Reliable digital tools make life easier not only in offices but also on construction sites. Previously, teams prepared drawings by hand or spent time compiling paper reports, but now all processes have been significantly simplified. Construction workers on-site perform many tasks online.
Smart tools speed up planning, prevent delays, track progress in real time, manage budgets, and much more.
How to choose the right software when there are so many smart solutions around us?
Experimenting with new programs is a necessity for those who want to remain competitive.
Let’s look at the best solutions that will make your construction projects successful.
What is special about online tools for construction purposes?
Teams involved in construction work in a constantly changing environment. They collaborate with different contractors, inventors, and other specialists. All of them should coordinate their work in real time.
Digital tools focused on construction must ensure process transparency and seamless access to up-to-date information for all project participants. The ability to work in limited internet access conditions is critical for such teams, as construction sites are often located in areas with poor connectivity. The key focus of such solutions should be on minimising bureaucracy and enhancing security controls.
What tools make construction management more effective: 8 reliable online solutions
A set of effective tools isn’t just a collection of programs. It’s a well-thought-out system, where each element enhances the other solutions.
Below you’ll find programs that have been tested in practice. They truly solve real-world problems in the multifaceted construction industry.
1. Smart construction planning: GanttPRO
GanttPRO is a common online planning solution for many construction teams. It serves as a reliable assistant where scheduling accuracy directly impacts profitability. Its interface is so intuitive that even those who have never used similar programs before can master it in a couple of hours.
The program is based on an online Gantt chart. You can use this diagram to create detailed work schedules, with each task linked by dependencies and deadlines. A timeline can also reflect resources and responsible team members.
GanttPRO can instantly recalculate the entire plan whenever a single task changes. For example, if you need to shift the timing of installing interior doors, all subsequent stages will be automatically adjusted, considering dependencies.
With this software, you can see the workload of each employee or piece of equipment. It surely helps to avoid conflicts and downtime. Additionally, GanttPRO integrates with many popular services.
You can read more about this construction project scheduling software in this article.
2. Communication in distributed teams: Slack
Construction work often extends beyond sites. Your team can be actively working on-site, while an engineer is in the office, a supply manager is in another city, and so on.
Slack improves communication, reduces misunderstandings, and speeds up decision-making. This tool transforms the chaos of endless email chains, instant messaging, and phone calls into a streamlined system of communication channels. It means that any construction team can create separate spaces for each work area or for discussing technical solutions.
You get the excellent ability to create voice and video calls directly from a chat. It saves a lot of time on preparing meetings.
3. On-site work coordination: Fieldwire
Fieldwire is an indispensable assistant for teams that spend a lot of time on a construction site rather than at the office computers.
The service offers quick task creation and simple project management. It automatically tracks activity statuses and generates progress reports, eliminating the need to fill out paper forms at the end of the day.
Fieldwire also allows you to work with drawings. Here, you can overlay layers with different types of information and create marks directly on the plans. The app integrates with many project management programs.
4. Simple time tracking: Toggl Track
Another excellent and useful program that can help improve work is Toggl Track.
Many construction companies ignore proper time tracking until serious problems arise. Toggl Track allows for adding task descriptions and projects with a single button to start and stop a timer.
On-site team members can easily track their time without extra effort. The accumulated data provides a detailed picture of how much time each task actually takes. It helps managers plan future projects more accurately, based on real-world statistics.
Toggl Track also comes with detailed reports that show time distribution by project, client, or task type.
5. Cost calculation and docs estimation: PlanSwift
If your construction team needs a simple and convenient tool for preparing estimates and calculating costs, consider PlanSwift. This solution will help you transform hours of work with a calculator and ruler into a fast digital process.
You can easily upload drawings in any format and take measurements directly on your screen. It’s effortless, for example, to calculate the square footage of walls to be painted or the number of bricks to be laid in just a few clicks. You also get a built-in materials database with up-to-date prices. The tool automatically recalculates costs when volumes change or items are replaced.
Quick data export to Excel and PDF, along with available integrations with accounting software, make PlanSwift an integral part of your company’s financial workflow.
6. Universal knowledge space: Notion
Many teams across various industries know Notion as a helpful system for storing all knowledge, procedures, templates, and documentation.
Construction managers can use this tool to create a technical solution database that engineers, designers, and other team members can access at any time. It can store information about past projects, contacts, and project templates. Each team can customise the structure of this program to suit its needs.
Notion is especially valuable for growing companies, where it’s critical to preserve and share knowledge.
7. Equipment & machine tracking: Tenna
Tenna is another smart program worth your consideration.
Equipment and machinery are essential for most construction projects. Therefore, this tool is highly valued by teams worldwide. It helps plan the operation of expensive assets using innovative sensors and GPS trackers. They monitor the location and usage of all equipment.
With Tenna, fleet managers can see where every machine, generator, or excavator is. The program also displays how many hours the equipment has been running. It collects detailed statistics on equipment usage.
8. Procurement organisation: Procurify
It’s hard to imagine a construction project without planning the procurement of materials, tools, machinery, or equipment.
Procurify helps you control procurement processes, from a structured purchase approval to analytics. Each request goes through an established approval chain, taking into account budget limits.
A user-friendly mobile app allows you to create an urgent purchase request directly from a construction site. You can also attach a photo or specification and choose a supplier. This application will automatically send your request for approval to an available manager.
That’s all about the best construction tools, although this list can certainly be expanded.
Use powerful tools and transform your construction today
Construction processes have become more technologically advanced. Those who master modern online tools today will lead the industry tomorrow.
The solutions described above cover the full range of construction tasks, from thorough scheduling to reports and analysis. All the tools should complement each other while creating a unified digital ecosystem.
Test new digital solutions with your team, but don’t forget about proven platforms. Any program can bring new opportunities to your construction business.
