Job progress management
Managing the progress of construction projects during an extremely busy summer can be extremely challenging and, for some builders, the use of job-costing software can be crucial. When selecting a job costing software, builders should choose a system that allows them to customize the program for the physical steps of the specific types of construction and renovation jobs the company performs. Other key features builders should look for in the software they employ include project management tools to manage job progress with respect to employees, subcontractors, and third-party services, such as electrical inspectors. Some software even allows one to make ‘change orders’ in the system by attaching a change order to the original job or a change to the job cost.
Having an integrated construction job costing system allows one to manage projects with progress management tools working together with the business software’s scheduling system to schedule appointments and other daily job activities quickly and easily. Progress management tools allow one to tack-on items such as permit numbers and other important notes and information necessary for the job. Further, some construction software systems give builders the option to set up customized job stages and track all costs including inventory, labour, expenses, and prepaid usage taxes for each stage of a job in the construction module. Some software goes even further and allows builders to set dependencies in the system to ensure stages of the job are never scheduled out of sequence to avoid things like having an electrical inspector arrive on-site before the electrical work is signed off as completed.
Progress reporting and billing are features that should also be included in the choice of one’s construction job costing software. Managers need to be able to instantly print progress reports of all projects that have an open or completed status to ensure against errors and oversights. It is imperative to have the ability to print reports for one or all jobs or for a particular stage for all jobs. This feature allows builders to keep informed as to what the physical status of all jobs are and have a record of who, what, where, and when.
Busy summer seasons make construction software even more valuable by ensuring progress billing is completed in a timely fashion for optimal cash flow. When looking at construction job costing software, builders should be sure the system can also perform progress billings from within the construction module to ensure accurate billings. For example, the software should be able to calculate progress billing payments based on the project’s state of completion and then be able to send the totals directly to the accounts receivable department so they can bill the clients.
Lastly, one should not forget about new mobile technology options that allow in-field personnel to take payments on the jobsite. By using a mobile device, the project team can accept payments which will immediately be listed in the payment screen. This allows payments to be made on the main job but only up to the amount of the main job minus any outstanding costs and previous billings.
