Project management software is useful for all teams, but for construction businesses it’s essential. It helps companies coordinate often distributed teams and locations – office admins, fields crews, technicians, contractors, external auditor, etc. – and keeps everyone synchronised on the task progress.
And unlike even five years ago, today’s construction software is an advanced, integrated product with an intuitive interface that integrates document control, task automation, cost control, accounting, and more.
Find below the characteristics, features, pricing for the best tools the tech market has to offer for construction teams, and pick the one that can fit your needs.
What Is Construction Management Software?
Construction project management software refers to a set of tools that enable teams to collaborate on a construction project. Using it, you can add, update and share the project information, as well as synchronize the documentation, track the progress, build reports, and analyse data.
Such tools are often integrated with one another and other software, for example CAD apps, or analytics platforms, to enable full-cycle project management.
Key Features of Construction Software
When selecting any software, the most important questions to answer are: What features do I need to solve my particular problems? How do they make my work easier? Based on the answers, start doing research and comparing options that may include the following.
- Digital form management
Digitization of PDF files, and digital document control should be included into any construction software package. Drawings, RFI, submittals, product data, equipment characteristics, checklists, reports etc. need to be digital and fillable, standardized across your teams, and easy to track.
Alongside easy completion, electronic signature on digital forms will allow you to collect signatures remotely, and cloud storage will prevent data loss and rework.
- Daily logs
Digital daily logs track information on the work done at the site, keeping the contractors and project owners updated on the progress. Some software offers QR scanning to automate daily report tracking.
- Offline mode
Being able to fill in data in the offline mode is crucial for crews working on remote sites with unstable Internet connection.
- Automated tasks and workflows
Construction projects consist of numerous tasks completed by distributed teams of architects, builders, suppliers, contractors and project owners. The bigger the size of the project and number of parties involved, the more files, tasks and assignees the flow would include.
A good construction app needs to be powerful enough to manage this scope of tasks, but also simple enough to make assignments flow smoothly across teams and projects.
- Guest Access
Construction projects typically involve working with the contractor who carries out the works. This contractor, in turn, works with sub-contractors who complete separate parts of the works.
For all these people to work within one environment, a construction app needs to let invite people outside the company to work on the project, without them being the apps users.
- Data Sync
A construction project management tool should be cloud-based so that teams can access the updated data remotely from anywhere.
- Reporting
Construction reporting requires coordinated data from different project phases, from planning to closure. Reports summarize all the statistics on budget, deadlines, project expectations, and spending information, allowing executive boards and shareholders to analyze performance.
- Integrations
Aside from document management, construction projects require BIM, visual programming, model sharing and other tools that aren’t typically provided by workflow automation software. Integrations allow to merge them to work on one project, syncing the tasks within workflows.
Top 8 Construction Project Management Platforms
1. Fluix
Fluix is cloud-based automation software designed for industries like construction, energy, aviation, etc. It offers remote teams a full-cycle management of digital forms, and automated task-based workflows that move these forms through any process you design.
Fluix allows for both editing and creating mobile forms in a drag-n-drop builder. You can add these forms to workflows, assign tasks to the corresponding users, set deadlines and track the progress. Customer service and 24/7 technical support are among the best on the market.
Features
- Fillable forms
- eSignature
- Task automation
- Approval workflows
- Guest access
- Integrations
Free Trial: 14 days
Pricing: Starts with $20 per user/mo.
2. Procore
Procore is among the most popular construction project management tools. It offers extensive functionality and a big list of integrations.
You can work with drawings in different modes, overlapping versions and revisions, to see changes or compare floors. The RFI tool helps contractors communicate with designers, and logs keep project managers and admins updated.
One of the few minuses of the platform is the absence of the trial period and pricing section, which makes it impossible to take a look at prices without contacting a sales team.
Features
- Drawings and RFI
- Daily logs
- Reports
- Plain budget view
- Change orders
- Tracking
Free Trial: No
Pricing: Quote upon request.
3. Autodesk Construction Cloud
Autodesk Construction Cloud offers functionality to meet project management needs, which is conveniently grouped by firm type (general contractor, speciality contractor, owner, designer) and industry (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, institutional).
Although the system offers numerous products not necessarily required for project management, its flexible pricing plans allow you to buy features separately. Select the module you need and pay only for the solutions you’ll be using for your work.
Features
- Version control
- RFI
- Integrations
- Custom sheets
- Drawing design
- Issue feature
Free Trial: Differs depending on the pricing plan.
Pricing: Starts with from $548/mo depending on the pricing plan.
4. ClickUp
ClickUp is a powerful, all-in-one work management tool that construction teams of all sizes can rely on to take their project from pre-sales to concept to delivery. With hundreds of customizable features that scale with your workload, ClickUp provides a transparent and collaborative space to share updates with clients, manage contractors, and keep track of tasks—no matter what project style you use.
Plan and visualize your projects in the way you work best with over 15 ways to view your timeline including List, Gantt, and Calendar. Even add threaded comments directly within ClickUp tasks for seamless communication or assign comments to turn any thought into an action item. Plus, ClickUp’s robust Docs feature allows you to edit in real-time with others while drafting documents, databases, wikis, and forms for any project.
Features
- Dashboards with real-time reporting
- 15+ views including Gantt and Workload view
- Global time tracker
- Goal tracking
- 1,000+ integrations
- Mobile app
Free Trial: Free Forever plan
Pricing: Starts at $5 per user/mo.
5. Sage 300
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (Sage 300 CRE) is designed for enterprises that manage complex workflows and big volumes of data. Aside from project management, this construction planning software offers features for project estimating and accounting.
Sage 300 CRE is one of many other products by Sage, so the solutions may be hard to navigate. There is no pricing for modules with solutions, so you can learn about the prices only upon filling the demo request form.
Features
- Estimates
- Change tracking
- Tool and equipment management
- Equipment service scheduling
- Reports
- Business Care support plan
Free Trial: No
Pricing: Quote upon request.
6. CoConstruct
CoConstruct allows you to manage construction projects from the desktop or mobile device, which is convenient for projects that are a mix of office and field work. The platform offers functionality for project communication, scheduling, file management, order tracking: CRM, accounting, scheduling, progress reports, timesheet management, and more.
CoConstruct is supported for Windows and Mac devices, as well as for iOS and Android. There are two pricing plans, with features clearly specified, so you can study them by yourself without waiting for a call from a sales team.
Features
- Bid management
- Invoices
- CRM
- Scheduling
- Daily logs
- Cost catalog
Free Trial: No
Pricing: Starts with $99/mo.
7. RedTeam
RedTeam is a cloud-based contractor project management platform designed to meet needs of commercial general contractors. It helps with estimating, scheduling, and task management, and also features CRM functionality.
RedTeam tracks tasks through the full lifecycle of the project, allowing real-time collaboration for multiple teams. It also provides learning resources for people new to construction management software, making it easier to onboard hires and young talents.
Features
- Budget tracking
- RFI and submittals
- Meeting minutes
- Daily reports
- CRM
- Quickbooks online
Free Trial: Free plan
Pricing: Starts at $35 per user/mo depending on the plan.
8. Stack
STACK is a cloud-based tool for professional contractors that is specifically designed to help with takeoff and estimate completion. It simplifies the bid process and allows customization of proposals.
The interface is user-friendly and navigation is intuitive. For users who are only getting started with the takeoff software or have migrated from another platform, there are learning materials and good customer support. STACK also features a hub where teams and users can collaborate on projects and share insights.
Features
- Plain text search
- Bid calendar
- Takeoff template library
- Cost code management
- Reporting
- Knowledge base
Free Trial: 7 days
Pricing: Starts with $588 per user/yr depending on the plan.
Hopefully, you’ve found some of the above recommendations useful for managing your construction projects. Since construction projects are very multi-faceted, you may find it suitable to combine several management tools to fit different business needs.
Thankfully, the software market is growing, and IT companies are offering more, often no-code, tools than ever. This gives even small-scale companies the possibility to pick the right solution and use modern project management software without hiring a big team of programmers.
