Friday, September 13, 2013

Project Management Software For Contractors Must Give Clear Warnings

By Helene Norris


Managing big projects is a complex task and there is a lot of pressure to bring them in on time and within budget. For contractors this is especially important, as penalty clauses can have a serious impact on profitability. Fortunately, there is some great project management software for contractors available online or as a package.

In most cases, there is a comprehensive list of tasks which serves as a useful checklist to make sure nothing is forgotten. By considering each item before discarding it as irrelevant, you are less likely to miss an important aspect, so you should give each careful consideration initially. You do not want to miss tracking an important job just because it is not usually required.

There are some very complicated solutions available, but often these can simply serve to confuse. The detail can sometimes obscure the bigger picture, and this is usually what is important. Of course, any item or task which is problematic or could cause a slippage on a critical path should be noted. Procuring parts is not normally a critical task, but if they are in short supply or sourced from foreign countries they can become an issue.

Most of the tasks will not cause any concern, so it helps to make sense of visible progress if jobs which reach a stage where they may cause slippages are given high visibility. You need any help you can get to focus on what aspect requires your most concentrated attention, and this should be displayed clearly.

Software which will help simplify your job is the ideal. All of the programs will do the job, but you should look for one that satisfies your requirements. Being able to control both the detail when necessary, while at the same time keeping an eye on the big picture, will probably turn out to be the best for your purposes.

Estimates as to time and cost should be conservative, otherwise you are putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. If the software is showing you there are several concurrent paths which are all almost equally critical, the chances are good that you are going to experience overruns. This situation is an indication that you need to do something radically different, otherwise the project is going to run away from you.

The most important point to consider when busy with an evaluation of a software package is whether it is a good fit for your type of project. Sub-contractors might prefer greater detail to be available, while a simple overview would be more suitable where most of the work involves managing sub-contractors. Here it is important be able to coordinate the efforts of different contractors, so that there are no avoidable delays.

Really great project management software for contractors is a very useful tool. It will pay you to investigate the different software fully, knowing what your specific needs, before deciding on the most suitable. The program with the most functions may not be the best for your projects, if all you need is something very simple to use and understand, not something that will confuse the issues.




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