Construction management is a professional service of overseeing a construction project from conception to completion. Typically the purview of a construction manager (CM), also known as a project manager (PM), involves the effective management and direction of various aspects of a build, such as:
- Planning
- Scheduling
- Budgeting
- Safety standards and regulations
- Quality assurance
Manage the Scope of a Project
At its most basic, a construction project’s scope is an agreed-upon list of key guidelines that see a construction project through to completion. The more planning and guidelines you establish early in a project’s life cycle, the lower the chance for cost and time overruns later.
The scope of work’s primary purpose is to keep a project organized and chaos-free. Construction managers often leverage construction management software to hammer out the fine details and create an ironclad scope.
For example, most modern platforms include features that focus on boosting and organizing communication. Document management features, especially in cloud-based systems, allow users to quickly access, edit, share and backup vital project documentation. BIM capabilities let project members edit models and drawings cooperatively and on the fly while others tweak or accept them.
Construction management software includes a variety of features that make scope creation easier:
Plan Out an Entire Construction Project
Effective planning is integral to delivering a project on time and on (or under) budget, and a construction management software solution can help optimize things even further.
A construction project goes through seven phases before reaching completion:
Conception
The project’s owners gather financing while the construction manager conducts feasibility studies to determine the viability and possible setbacks of the project.
Design
Engineers, architects and other design professionals create schematics, designs and models for every structural component. Construction management solutions with BIM capabilities can be especially beneficial during this phase.
Preconstruction
The CM oversees the project’s legal needs and creates detailed timelines for the entire build. This phase is where scheduling tools are indispensable, allowing CMs to filter schedules by job site, providing a helpful layer of visibility.
During this phase, the CM also builds a comprehensive budget, which is integral to planning a successful construction project. However, without software, human error can cause significant hiccups. No matter how experienced the person, calculation errors can happen, setting a project back on valuable time and resources. Automating manual input and budget calculation cuts costs and saves time.
Procurement
The general contractor awards contracts to the winning bids while the construction manager secures the necessary equipment and materials. Preventative maintenance features can schedule maintenance for vehicles, parts and equipment as projects go on to preempt any issues with the final product.
Construction
The main building phase where all stakeholders need to work harmoniously to ensure a timely and cost-effective build. The various communication features of construction management software ensure everyone is on the same page amidst scheduling and design changes. At the same time, built-in customizable checklists guarantee the completion of every critical task.
Commissioning
The construction manager tests all systems for functionality and quality. Most construction management systems include punch lists, which provide an overview of final repairs requiring completion before turning the structure over to the owner.
Plus, by maintaining a dashboard that team members and contractors can easily access, CMs have a visible place to post important checklists without worrying about them getting lost in the shuffle.
CMs will also tally up the costs and measure them against the budget laid out in the scope of work. Luckily, a software solution automates many of the final reports’ calculations.
Closeout
The construction manager does a final walkthrough with the owner before handing over all documents and assets. Document management features and audit trails ensure that critical paperwork and information aren’t forgotten or undelivered. As an added benefit, when presenting the finished product as a whole, photos can be taken and uploaded to presentations for a professional, final look.
Remember that there are no absolute start and stop points for the different phases. Often, some will overlap depending on the progress of certain teams and as setbacks, like change orders, arise.
Maintain a Safe Job Site
Customer satisfaction and staying under budget are important indicators of a successfully managed project, but a safe work environment is vital, as construction is one of the most dangerous professions. Protecting your team and yourself from hazardous work conditions and other disputes is a big job. Fortunately, there are a few helpful construction management features users can leverage to simplify the process.
Many systems contain the ability to create custom safety checklists that CMs can sculpt to fit the unique needs of their job sites. If all members sign off on a stringent safety checklist when deciding the last details of the scope, there can be no confusion about job site safety policy.
Obviously, there are other on- and off-site safety issues that could arise, but construction management can help tackle them through the following features:
- Safety Checklists
- Incident Reporting and Management
- Safety Compliance Tracking
- Inspection Management
Execute a Plan/Scope of Work
Planning the perfect project is one thing, but executing that plan requires spinning a lot of plates at once. As mentioned earlier, construction management software provides various tools to assist CMs in tackling a build.
Data visibility is particularly critical, as information will constantly flow from the job site to the contractors and construction managers as the project progresses. Daily logs, progress dashboards and reports with up-to-the-minute data allow CMs to examine critical aspects of the project in real-time, like profitability, team performance and actual build timeline.
Construction management is vital to maintaining organization in a larger project once the construction phase begins. By adopting a platform to help manage the constant variables, users can avoid costly issues that would otherwise spring up.
For example, real-time inventory management features keep managers in the loop, alerting them to low supply levels. They can even re-order if supplies fall below a certain threshold.
Outside of these examples, a construction management suite contains more features focused on a clean execution:
- Field and Communication Management
- Access to Plans via Mobile Interface
- GPS Tracking
- Work in Progress (WIP) Reports
- Equipment Management
- Fleet Management
- Subcontractor/Subcontract Management
FAQs
What Does a Construction Manager Do?
Broadly speaking, everything we discussed here and a whole lot more. CMs work as an extension of the project’s owner, managing workers and the job site in a way that provides the most financial and qualitative benefits.
Construction managers work with architects, engineers, designers, general contractors, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, government agencies and any other person or entity that has a hand in completing a project.
Is Construction Management a Hard Career?
Short answer: It can be.
Long answer: It depends entirely on what you’re looking for in a career. Construction management typically requires a bachelor’s degree or a mix of experience and certifications. CMs spend most of their time operating out of a field office on the job site and may need to work long hours to meet deadlines and handle issues as they arise.
However, if you excel at directing teams and want to work in the construction industry, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better job. Plus, by investing in construction management software, you can leverage real-time data and automate tasks to tackle the challenges and stresses associated with managing a project.
How Do I Select a Construction Management System?
Selecting the perfect construction management system is daunting, but you can narrow your selections by considering a few factors. Before shopping, take a few moments to think about the size of your operation, if you’re looking for an on-premise or cloud-based deployment and what your budget can handle.
If you’re unsure where to start, check out our in-depth comparison report to learn more about available options and help you find the right solution for your business!
Have a question about which software vendor is right for you? We’d love to help! Reach out to our team for individualized recommendations by messaging support@selecthub.com or via phone at 855-850-3850.
