Projectmates Construction Software Blog

Graphs and charts speak a 1,000 words!

Most people have better memory retention when they see a graph, chart or table as opposed to plain words. Especially when it comes to complex data – there’s really no better way to express compound information than through graphs, charts and diagrams. That’s why you’ve got to love any type of dashboard reporting. Like any other software solution, project management software, especially in the construction industry is served best with a versatile dashboard reporting module or Portfolio Management.

 

A good project management software solution will have Portfolio Management that provides excellent visibility and overview into a company’s construction projects. It’s akin to having a clock that shows the different times in major cities around the world. With all your projects ordered and tabbed, one snapshot view should tell you the status of all your projects simultaneously.

 

There are numerous ways to enjoy the benefits of Portfolio Management but this tool is most effective when grouped and displayed in a user-friendly format with easy navigation and easy-to-read reports. The new Projectmates V10.0 Portfolio Management is versatile and has the capability to produce a variety of reports conveniently grouped under – Construction, Workflow, Financials, and Project Status. This type of dashboard reporting helps in managing the entire project portfolio as a whole, and not just as individual projects.

 

For individual project status monitoring, Earned Value Analysis is a handy tool – another great feature in the new Projectmates V10.0. Combining key factors such as planned time and cost and actual time and cost of a project, simple coefficients will tell you – at a glance – how your projects are faring in terms of time and schedule. Because sometimes, you got to look at the big picture!

Importing with Excel

The ability to import Excel sheets into Projectmates can save you tons of time that would otherwise be spent in data entry, but it can also give rise to some unexpected errors.  If you've ever encountered difficulties when trying to import Excel files into a budget, schedule, punchlist or any other module with this time-saving feature, these suggestions should alleviate some of your concerns and have you importing like a pro in no time.

Here are some of the most common reasons why an import will fail and what you can do about it.

1.  Some of the required fields are missing.  Check to make sure that all of the required columns are completely filled out for every row. Required fields are marked in green on the template.  Sometimes empty rows at the bottom of the table will cause this error if any of the cells contain spaces, tabs, or other invisible characters.  Try highlighting several rows at the bottom of the table, starting with the first empty row, and deleting the rows (Right-click and select delete to do this, rather than just hitting the Backspace or Delete key)

2.  Dates or numbers are not in the proper format.  Make sure that all dates are displayed in the format of 01-Jan-2010 and fields that require a number do not contain any letters or special characters including dollar signs and commas (Note: decimals are ok for currency fields)

3.  Cell Formats are incorrect.  All fields should be formatted as TEXT in Excel.  If you are attempting to use formulas in your spreadsheet, you must copy and paste those cells using 'Paste Special' then select the option to paste 'Values' so that the formatting can be changed to Text.  Sometimes Excel will AUTOMATICALLY AND WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION change the formatting of a column to 'Number' if the first few rows happen to contain numbers.  To force Excel to recognize these as Text fields, you will have to add an apostrophe in front of the number in the first row.

And finally, if all else fails, copy all of the non-header cells in the table (Select the cells, don't just highlight the entire table or entire columns/rows) and paste them into a fresh Projectmates template, which can be downloaded from the same page where you would import the Excel file. This will solve many formatting issues that can occur while working in Excel.

Bids for government construction projects heat up

You can thank the economic stimulus package for increased government building projects. But despite the abundance of jobs, getting the winning bid may not be a cinch.

According to a September report on Taragana.com, every state this year has reported average winning bids coming in from 5 to 12 percent below estimate, said Tony Dorsey, spokesman for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, whose organization polled state governments this year on the first round of projects funded by the federal economic stimulus.

The lower bids are being attributed to reduced prices for materials. But increased competition is also a factor.

Jim Andoga, president of the Irving, Texas-based construction giant Austin Bridge & Road told the Web site his company, facing more competition, has reduced built-in profit margins in its bids by about 20 to 25 percent over the past year. In 2006, he bid an average of 9 percent over engineers’ estimates, compared with 17 percent under this year — and still has not won as often.
 
This seems to be a stark contrast to what’s happening in Ohio.

The Columbus Dispatch reported in July government projects in that state are getting fewer bidders and higher bids on projects.

The paper reported contractors are seeing unstable prices for fuel and construction materials and are overbidding, or simply not bidding, on municipal and state projects.

Scott Varner, Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman, said his department is also seeing fewer bidders despite the fact state contracts often include sliding adjustments to account for unexpected cost changes during the years it takes to complete the project – helping to mitigate the risk factors.

"There's greater risk in putting in a fixed price bid today than there was two years ago," Chris Runyan, president of the Ohio Contractors Association told The Columbus Dispatch. "We have never seen price increases at this rate in all of the 25 years that I've been involved in the transportation industry."

Whatever the case may be for your bids, Projectmates can help you get organized during the bidding process and keep everything on budget. The online capital project management software is designed to share documents, track budgets and financials, manage changes and report progress with ease. 

Healthcare debate affecting construction outlook

We’ve heard so much in the news lately about the healthcare reform debate. What I haven’t heard talked about is the future of healthcare construction … until now.

Jim Haughey, Reed Construction Data chief economist, said in July healthcare spending is certain to expand in 2011 and create a need for more facilities – hospitals more than residential care.

The good news for those in the healthcare construction business is it looks like there will be plenty of projects in the next couple of years.

“The long term outlook for healthcare construction remains good and will likely be boosted somewhat by whatever Congress decides to do,” he wrote on the RCD Web site.

The uncertainty facing hospitals is also affecting medical offices, nursing homes and residential care facilities … compounding their woes are the effects of the recession and surplus office spaces.

Haughey says overall, healthcare construction spending growth has declined from several years in the 10 percent range to about 2 percent, allowing for drops in construction materials costs, since last fall. He is predicting a further 7 percent decline through the end of 2009. But there is light at the end of the tunnel!

“This is as much due to the uncertain market environment as it is to the recession,” Haughey said. “Then expect a return to the 10 percent growth range by late next year (2010).”

He does warn you to be open-minded and flexible about your projects, however.

“But depending on what Congress decides to do, the project owners may not be the same hospitals you now expect to expand next year,” he said.

Regardless of the size and scope of the project, you can count on Projectmates to help keep all facets of your project running smoothly, on time and on budget.
 

Projectmates lead the way with LEED

Even before going green became all the rage and green projects were being funded by the government through the stimulus plan, Projectmates was doing its part to help save the environment.

It’s a no-brainer using Projectmates saves trees by reducing the amount of paperwork involved in a project. But did you know the online construction project management software eliminates the use of 22,649 sheets of paper or 274 pounds of sheets of paper and 528 kilograms of carbon in a single $8 million construction project in submittals alone? This is the equivalent of saving over three 40-feet-tall trees with every project.

Projectmates joins Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in its efforts to go paperless by providing the platform for completely electronic creation and management of all submittals, RFIs, meetings, bidding and over 200 portfolio reports for LEED construction projects with our Web-based construction project management software.

Projectmates software supports LEED projects by also providing the accountability and transparency needed to manage all LEED-related tasks. Users of LEED projects will be able to track projects, meetings, documents, tasks, timelines, credits and much more.

Green schools for less green

Did you know building green schools can be budget-friendly? Rachel Gutter of School Construction News says so.

We’ve all heard that green schools save money, over time, reducing energy and water expenses. But Gutter says these days a green school can be built for a price comparable to a conventionally designed facility.

I have to admit I was skeptical of this when I first read it. I always heard green building required higher costs up-front, then you would recoup that in utilities savings years down the road, but she has proof it can be less expensive on the front-end to build green.

Gutter says West Brazos Junior High, the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified school in Texas, was built for 18 percent less than an average middle school in the region. Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wis., is an LEED Gold school built for 25 percent less than the regional construction average for high schools constructed in the same year.

While she likes the advances being made in new green construction, Gutter says the greatest opportunity to have the biggest impact on energy and water use and the least impact on the environment is through the greening of existing schools.

Just as with new green construction, implementing green strategies into existing school buildings doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. She suggests districts develop a plan to introduce new green strategies, technologies and policies over time, focusing first and foremost on high-impact strategies that yield immediate savings or have a significant impact on student health and wellness.

Projectmates can help you go green in your school construction project by reducing the amount of paper used, and keeping your projects on budget and schedule through up-to-the-minute reports. Our Web-based construction management software also will help you manage your building structure through its lifespan.

Preventative Maintenance in Projectmates

With the release of Version 9.5, Projectmates has enhanced the Work Order module to track Repair requests and Preventative Maintenance.  You can now schedule recurring maintenance requests in advanced, and Projectmates will automatically issue these requests to the appropriate users on the scheduled date.  Equipment lists can be created to track model numbers, warranty expiration dates, manufacturer information, as well as completed and outstanding maintenance.  For more information log-in to Projectmates to view a pre-recorded demonstration on these work order enhancements.

Traditional/hybrid vs Full Automation

How do we approach the traditional vs. automation? What can we do to overcome technology challenges and ease the burden of that transition?

There are a number of factors to consider when making that transition, but one of the biggest problems is acceptance. Although the world of construction is often considered dumb trucks and cement, the reality is it’s a very complicated operation with professionals and not so tech savvy individuals.

So, I guess the question for the day is, how do we get folks to accept automation vs. the traditional/hybrid style of project management?

Projectmates Administrators

There are 3 types of administrators in Projectmates: Site Administrators, Project Administrators, and Co-Administrators.  Knowing the differences between the three can help you when deciding who should get which status.

Site Administrators:This administrator has the highest level of access in Projectmates.  The Site Admin can access any project or user on the system.  They have the capability of permanently deleting projects, changing the look and feel of Projectmates, and granting other users access to Portfolio, Bids/Planroom, Campaigns, and Site Admin areas.

Project Administrators: Each project will have a designated user who is the Project Administrator.  The Project Administrator has full access within that project.  He/She will have the ability to add users and roles, create threads, and assign rights to users in that project.  The changes that a Project Administrator makes to his/her project will only effect that single project. Project Administrators also have the ability to delete or park their own project.  When a new project is first created the Project Administrator will default to the user that is creating the project; however, this user can be changed later.  There can be only one Project Admin per project.

Co-Administrators:The Project Administrator of a project can assign one or more Co-Administrators to help manage the project. Co-Administrators have nearly the same access as Project Administrators.  They too can add users, threads, and grant permissions in the Project.  The differences being, a co-administrator cannot assign other co-administrators or change the project administrator.  They also cannot delete or park the project. These capabilities are reserved solely for the Project Administrator.

Note: The three types of administrators described above do not affect the permissions that a user has to individual threads within a project.  The rights associated with viewing and creating new items in a threads are dependent upon a user's ROLE in that particular project.  That being said, any of the administrators above have the ability to change their role in a project so that they have the appropriate rights to threads. 

I.E. 8.0 and Projectmates

ISSUE: The XSS filter feature in the new version of I.E. comes enabled and seems to distort the return images from Projectmates when a file is uploaded in certain modules. So far I have noticed this in document management uploads and document attachments to RFI and Submittals. The good news is that the files do get uploaded even if the return page is distorted.

RESOLUTION: If you notice a return message that is unclear or distorted you will need to add Projectmates as a trusted site in your internet options and enable XSS filter for your trusted sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**If you are using Projectmates Version 9.0 or later, this resolution is not necessary**