Within an industry as dynamic as engineering, fluctuations in workload could mean fluctuations in the people and resources you need from project to project. These factors can dramatically affect your budgets and personnel pressures as your company grows and slows to accommodate.
It makes sense then that you should have systems and processes that adapt and flex as your business needs do, without the walls buckling or bulging around you. It’s exactly this kind of dynamic business environment in which project management software can really shine. Here’s how:
1. Stay ahead of the game
We know that the idea of updating or replacing long-standing systems can seem daunting. However, software helps you stay ahead in your industry, without having to invest in expensive equipment or learn complicated systems. Software gives you access to the infrastructure-equivalent of a large corporate company on a small-business budget, leaving you much better positioned for growth.
2. It scales to suit your business
Project management software can offer you incredible flexibility, allowing you to rapidly adapt your systems to support your current business circumstances. When you subscribe to an app service, you only need to sign up for the functions you need, and you can increase or decrease your use – and your spend – according to the demands of your business.
For example, Auckland-based engineering firm, Steelcraft, credits cloud computing job management software as being fundamental to supporting their company’s growth, “It enabled us to grow as a business. We would never have been able to grow as rapidly - going from six to eighty staff within two years. It would have been impossible to track and then invoice on our old system.”
3. Work wherever you need to
All your documents, client information and project collateral will be available, wherever you or your employees are working.
Whether you are on-site, at your desk or away from the office, you can:
- access and update project information
- order supplies or request services
- track time
- input timesheets
- pay bills
- collaborate with colleagues.
4. Document sharing and storage
Engineers often need to send or share large documents with colleagues or clients. Online document storage options are a more cost effective way of storing and instantly accessing plans, product data sheets, sitemaps, instruction manuals and application specific information.
5. Full job visibility and effortless collaboration
Faster project collaboration means faster decisions. With project-related documents updated in real-time, multiple stakeholders can view and evaluate changes, and expedite the decision-making process without unnecessary to-ing and fro-ing. This transparency reduces the likelihood of miscommunication, double-handling and errors, ultimately reducing man-hours and costs.
6. Job management in one place
It’s time to ditch the piles of paperwork, double-handling of information and inefficient filing systems. With cloud-based job management software you can manage the whole process – from quoting, to time tracking, through to invoicing – in one place.
Andy Johnson, a project manager for Stilwell Engineering explains the value of using cloud-based job management software in their engineering firm - “Within our industry the value lies in effective project management of the job. The designers, the client, the builder are all wanting information and in WorkflowMax by BlueRock everything is in one place, so when the client calls we are fully prepared”.
7. Highly secure systems
Not surprisingly, the thought of handing the keys to your data over to another company may be worrisome.
However, it’s important to know that providers can only build their businesses on a rock-solid reputation, and therefore it’s in their best interests to have highly reliable security measures. Economies of scale work to your benefit here; cloud software providers have the resources to invest significant money in ensuring their servers, data centres and connections are completely secure and constantly available.
8. Real-time reporting
You know that crystal ball you’ve always wanted? Online solutions can offer you the next best thing. Real-time reporting through job management or accounting software takes the guesswork out of budget planning by giving you valuable insight to help drive business growth.
For example, with online reporting, you can:
- identify where you’re making the most money
- find out who your most profitable employees are
- see profitability across clients
- view estimated hours for a project against actual time
- add custom fields to create your own reports.
This reporting can also give you the competitive edge “If a client comes back to me and says ‘I want a job report mentioning this, this and this’ - no one else can produce that report unless they are using software that offers real-time reporting” explains Darren George, director at Steelcraft Engineering.
9. Disaster recovery
Because your data is hosted on external servers, should your premises fall victim to theft, fire, flood, technology outage or any other unfortunate circumstance, business-as-usual operations can continue
Through increased efficiency, speedy collaboration and effortless file sharing, online project management software will help you outclass competitors and impress clients – all while reducing your own administration time.
