Residential construction projects rarely seem to go precisely as planned. Each new build or home renovation has a wide range of moving parts – and people – each with dependencies upon another. It is important to have a plan in place before starting a construction project and have some flexibility built into the construction project schedule to account for the inevitable unforeseen circumstances that might impact when the entire project will be completed. It is not always easy to hit your projected end date, but there are scheduling tools that make construction management a bit easier to keep your project schedule on track. It especially helps for small businesses who might need to take a resource-oriented scheduling approach.

Detailed coordination is crucial, and when one stage of a project experiences a delay or unexpectedly shifts ahead of schedule, it impacts each phase that follows. This “domino effect” caused by insufficient scheduling can be costly. It is important to create an accurate schedule that will assure a completion date that was agreed upon with the customer. Nailing your construction schedules will go a long way, especially with complex projects, to ensure the completion date matches what was promised.

Unfortunately, some home construction and remodelling professionals have developed a poor reputation. These days, contractors and sub-contractors are telling homeowners to expect their construction project to take longer, and cost more than originally estimated.  This is especially true if it is a complex project. Still, it is important to stay organized and schedule tasks ahead of time to complete critical activities to end sure you finish projects in a timely manner.

The scheduling “situation” is not only frustrating for homeowners. Time inefficiencies are costly for construction management professionals and builders too. If you are a general contractor, you are likely carrying added costs from overtime/second shifts on most of your construction projects due to project schedule slippage.

Tackling the problem of wasted time 

It may be surprising to learn that only about half of construction businesses utilize digital tools to help them manage tasks like construction scheduling, and less than one-third use software to help them handle critical project management functions like tracking invoices or expenses.

If you are among those looking for cloud-based construction scheduling software that will help bring efficiency and visibility to your operations, you are in the right place. It is a tool that will help you tackle numerous activities, even with lean scheduling, with an effective construction plan. The key features Buildxact provides for construction project management will help your project teams stay on task and on track to meet deadlines. Construction scheduling does not have to be a tedious task. It helps builders keep their project schedule organized and construction projects running smoothly, whether you have many resources or limited resources.

Getting started with construction scheduling software

Start by using a construction project scheduling software, like Buildxact and create a critical path construction schedule. Building this type of detailed plan will outline all the tasks, timelines and resources necessary to complete the project; and will specify what gets done, when.

An effective construction project schedule details:

  • What construction tasks need to be completed
  • How long the tasks will take to accomplish, start-to-finish
  • What resources – materials or personnel – are required to complete the tasks

In other words, create a construction plan, tackle your work with your project teams.

What are the advantages of construction scheduling software?

Every home builder and general contractor wears many hats and looks for ways to manage their projects more efficiently.

A well-defined plan puts you in a position for successful, on-time project completion. This is especially crucial for companies with back-to-back deadlines or those who are managing multiple projects at once, with limited resources.

The benefits of project management and construction scheduling software include:

  • Fewer surprises: Well-planned construction projects using construction scheduling software help to eliminate the element of surprise. Working through the fine details before the start helps to prevent eleventh-hour changes and gives you more control over the outcome of the construction project.
  • More quality control: Project quality and therefore, client satisfaction, only gets better with a well-thought-out project schedule. Using construction project scheduling software allows advance planning to ensure that the right materials are on-hand when they are needed.
  • Improves planning and productivity: Construction scheduling software helps to organize resources like labour, financing, and equipment more efficiently, so everyone involved in the construction project — from subcontractors and laborers to suppliers — can collaborate to better plan their activities and complete each phase of the project on time.
  • Decreases risks: The well-being of everyone on site is a major concern in any construction project. Using a construction project scheduling software helps to identify who should be on the premises at any given time and when personal protective equipment like hard hats, boots, goggles, and earplugs should be worn eliminating any unnecessary risks to your business.
  • Quickly adapt to disruptions: The unexpected happens in construction, whether it is a dramatic change in the weather directly affecting the job site to sudden changes in staff or sub-shifts. Using construction project scheduling software will allow you to create a contingency plan, respond to unexpected disruptions, and communicate any sudden changes quickly without relying on a phone tree.

Why construction project scheduling is a must-have

Convinced and ready to get started creating your project schedules using the software? Here are the top features to consider when looking for your construction project schedule software:

Better resource allocation: A preview of how your team is tracking — employees and subs — using scheduling software for construction crews gives you more control to better allocate resources. Buildxact offers easy-to-use residential construction scheduling project software for scheduling and project management. Successful project management execution goes a long way in growing your business. It helps keep track of the construction project schedule, from the project planning phase all the way through project completion.

Real-time detail tracking: Residential construction scheduling software offers a bird’s eye view of each project phase and the opportunity to prepare a comprehensive schedule, make as-needed updates, and track progress at a glance or view the step-by-step specifics along the way.

The flexibility of Buildxact’s project scheduling software makes it possible to connect dependent activities, add new items and maintain a precise plan. Color-coded progress tracking makes it easy to see how each phase of your project is advancing.

Detailed reporting: residential construction project scheduling software, like Buildxact, gives you the power to generate as much or as little data as you need. Easy to read Gantt charts of your schedule enable you to view the progress or final project reports, which give insight into how well your projects performed on cost, manpower, and profitability.

Efficient project modeling: Construction estimating and scheduling software allows you to use repeatable project templates, which makes it possible for you to execute planning more efficiently.

Once you have saved a project schedule, Buildxact allows you to use that same schedule as the model for future projects of the same type. For instance, once the schedule for a townhouse build is complete, that same timeline can easily be used again to guide similar projects in the future.

Communication efficiency: Collaborating and communicating with subs, suppliers, and your staff is made easier with construction project scheduling software with automated reminders that can be sent via email or text message.

More control: With Buildxact construction estimating and project scheduling software, developing your project plan can ̶   and does  ̶  start with the estimate. While creating your estimate you can select which items should be part of the build schedule; doing so enables you to work more efficiently and, organize and save all project details in one location.

Buildxact provides a better scheduling solution (and then some!) 

Our cloud-based construction project scheduling software helps to bring transparency to every job, optimize resources and create efficiencies that help building professionals avoid common (and costly) scheduling mistakes.

Buildxact enhances communication and project collaboration among team members, and with partners. Easy-to-access, real-time project schedules and alerts allow users to monitor progress, address hurdles, make updates and connect dependent tasks to build each project phase automatically.

“So, across the board, we just become more efficient, and the transfer of information is a lot easier,” said Jeremy De Paz, project manager at Waterloo City Construction in Austin, Texas. “Data and information are not lost in translation or as we are transferring it from one person to another.”

More than just a powerful scheduling tool, Buildxact’s comprehensive construction management software enables residential building and remodelling professionals to:

Still have questions? 

We have made it easy for you to do a deep dive and get all details about each of these Buildxact features and functions. Visit our video tutorial page to see first hand how to put Buildxact to work and see if it is the best construction scheduling software for your business.

Ready to take control of your project management, instead of your projects running you? 

Try Buildxact for a 14-day risk-free trial. Or perhaps you would prefer to talk with one of our expert team members, schedule a no-obligation one-on-one demonstration.