Common Questions About Using Construction System To Manage Your Construction Business

1. My people aren't computer literate and I don't think they can run this system?

I can tell you from experience your fear is unfounded. First, the system is easy to use. Everything is point and click. Second, my experience has been that people in the construction business do exceptionally well in this software, especially traditional office people. We have never had a computer literate problem on any of our installations.

2. My people are used to doing things their way and don't want to change?

We hear that a lot, mostly from employees. The truth is your employees probably won't want to change how they are doing things. It's up a you, the boss, to implement the change, even if it goes against their will. The biggest change you'll have to make is to train your people to enter the job information (labor, equipment, rentals, and materials) daily. Once you start using Construction System, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

3. How do I estimate?

The estimator has a good idea of how the job will go. Simply put in labor, equipment, rentals, and materials and click create estimate. That's all there is to it. If the estimate is too low (or high), hit the back button, make adjustments, and create again.

4. How do I produce a Daily invoice?

Simply go to the job, put in the date, and click Create Daily.

5. How do I produce an Invoice?

Simply go to the job and click create invoice.

6. How do I enter labor?

Go to Labor Entry for Supervisors, select the job, and click enter. The system produces a form that looks like an invoice. Add your labor, equipment, rentals, and materials for that day and click enter.

7. I have several people. Can they be in the system at the same time?

Yes they can and they should. Everyone works in the system and everyone has their own portion of it. Typically you will assign one person to enter the labor, another person to do the estimating, and another person to produce the invoices.

8. I run a big operation. Can the system handle it?

The system easily handles dozens to hundreds of open jobs. It is not unusual for there to be hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars of active jobs in the system. With this kind of money at stake you cannot afford to do things manually.

9. What about history. Can I go back and find a job?

Everything you do is recorded into the system. Mostly what you see is active jobs. After you work a job to completion (and that means getting paid) you archive that job. All the information pertaining to that job is kept in the system. You can go back and get everything (including invoices) at any time.

10. Can I estimate jobs within this system?

Yes, Construction System includes construction estimating software. To use it, simple add material and labor to the job and the system produces a detailed construction estimate for your job. Just print it and fax it to your client for signature. The entire construction estimating process only takes a few minutes.

11. What about scheduling? Are there any provisions for scheduling?

Yes, Construction System includes an integrated online calendar. Because the system is web based, your supervisors can log on and review the calendar before starting work. Many companies have daily meetings with the calendar as the centerpiece reviewing exactly what needs to be done every day.