Three Big Benefits Of Construction Project Management Software

Three Big Benefits Of Construction Project Management Software 
By Sheldon 
Although many construction companies are still using spreadsheets and shoeboxes to manage their projects and track the volumes of details that go into a single job, the use of industry-specific project management software is becoming more prevalent. One reason for this is that more construction software providers are developing integrated project management modules to compete with the leading stand-alone project management systems.

The question is: how will your company benefit from investing in construction project management software?

Project management software delivers many benefits to construction companies, including executive level reporting for a single job or across all projects, field administration such as punch list tracking and daily report logs and purchase order management. However, this article will touch on three main features of project management software that deliver big benefits: process standardization, document control and cost control.

Process Standardization 

Project management software provides a standardized method of managing jobs. This streamlines each step of project execution, makes it easier for new employees to learn your system and allows project staff to seamlessly move from job to job with minimal learning curve. Standardizing project management forms (such as RFIs, submittals, transmittals and change requests) also provides a consistent look and feel to all of your documents, which presents your company in a professional manner and contributes to your brand awareness.

Document Control 

Using spreadsheets and word processing documents 

for your project management documentation and correspondence is inherently flawed because they don't provide a single data repository for project information. Instead, records are often kept on the project managers'local hard drives. Not only does project management software provide a single source for all of your project documents, it also provides a systematic method for documenting, tracking and following up on critical issues. Having a single source for data storage provides visibility into the important details needed to make profitable business decisions. 

Cost Control 

Managing costs on a project is the key to protecting profit. Project management software provides real-time costs that help you make profitable decisions on your jobs. The status of budgets, contracts, change orders and more are available with a click of the mouse for instant assessment. This also provides an early warning system for issues such as cost overruns and scheduling snags, which allows you to take corrective action when needed.

Although your spreadsheet system may be comfortable and familiar, it may not be the most profitable method for project management and, in fact, may be eroding your revenues. Whether you choose to implement a stand-alone solution for managing your projects or an add-on module that's part of your construction accounting software, the benefits of changing to a standardized method of managing jobs is worth the pain of mandating use of such a system. 

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How To Avoid Software Piracy At All Costs

How To Avoid Software Piracy At All Costs 
By Joseph 
Like electronic identity theft, computer viruses, and the spread of other computer crimes, software piracy is on the rise. The problem with software piracy is that software costs make this illegal activity appealing to the end user. After all, who is it going to hurt? Rich software companies? This article investigates software piracy as a whole and the impact that it has on the computer using industry.

The most vulnerable victims of software piracy are software businesses or independent programmers who create and distribute commercial software or shareware. We described shareware in another article, but because both commercial software and shareware require payment, they're the target of pirates who seek to make these kinds of programs free to use. 

Depending on their binding legal agreements, licensing typically allows the use of a single program on a single computer. This set up is usually fine for a user who uses software at home on one computer. But in an environment where there are five, ten, twenty or more computers, buying a license for each computer can be down-right costly. So costly that the temptation to pirate a little software here and there can be pretty tempting.

Co-workers are familiar with this temptation and they're often the ones who "share" purchased software among those who need it. However the same temptation also prompts others to knowingly or unknowingly buy bootleg copies of commercial software or registered shareware. 

As tempting as it is, it's still illegal and the punishments/fines for sharing commercial or registered software is too much for one to bear. In recent news, "Yahoo China loses music piracy case (AP via Yahoo! News) A court has ordered Yahoo Inc.'s China subsidiary to pay $27,000 for aiding music piracy, the company and a music industry group said Tuesday."1 Additionally, "EU lawmakers approve prison terms, fines for major commercial piracy (International Herald Tribune) EU lawmakers voted Wednesday for legislation that would set prison sentences and fines for large-scale commercial piracy, but exempt patents and copying carried out for personal use." 2

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Schools can research student versions of commercial software or ask for a school discount. Just because school rates aren't advertised, it doesn't mean that they aren't available. Freeware or open source software (also described in another one of our articles) is another alternative to pirating commercial-ware, as well as shareware. And using older versions of programs could additionally reduce the costs associated with commercial versions.

Up until recently, public opinion held little faith in freeware or open source software - often regarding it as low-quality knock-off's of better known commercial products. But if you take a good look at what's being offered at no cost, you may be in for a big surprise. The quality of today's freeware and open source software created a strong rift among the commercial community and it's literally driving the competition bananas! So much so, that even some well known software development corporations have joined the cause and built a few freeware open source products of their own!

If you can remember that there are hoards of alternatives to costly commercial software (and you make the effort to get it), you'll discover that you can keep up with the rest of the computer industry at a significantly cheaper cost than if you attempted to pay your way down the software aisle. Software piracy just isn't the answer. 

Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/