No, if you are like other managers, and your project is like most other construction projects, you want more. How about: paper and plan management,  managing the contract paperwork,  help with bidding, managing subcontractors, keeping track of photographs of the development of the project, producing progress reports. All of these items and more can be handled by computer. You really need a system that allows your workers to access it from their iPhones or Android phones, so they can report items to be added to the punch (or fix) list for the project and to report their time or other information back to you, the manager.

The following packages are all cloud-hosted construction project information management software. This means that the programs and data are stored on the package developer’s servers, and you and your workers can access them from any Windows PC, or mobile devices when in the field.

• Procore is a company that provides the Procore construction project management software. Procore is based in California.  It has apps for Apple and Android mobile devices. See the list of modules shown below.

• MySmartPlans is developed by a company in Kansas City, MO, and it is project management software for construction with capabilities to coordinate planning, collaboration and information distribution. This can accelerate every step of the project lifecycle, for every member of the project team. There is an iPad/iPhone app to allow field staff to update the system whilst they are out on site.

• Aconex is sold as “construction Software – online project management and collaboration”.  It is widely used and provides modules similar to those shown below. It is developed by an Australian company.

Modules covered by these applications:

• Document Management (to keep electronic versions of all your documents in one place)
• Contract and change management (easy ways to manage contracts and keep track of changes)
• Drawing management (for managing, sharing and revising project drawings)
• Directory (record the people in projects and their access rights to project data)
• Daily log (create logs by dictating them into a phone, have weather reports added automatically, etc)
• Scheduling (which ties in to MS Project)
• Bidding (manage bids from vendors wanting to fill your contracts)
• Punch list (have items to be fixed sent in by your workers via phone when they visit a site)
• Timecards (allow employees to easily enter timecard info anywhere, anytime, through smart phones)
• Photo archive (the app can archive and protect your digital photos of project activities)
• Submittals (automatically track submittal and submittal package revisions)
• Meeting minutes (Send out comprehensive meeting agendas to all of your meeting attendees)
• Reporting (generate analysis of project data in the system to the detail you require)
• Multilingual interface (for projects using foreign workers)

There are other software packages and vendors, and you need to assess software for yourself before adopting a package in your business.

Contact Drew, our project management software specialist at 757-646-5612 for more information on how these types of solutions can benefit your business.

The post An Introduction to Construction Project Information Management Software appeared first on Hackworth.

Business apps can be customer-facing apps which help you make more money, or they can be internal apps which help boost productivity or save you money in the long term. They aren’t for every business, but they’re certainly becoming more popular—and for good reason.

Using Customer-Facing Apps

For over a decade, online marketers have known that the single most powerful marketing tool on the Internet is the opt-in email list. Getting customers to agree to let you send them occasional marketing messages lets businesses generate sales and, more importantly, get repeat sales which are typically the most profitable sales in any business.

But as more businesses realize the power of email marketing and as vendors make it easier to outsource the most difficult parts of email marketing (list management), the number of businesses competing for each customer’s email opt-ins has skyrocketed. The result is that it’s getting harder to get customers and potential customers to agree to sign up for your mailing list.

(You should still probably try to do it, as the costs are low and the benefits high, but don’t expect it to be as easy as a marketing book from five years ago says it is.)

Happily, technology has given forward-thinking businesses another way to create opt-in marketing opportunities—the mobile app. When a customer or potential customer installs your app, you have the ability to send them custom marketing messages. It’s better than email because you get a lot more control over the message and how it’s displayed, plus you can track very specifically how much attention the user pays to the message.

Of course, nobody signs up for a mailing list or installs an app just to receive marketing messages. Your list or your app has to deliver value—but if you can do that, you’ll have an opportunity to keep customers coming back to your business over and over.

Simple apps, such as an app which tells your customers what sales you currently have running, can cost between $2,000 and $10,000 to develop. If you already have all of the content you want to deliver to the app online using an open source content management system (such as WordPress or Drupal), you can probably cut your app development costs in half.

Internal Business Apps

Do important people in your business spend a significant amount of time away from their desks? If so, a mobile app could significantly boost their productivity. The key factor is whether or not they need to make decisions while they’re away from their computers.

Salespeople know that the faster they respond to a potential customer, the greater the likelihood of the sale. Salespeople in some businesses also spend a lot of time away from the office, making them the perfect target for an app which helps them stay in touch with customers.

Businesses whose staff never sit at a traditional desk can sometimes replace expensive proprietary systems with an in-house app. Think of warehouses which do constant inventory management using special devices or a transportation company which pays high fees to track each driver with a special GPS device. Both systems could probably be replaced with generic smartphones or tablets and a custom app.

Internal business app prices vary greatly depending on how complicated the process you want to automate and how many resources are already available for the programmer to use.

How To Get Started

Most custom app development companies will offer a free consultation, so sketch a few ideas on the back of an envelope and give two or three different companies a call to ask what’s possible and how much it will cost.

On thing most app development companies neglect to mention is on-going app maintenance costs. Even if the app they write you is perfect and you business never changes, mobile operating systems do change all the time and apps need to be updated on a regular basis, so be sure to ask prospective developers about maintenance costs so you can factor it into your budget.

Apps aren’t right for every business, but more and more businesses are discovering the benefits of custom apps every day.

The post Costs And Benefits Of Building A Custom App For Your Business appeared first on Hackworth.

Convenient, On-The-Go Productivity

KIP Cloud Printing Apps are engineered for remote print submission environments. Whether you’re using an iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Laptop, or USB, KIP Web Apps simplify convenience printing from any web browser using your favorite email provider.

• Use any web connected mobile device
• No learning curve, no training
• Submit print ready files via Email attachments
• Optional keywords for expanded flexibility

KIP Cloud Printing delivers the ability to Email files to a KIP systems for immediate or future viewing and printing. Simple key words can be used in the email body to specify printing instructions for each job set or file, helping mobile users to stay productive.

KIP Cloud Scan & Copy

The post KIP Cloud Printing Apps appeared first on Hackworth.

Solution: With the KIP 3100 and the KIP Request Software you can, with the click of the mouse, convert the huge multi-page PDF to a standard PDF. It will then create individual files of the drawings so that you can isolate only the drawings that you want to print. There is no longer any need to save the whole multi-page PDF file to a jump drive and pay a reprographic shop to do the work. Now you just convert the file in KIP Request and send only the desired prints directly to the KIP 3100 for instant results. This one application alone is a real time and money saver for you, and is only one of the many new capabilities provided by Hackworth that will improve your productivity by enhancing your document workflow process.

The post KIP 3100 + KIP Request = Time & Money Saved appeared first on Hackworth.