With a number of Construction Management Software Solutions on the market it can be tough to decide which one to procure for the most critical piece of software in your construction company.
Established providers bring with them the security that other companies are using them. They’re battle tested. They built their systems and numerous companies have successfully run projects with them. Moreover, people are familiar with them so it lowers the barrier of acceptance and makes projects run smoother.
This levels the playing field, but they might have the tendency to reflect software best practice from previous eras. A lot’s changed in software over the years and staying on the cutting edge is tough to do when you have customers already on your product.
This leaves the door wide open for new competitors to offer their services and resolve the problems construction companies face with the latest tech. They can leverage machine learning, predictive analytics, cloud based computing and data storage, and much more in their effort to make construction projects more efficient.
One such competitor is Linarc, who just released its Construction Project Management Software platform. It brings with it a number of improvements that will help construction companies finish projects better, faster and within budget.
What makes Linarc worth checking out? Here we identify some of the main ways Linarc can revolutionize how you manage your construction projects.
1. Mobile Device by Role
In today’s day and age almost everyone has a mobile device on their person at all times. This wasn’t the case twenty years ago, or even ten years ago for some folks.
But today most people carry a phone with them everywhere they go. It’s needed for work, relationships, managing one’s affairs, and pretty much everything. It’s tough to remember how anyone got by without them.
Linarc takes advantage of this and makes an app for every role on the job site. The foremen have an app which includes everything they need to manage their crew. From tracking time to the progress of all the tasks, they can do it all from their mobile device.
Crewmen have an app that gives them access to exactly the documents they need to get the job done. They can note when they start work, take pics of it upon completion, and track any anomalies with the progress of their tasks. All the paperwork is handled and reported automatically simply by using Linarc.
Project executives have full access to the entire info of the job site. They can see exactly how the jobsite is progressing and which areas are completed on schedule, and which are delayed. They get timely reports that include complete insights into the entire project.
2. Company-wide Project and Resource Management
Most construction project management tools take a project by project approach. Afterall, projects run on different schedules with different people, deadlines, contracts and overseeing bodies. Trying to combine them could only lead to trouble with one’s bookkeeping.
But it’s the combination of projects that comprise a construction company, and the more resources you can save, the faster, better, and leaner you can be. If two projects are making a large purchase of the same material from the same supplier, it could save them money by combining them into a single larger purchase.
Or if crew have a delay on one project, they could be rescheduled to another so that the company can keep them working.
And equipment is consistently underutilized on projects. Keeping it on site for only the time needed will save the company a lot of money.
Linarc lets you do all this. It takes a company-wide view of all the resources available at any given time. Insightful reports and alerts let project leaders know how they can optimize resource utilization across their entire company.
3. All-in-one-app
With so many applications on the market it can create a dizzying amount of options when choosing which to use for your business. Some are for estimating, others for tracking bids, or vendors, equipment, and any number of other specializations.
On one hand, getting an app that does one and only one thing and does it well, can be an advantage. On the other, it can be a real challenge to get that app to communicate with other apps. The more apps you have, the more cumbersome it can be. This leads to duplicate data entry and errors.
With Linarc you don’t need to buy nearly as many separate apps or services since it already includes most of the critical ones. This starts with construction project management, and includes schedulers, bid management, submittal and RFI workflow management, dispatch, and more.
Linarc handles the vast majority of the tasks needed on a job. For those it doesn’t include, such as design or payroll, it provides seamless integrations or data exports.
Keeping all your apps under the same system means Linarc can readily leverage the information across your systems to ensure everything is running smoothly. Timely alerts and smart dashboards give you immediate information when the schedule needs to be adjusted, or when resources need to be procured.
This all-encompassing approach to construction project management will prevent oversights and ensure nothing escapes the review of project overseers.
4. Real-time Connectivity
Keeping everyone on the jobsite connected has tangible advantages. If one crew doesn’t finish their work, the Work Breakdown Structure can be automatically updated so other crews can adjust accordingly.
As resources are depleted the purchase orders will be automatically generated. All their procurement team must do is review them and send.
Time cards are submitted automatically as progress for the day completes. As long as workers clock in and clock out via the app, their time tracking will be taken care of for them.
The section of the plans and instructions are made available to the foremen and crews who need them. This paves the way for real-time collaboration where all parties can be reviewed simultaneously.
With Linarc, nobody has to go hunting for critical documents. Crew won’t show up on site and find materials or equipment that hasn’t arrived yet. Everything’s updated in real time and the relevant parties are informed on how it may impact their progress.
Automated Process Resolution for RFIs, Submittals and Change Orders
One of the biggest reasons projects are held up is due to getting all the necessary people to review, provide feedback, or sign off on certain documents. The amount of time lost simply waiting for RFIs to be resolved is staggering. Or when a submittal is sent it can sit on a desk for days or weeks before being properly reviewed. Change Orders can take a while to resolve as well, as project planners need to meet and consider what’s best for the project.
Oftentimes managing this process can be cumbersome, and it is handled by a project manager or other administrator. Someone takes the process from start to finish and checks in with each person along the way to ensure everyone has handled their part. This is slow, inefficient, and error prone.
Linarc allows you to create automated workflows which will drive these common processes to faster resolution. Simply define in the system who should be contacted and in what sequence, and Linarc will take it from there.
Each person will be informed when it’s their turn to contribute, and once completed, the next person will be prompted for their input.
By creating automated workflows these tiresome processes are resolved faster and without the hand-holding that is typically needed to complete them.
Conclusion
Linarc is a new take on construction management software. It fosters an environment of collaboration that breaks down the silos that can occur on jobsites. Everyone gets the information they need when they need it which leads to more successful projects.
Leveraging modern tech and blending it with one of the oldest industries, Linarc paves the way for construction of the future. With it companies will be able to close more deals, complete projects faster, safer, and more efficiently.