Businesses in the construction industry can make use of the many construction management software innovations that are available to them in the modern era. These innovations can be used to make construction activities more accurate, efficient, and cost effective than ever before.
What is construction management software?
Construction management software is a project management tool that has been designed specifically for professionals in the construction industry. This software is used to streamline processes that are typically performed manually, and can also be used to aid in communication and decision-making. However, construction management software also serves another purpose: protecting construction documents.
Why manage your documents with construction management software?
Handling, organizing, storing, and retrieving physical documents can be a chore. These are time-consuming tasks that often result in project inefficiencies and delays.
To make matters worse, handling these documents by hand could lead to poor project tracking and inaccurate financial reporting. The pitfalls of handling physical documents in the construction industry are seemingly endless.
To help combat these problems, many construction businesses have begun digitizing their documents and organizing them using construction document control software.
Digitizing documents
Construction documents can be digitized much in the same way that other documents are digitized: using a scanner. However, documents in the construction industry such as construction plans tend to be much larger than traditional documents that are used in other industries. As a result, construction documents need to be scanned using special large format scanners.
These scans are usually saved as high resolution images that capture the fine details in construction plans. These high resolution images are then uploaded to online clouds where they can be organized, managed, and edited using the construction management software.
Digitizing documents lets businesses save paper and storage space. These digital documents are much easier to retrieve, share, and edit than physical documents.
Physical documents are also prone to wear and can fade over time. This issue could prove to be costly if the document contains important details and does not have any back up copies.
How construction management software can protect construction documents
Once construction documents have been digitized, they can be uploaded to online cloud servers. This makes these documents easier to organize, view, and share.
Storage clouds are powered by secure servers that limit access to the files that are saved on the cloud. Employees that need to access these digital documents can simply log onto the cloud server using their secure login credentials through a computer or a phone that has internet access.
Digitized construction documents can be added to construction management software with ease and can be stored in their document management systems.
This allows workers to view their documents out in the field using their digital devices that have access to the construction management software. Such arrangements can be used to save tons of paper annually, and ensure that documents are available whenever they are needed.
Construction managers can save a lot of time by using construction management software to retrieve and view documents. These boosts in efficiency can reduce project delays, make budgeting more accurate, and improve activity scheduling.
Furthermore, you can (and should) digitize your contracts. With construction contract management software handling contracts for you, it’s easier to attain complete visibility of the entire contract process and life cycle. It also significantly reduces errors and empowers you to monitor contractors as they work. You gain valuable insight into what they’re actually doing, how well they’re doing it, and if there are any issues. That way, the entire scope of work gets addressed in a timely manner without any major hiccups along the way.
When documents are kept organized, construction managers have an easier time identifying and resolving potential issues before they occur. These issues could jeopardize the safety of workers, so digitizing documents has become a necessity to ensure a safer work environment.
Backing up documents
Physical documents are subject to wear and tear every time they are retrieved and shared. Over time some of these documents may also be lost or misplaced. These issues can be prevented by digitizing documents and uploading them to cloud servers. Digitization essentially makes these documents impervious to physical wear and tear.
If the device that construction managers are using to view these documents crashes or fails, the documents can still be retrieved via the storage cloud. The failure of this device has not affected the document in any way, which makes this arrangement ideal for storing valuable or sensitive documents that construction companies cannot afford to lose under any circumstances.
Document management systems
Documents that are stored on the construction management software’s document management system can be organized in a manner that makes these documents easy to locate and retrieve.
Construction companies often retain documents from past projects for use in future projects. These documents can be retrieved and viewed using the construction management software. The data contained in these documents can be exported from the original document, and imported into new ones.
This information can then be used for planning budgets for future projects, and to streamline processes in these projects using the knowledge gained from previous ones. This enables construction managers to carry out better planning than ever before.
Managers no longer have to worry about searching for old documents by sifting through piles of folders to find a single piece of information. When documents are uploaded to the document management system, they can be sorted alphabetically, datewise, or organized into various folders that are easy to navigate through.
Documents that have been uploaded to the construction management software can also be shared electronically with other people around the world. This saves on costs, paper, and time that would be spent mailing physical documents to employees or clients in other countries.
Reliable systems
Construction management software’s are known for their reliability. Most companies that offer construction management software also offer support services for clients that are experiencing issues using the software.
If the software crashes or fails at the client’s end, the software manufacturers may be able to retrieve all the data saved on the software and share it with their clients. Data losses can be devastating for most businesses, but they are especially costly and dangerous for businesses in the construction industry that were relying on this data to complete time-sensitive projects.
If you are managing a business in the construction industry, consider digitizing your documents and organizing them using a construction management software. These solutions are quickly becoming a necessity for all businesses in the construction industry that wish to remain competitive.
