The top construction project management software solutions

Using spreadsheets to manage your new sites’ construction projects is like holding onto your first car. It’s been around for years, you know and have accepted its quirks, and it gets the job done. But when (not if) it eventually breaks down, you will wish you had moved on years ago.

It can be appealing to use spreadsheets early on as they are easily accessible and something you are likely familiar with. However, you will often find them less effective as you scale. Utilizing a purpose-built construction project management platform enables you to quickly analyze buildout progress, manage site opening responsibilities, ensure that you are staying on budget, and much more!

What is construction project management software?

Construction project management software is designed to help you oversee the development and opening of new sites for your brand. There are a few key features you should look for when choosing the right solution for your brand:

• Flexibility: A lot of platforms offer standardized software that lack the ability to be effectively fine-tuned to your brand’s unique needs. A flexible solution gives you the ability to fine-tune the software to your unique needs.
• Predictive timelines:  Unique to only a few solutions, the ability to utilize a timeline that can estimate completion dates and offer data-driven insights into the site buildout process enables the proactive streamlining of site buildouts.
• Centralized access: With how large and complex a project can become, being able to store and access important site documents and data can have a huge impact on buildout efficiency.

The top construction project management solutions

SiteZeus Build

The benefits of SiteZeus Build 

• Customizable and Dynamic Timelines: One of SiteZeus Build’s strongest features are its timelines that can be tailored to each project’s unique needs. They also automatically adjust to delays providing the most up-to date status on a project’s progress.
• Scalability: SiteZeus Build can be effectively leveraged by brands at any stage of growth with features that support the buildout process of your 1st location to your 1,000th location, and beyond.
• Adaptability: This software has several customization capabilities to be tailored to your specific needs. For example, with customizable dashboards, your team can get a quick, real-time look at the metrics you find most important, enhancing visibility and transparency
• Collaboration: SiteZeus Build enables you to seamlessly communicate with team members, easily share and access stored documents, and assign tasks accordingly to enhance the efficiency of your team.
• Budget tracking: Detailed cost-tracking combined with thorough reporting functionalities allows you to stay on top of project spend. By comparing the planned versus actual cost of past projects, you can improve future estimates.
• Franchise focused: When used in conjunction with the franchise CRM, SiteZeus Sell, brands such as Big Blue Swim School and United Franchise Group, have found the solutions to be a powerful software duo for franchise growth.
• World-class-support: SiteZeus’ support team will help ensure that you are able to get the most out the solution. Starting at day one, you will have a designated support expert to help with anything you may need as you grow your brand.

The takeaway

Topping our list of solutions, SiteZeus Build has the capability to be an effective tool for overseeing site buildout. Also, as an easy-to-use platform that is effective for emerging and enterprise brands alike, the solution can serve your brand through every stage of growth.

Other contenders:

FranConnect

The benefits of FranConnect

• Franchise-focused: Outside of SiteZeus Build, FranConnect is one of the few construction project management solutions built with franchisors in mind. Their construction management solution is part of a greater suite of products built specifically for franchise growth.
• Experience: Having been around since 2000, FranConnect has developed a software that people have become familiar with over the years.
• Automation: With FranConnect’s workflow capabilities, you can easily automate tasks along the buildout timeline for your locations.

The takeaway

As the platform is built to be used in combination with FranConnect’s franchise sales-focused solutions, non-franchised brands are not going to experience the benefits of their ecosystem. It is important to note that their “task checklists” which is their primary method of progress tracking, are different to a typical timeline, as they don’t have some of the reporting and analysis functionalities that other platforms may have.

Smartsheet:

The benefits of Smartsheet

• Data-driven: With the platform resembling what is often the backbone of any data-driven business; a spreadsheet matrix, it is no surprise that it’s most well-known for its predictive and analytical capabilities.
• Portal templates: Smartsheet offers templates and guides for construction project management portals that can be customized based on a team’s needs.
• Community:The DIY nature of the platform has led to a large online community of Smartsheet users who have shared their experience creating project portals and can help with any challenges you may encounter.

The takeaway

Smartsheet is an adaptable solution that can be used for a variety of different purposes. With that said, it requires a level of manual effort and research to setup as a practical construction project management solution.

monday.com

The benefits of monday.com

• User-friendly: With simplified navigation, a customizable appearance, and relatively fast platform performance, the platform has been described as user-friendly by many.
• Task management: As a versatile project management solution, monday.com allows you to easily create and manage tasks for your team.
• Automation: A main selling point of the platform is the ability to create automated workflows to speed up the organization of tasks within the platform. These workflows can be created on your own or taken from a collection of templates.
• Integrations: Third-party integrations within monday.com are an easy way to speed up workflows and daily process that typically require using multiple apps.

The takeaway

Outside of its user-friendly features and robust integrations, monday.com’s task manager solution doesn’t specifically cater towards construction development. This makes it a solution that would only be ideal for someone who likes the platform’s layout and base functionality and is willing to sacrifice some of the construction management specific features other products in this list offer.

ProCore

The benefits of ProCore

• Enterprise-friendly: Built primarily for commercial construction management, the scale and scope of this platform’s allows for the management of extra-large-scale projects.
• Pre-construction: In addition to its construction project management software, ProCore also offers solutions for the pre-construction process with detailed modeling and estimation tools.
• Communication: In combination with its mobile app, the platform’s collaborative tools allow for enhanced communication amongst construction teams.

The takeaway

Best suited for enterprise-level brands and construction companies, this platform has complex, yet effective construction project management capabilities. Emerging brands may find the platform’s features excessive as smaller operations wouldn’t benefit from the software’s large scope.

What solution is best for you?

It’s easy to find a capable construction project management solution, but finding one that is fit for your specific needs can prove to be a bigger challenge. Many options require workarounds to be used by construction teams and even those that have purpose-built capabilities often need substantial manual effort to set up for effective use that meets your requirements.

By making sure that the software you choose will meet your unique needs now and can adapt to meet your needs in the future, you will never have to worry about switching platforms again.

Our final takeaway

Implementing your first construction management solution into your business is one thing, but switching from one solution to another takes time and effort that could have been avoided by choosing a solution that can adapt grow with you. Ultimately, that’s why SiteZeus Build tops our list as it is accessible, adaptable, and effective at every stage of growth