Top 5 Software for Construction Project Planning and Management

The construction industry like any other industry has evolved during the years bringing innovative projects that will mark the future. Striving for change and transformation, this industry has introduced numerous tech solutions that focus on successful project delivery, and better collaboration and communication among managers, planners, and overall team members. In the article that follows, we will explain how construction management software solutions become the leading power in the industry, plus we will touch base with the top five apps to manage construction projects. 

​What is Construction Management?

​The practice of planning, analyzing, monitoring, and overall managing construction projects from start to finish is called construction management. The goal of construction management is to deliver construction projects successfully on time and on budget. Being a complex practice, the best way to manage construction is to use construction management software.

The Rise of Construction Management Software Solutions

At its most basic, construction management software helps project planning and control through various operations such as estimation, budgeting, scheduling, resource coordination, and the effective use of a project’s time, cost, and quality. In brief, construction management software has been created to simplify the communication between project participants, increase transparency, share documents in a timely manner and develop techniques for resolving conflicts.
 
Not long ago, construction project management consisted of documentation and methodology. Even though the focus of the construction industry has always been successful project delivery, there was limited use of project management software. This eventually produced a lot of documents and managing resources through them was hard and painstaking. However, as a result of technology expansion, planning and running construction projects became much more complex. Traditional methods and processes became unable to handle larger budgets, integrate multiple disciplines, manage the increased number of project participants, tighter schedules, stringent standards, etc. This was especially evident in the construction industry when companies started to waste millions of dollars every year due to a lack of project planning, organizing, and data transparency. Many managers faced cost-control boundaries, and inadequate communication, which lead to not having a common understanding of the project’s state at any given time.

Under such circumstances, the daily efforts were not aligned with the project goals and tasks. Furthermore, the construction project was unable to be observed as a system due to the absence of efficient real-time reporting infrastructure and task management software.  Companies fail to forecast and calculate labor productivity for the next period, which causes the unavailability of resources for equipment and materials. This mindset led to poor productivity and systematic issues making it impossible to reach a deadline while staying and passing quality standards.
 
The need for implementing a managerial tool in construction management practices was inevitable. The main objective of this tool was to increase the efficiency and accountability of everyday tasks such as planning, designing, estimating, and developing effective communication between project participants. 

Top 5 Construction Project Management Software

​With the varying number of construction tools that exist, it can be confusing to decide which software best fits your needs. To help you find the best solution, we cover the top 5 construction management software:
 
1. Oracle Primavera P6 – The Standard for Planning and Scheduling
 
With over 30 years of existence, Primavera P6 has been considered as a standard for project-intensive industries. Developed to help companies optimize resources, this software provides solutions to plan, build, and manage projects of all size by using real-time data. Robust, and easy-to-use, it the software integrates project and portfolio planning and delivery teams for planning, resourcing, risk mitigation, scheduling, and program management.
 
Basic features:

• Resource allocation and management
• Reduced risk of schedule overruns
• Project performance visualization
• Integration with financial management and HCM systems
• Resolve overallocation through leveling or changing resource assignments.

 
Providing standards for planners, schedulers, and project controls, Primavera P6 has opened the market for new third-party tools to enhance its working environment by introducing XER files. There are many solutions that can be used along with P6 such as viewers that allow you to open .xer project schedules without a P6 license. Also, some of these XER viewers provide possibility for analyzing project schedules and generating reports.
  
2. Procore – Connect everyone on your project with one platform.
 
Procore is one of the most popular cloud-based construction management platforms in the market that helps construction firms manage risks and build quality projects. This app has user-friendly interfaces. The platform includes features like bid management, daily logs, job site tracking, emails, meetings, project photos, punch lists, RFIs, scheduling, project specifications, submittals, timecards, and transmittals.
 
Basic features:

• Construction project management
• Bid management
• Construction site safety management
• Construction accounting
• Jobsite tracking
• Easy to use

 
Procore gives your team access to review, create, edit, and share project data with team members from various locations. Along with project management, Procore keeps team members together even if they are in different locations.
  
3. BIM 360 – Connect your workflows, teams, and data.
 
As a cloud-based construction management tool, BIM 360 is developed to suit engineers, architects, designers, contractors, and other construction professionals. It is designed to help project members to make informed decisions, to speed up the delivery of their projects adhering to industry standards and project specifications.
 
Basic features:

• Revit-based work-sharing
• BIM coordination
• Bid management
• Quality management
• Jobsite safety management
• Design review and change visualization
• Track key performances indicators

 
BIM 360 enables managers to have absolute control over their project and resolve issues faster because of dashboard coordination, design visualization, and racking real-time data. This software is part of the Autodesk Construction Cloud.
 
4. Powerproject 
 
Designed to support construction planners, Powerproject is one of the leading project management software solutions for construction. It is available as a standalone, enterprise, or cloud app that combines drag and drop functionalities with numerous features.
 
Basic features:

• Bid management
• Budget management
• Job scheduling
• Real-time scheduling
• Resource scheduling
• Reporting/analytics

Previously known as Asta Powerproject, this software holds an integrated BIM module for 4D planning by combining a 3D model and project plan.
  
5. Corecon – Cloud-Based Construction Software
 
Designed to optimize collaboration and workflows, Corecon integrates stored information into a singular database to maximize project profitability. The software suite helps contractors better track leads and projects, as well as manage bids, contracts, and documentation. Moreover, Corecon provides various modules for estimating, procurement, vendor bid management, documentation, time tracking, and more to ease the work of all team members.
 
Basic features:

• Construction project scheduling and management
• Bid management and construction estimating
• Construction project accounting
• Field staff management
• Integration with third-party accounting programs

 
Corecon can be accessed via browser or mobile so your team can make quick and informed decisions regardless of the physical location. 

​Closing Thoughts 

​What is the best construction management software solution after all?
 
All software solutions have similar features, but the same goal: to help construction managers deliver projects successfully. In this article, we reviewed 5 solutions that will narrow down your choices when choosing a construction management app. Each platform is suitable for construction projects of different sizes and data complexity, you only need to find the one that best suits your needs. 

About the Author
 Vivien Goldstrong is a Consultant, Author and Planning Manager with 22 years of experience and expertise in implementation and consultancy related to Oracle Primavera P6. You can read her blog here: https://projectschedulepro.com

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