
Some of the main types of supplemental construction project management software include:
- Customer relationship management — CRMs
- Safety Apps
- Communication tools
Customer relationship management — CRMs
CRMs for construction can keep track of clients and perspectives, support your marketing efforts, send marketing emails and direct messages, support your efforts in the bidding process, and more. In short, they help turn your leads into paying clients, so you can spend more time building and remodeling, and less time on your smartphone to make deals come to life.
These tools can also be used for internal needs, such as communication with suppliers regarding prices, payments, and when products will be delivered to the job site.
Safety Apps
Safety apps can help your team develop a safety plan or adhere to guidelines already set in the industry. They can be used by safety managers or the entire team. They often help manage the process of inspection and documentation, and can help project participants solve problems before they become even more dangerous.
Some of these are directly related to safety, with auditing or fall-risk calculating capabilities, while others are more general, such as weather-predicting apps or photo editors to remotely show workers where safety concerns lie.
Communication tools
Communication plays a huge role in construction, so it’s important to have tools to support this area. Some full construction project management software will include space for conversation and comments, while others will require a supplemental application to improve this area of your work.
Construction communication software may offer the ability to:
- Speak with project participants, suppliers, and clients in a professional and organized manner
- Create communication plans to improve team cohesion
- Translate between languages for conversations with non-native speakers
- Document communication for future reference
It’s also important to note that introducing multiple apps to your team doesn’t have to be a difficult or drawn-out process. It might even be easier to introduce smaller, more specific programs, as they’ll be more likely to be used when their benefits show clearly to every project participant.
Choosing the Right Tools for Your Team
Now that you have a solid understanding of project management software made for the construction industry, it’s time to find the version that best fits your business.
Below are a few considerations you should keep in mind.
- The features that would benefit your team the most
- The platform your project participants would feel comfortable with
- Price, device compatibility, number of users authorized, etc.
The features that would benefit your team most
First things first — make a list of what tools would most benefit your business, so that you can ensure that the project management software you choose meets your construction needs. Here’s a recap of the most common features in construction project management software:
- Scheduling & Gantt charts for bigger picture planning
- Financial and document management for an organized record
- Task management for day-to-day operations
- Centralized communication to keep everyone on the same page
The platform your project participants would feel most comfortable using
It’s essential that your project participants are just as comfortable using the software as you are. If they are not ready to implement its use in their daily work, signing up won’t be worthwhile.
The following questions can help you in your consideration:
- Are your team members tech-savvy?
- Are they willing to work with multiple apps, or do they need one version that can do the job on its own?
- Do they need help with translation?
- Are there any other features they could benefit from?
Price, device compatibility, number of users authorized, etc.
Lastly, don’t forget to dive into the specifics. Make sure the software you choose can be used on the devices your project participants already own. Double check the price is in your budget and that there is enough accessibility for every member of your team to claim a spot.
If you need some guidance while searching for the best construction project management software, Rivet is a great place to start.
Rivet is a free, easy-to-use construction communication software that helps get your messages, photos, tasks, and more organized in one place, by project. Our app works as a lighter weight project management tool, which makes it easy to implement. It also allows you and your team to communicate outside the app via text message or email.
Those not on the app can respond in their native applications, and their responses will be pulled in and organized for your team and project record. Builders and contractors using Rivet today use it as a stand alone supplement, appearing as a supplement alongside full project management tools.
Rivet is designed to help make your day-to-day coordination easier. Here are some features that help project team’s save time and stay on the same page:
- Organized communication — Rivet provides a place for your team, project participants, and even home owners to converse in a familiar way -- a group chat. However, on Rivet, you can associate more than one conversation with a project. If you want a chat to communicate with the homeowners, and another for your plumber, both can be organized under one project, where all your messages, photos, files, and tasks will automatically roll into your project folders. Each set of conversation participants will only see what was shared in their respective conversations.
- Text message integration — Rivet offers the ability to send and receive text messages, so there are no speed bumps if certain project participants do not want to download the app. This allows you and the team to all get visibility into day-to-day coordination and outcomes, and assures you’ll get your organized record, even if others don’t comply.
- Translation — Rivet offers the ability to translate messages, tasks, or logs from any language into English, and from Spanish to English. We’re also working to include other languages, so that everyone on the project can understand what’s going on, creating a truly inclusive construction construction communication tool.
- Document storage — Like full construction project management tools, Rivet offers the ability to create and store files and documents, such as invoices, contracts, and more. This allows project participants to access critical paperwork from any device, wherever they need it.
- Central project hub — This feature allows builders or contractors to create a centralized page where they can list important project details like lockboxes codes, permit numbers, contacts, links to plans and selections, and more.
- Shared project calendar — Create a central resource that everyone on a project can see. Add stage start and end dates, weekly sync meetings, or day-to-day tasks to keep your projects moving and everyone on the same page.
Rivet is as easy to use as texting, but more powerful. It is available on any Apple or Android device, and can be accessed on laptops or desktops via web browsers. Creating a project can take as little as 60 seconds, allowing teams to quickly and easily begin getting more organized today without a long setup and training program.
Below are a few videos outlining what Rivet can do and how you can leverage these tools:
- Organize convos by project
- Create project hub
- Schedule people, events, and more
- Manage daily to-do’s
- Jobsite check-ins
- Shared directory
Our team is here to help every step of the way. We offer Zoom training for everyone on your construction projects, as well as initial project import and setup for the particularly busy teams. .
If you’re ready to give Rivet a try, feel free to contact us or download our app for free today.
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