Managing construction with digital software

Joanna Mulgrew, Managing Director of HBXL Building Software, shares her advice on managing your construction jobs using software.

A building project spiralling out of control is possibly the worst nightmare for a builder. There’s so much riding on its success. Reputation. The amount of profit made. The next job starting on time. Staff satisfaction.

The stress for a builder can be next level. Always running around. Always juggling. Always being tripped up. You want to stop having to throw money at problems. You just want your subbies, materials and plant to be where they are supposed to be on the right you’re your dream is for everyone to focus on doing their jobs well without the distraction that delays cause. And for you to have stress-free evenings and weekends off.

For some time now, the HBXL building community has been asking for a job management tool specific to small building firms. So, we know help is needed. After all, it’s virtually impossible to hold in your head, multiple projects and all their stages and differing issues. Then there’s the customer. How do you keep them in the loop and off your back? And that’s why we’ve recently launched BuildProjex, our first cloud-based software tool. And it’s going down a storm.

But back to you. How do you rate your job management skills? Are you always in control? Do you have a clear view of all the jobs going through? Do you hit your deadlines every time? And most importantly do you make the profit you predicted at the quoting stage?

If you can’t quite say yes to all of the above, then read on!

1. Keep a complete overview

Sounds obvious but having a snapshot of ALL your projects at any one time makes a massive difference to the running of your business. Say you’ve got a couple of jobs in the quoting phase, another job is breaking ground soon, one at first floor, another that’s overdue for landscaping. How do you see at a glance, what might clash, who can’t be in two places at once, and so on? It’s impossible. The ‘All Project’ dashboard in BuildProjex gives you a valuable (real-time) oversight. It helps avoid any clangers. And being cloud-based everyone can check the overview, wherever they are, whatever the time of day.

2. Get a tick next to the tasks you set

Your team aren’t mind readers. They need a to-do list and a due date. And even if it’s obvious what should happen next, it’s worth noting down. And there’s a good reason for this. You want to know the work has been done. Everyone needs to be accountable. So, you want all your employees and sub-contractors to tick off their tasks. In BuildProjex the tasks are blue while in progress, green when completed and red when overdue… there’s nowhere to hide.

3. Exchange messages in one place

All your team need to be on the same page for work to go smoothly. Literally. How annoying is it when a conversation starts on WhatsApp and finishes in Messenger? And then there are the hundreds of text messages, and email chains. It’s impossible to keep track. Whatever you do, make sure that you’re all using the same messaging channel. In BuildProjex, messaging is in-built. You can exchange direct messages or drop them into group chats. Whatever you do, keeping your conversations in one place is key to efficiency.

4. Keep the calendar up-to-date

How many times has a site visit gone unattended because it’s slipped someone’s mind? What about that meeting with the electrician or Building Control? And wouldn’t it be handy if everyone can see that the PVCu quote request went on the 6th, the skip is being delivered on the 15th, the roofers will be on site on the 17th... You need a shared calendar. Everything in one place. BuildProjex has a colour-coded calendar for each job. The information is pulled through from tasks, so you don’t even have to do anything. You can share the whole company calendar or project-specific calendars with the relevant people. Key dates, appointments, deliveries. Nothing gets forgotten.

5. Track progress of building phases

Not dissimilar to a calendar, a Gantt Chart (Build Programme) uses timelines to represent the completion of each task. Foundations 1.4 months, Framing 22 days, Dry in 22 days, Exterior finishes 19 days and so on. You can share individual charts or a combined chart for all the projects. It means you can track target progress versus actual progress. If you want to make the profit you set out at the beginning, you need to stay on track. Again, BuildProjex has a Gantt Chart in-built. All the information on each job automatically gets fed into the chart. And you can share it with whoever you want. So easy.

6. File everything in one place

These pointers aren’t in any particular order, and for some, knowing where everything is could be the number one requirement. How can you effectively manage a job if you aren’t sure where all the paperwork is – and whether it’s the latest version. I’m thinking building plans, quotations, schedules of work, site photos, specifications, risk assessments – you get the idea. How do you file paperwork currently? Can everyone access the relevant documents? BuildProjex can receive your uploaded files and store them for you. And you and your team can access them (if they have the right permissions).

I hope I’ve given you food for thought with these six key aspects of successful job management. It’s not easy, and using a range of different tools can cause more problems than they resolve. That’s why BuildProjex is proving an instant success. It’s the glue that holds your valuable construction projects together. Everything is in one place. You’re in control. Everyone is in the loop. You have everything at your fingertips and so does your team. And you can plan, track, share and manage from your mobile phone, tablet, laptop, computer. Building projects run smoothly and your profit margin is protected.