Top 3 methods to control project costs
A significant number of projects are planned and implemented annually, most of which are undertaken to achieve sustainable, long-term results.
Projects may also result in planned or unplanned social, economic, and environmental impacts that exceed the duration of the project itself. In this regard, the issue of project cost management is becoming more acute day by day.
The globally recognized project management standard developed and periodically updated, defines that: project cost management integrates the processes involved in planning, budgeting, and controlling costs to ensure that a project is completed within an approved budget.
Estimating the cost of scheduled activities includes an estimate of the cost of the resources required to complete each scheduled activity.
We propose to consider 3 main steps that will help control the costs of the project.
Collect data in real-time
How big data and analytics are transforming the construction industry? It is impossible to keep abreast of all expenses if you do not monitor them regularly in real-time. It is very convenient to have access to project information at any time.
Many companies have already taken this strategy as a basis and have excellent results on it that give a competitive advantage. Real-time financial transparency is what companies who want to be or remain successful should strive for, as demand and customers for access to analytical data and company performance data are growing.
Why is big data important to the construction industry today? It is very convenient to store all the data for a particular project in one place and give access to them to team members or customers. Thus, all project participants can control changes and make adjustments to them.
It is significant to understand that one member of your team or department has planning data, others have cost tools, and it is very important to create a platform on which this data will be stored centrally.
Thus, data analysis will be available at any time of the day. In the construction industry, a centralized information storage base is still underdeveloped. But the manual process of data storage and analysis is widely used. It is essential to learn how to use new technologies and open access to them in your project.
Don't waste your time on manual reporting
Modern construction daily reporting software is in no way inferior in efficiency to a typical and traditional construction estimate. But by combining construction reporting software and a traditional project framework, you can get better results in cost and project management.
It is very important not to forget about the top-down strategy that enables project and department managers to analyze progress in real time, view reports, and predict the time spent on risk.
Previously, there were many experienced people and little technology; now technology has developed and simplified so much that even a beginner can handle the program. Therefore, now it is very important to collect data correctly and add them to the program.
After that, you will be able to regularly review and analyze changes using even mobile construction reporting software, as well as understand what is happening and be able to influence changes to achieve maximum project success. This is where all companies that want to be competitive in the construction industry should move.
A single platform for informing you and your subordinates
Knowing what is the best project management software for construction and implementing it in your project, allows your business to benefit because team members and its leaders can analyze data in real-time.
Online construction management software is necessary so that the team, by analyzing data and all analytical information about the project, can make the best decisions on the project for the current period and the future. It is important to understand that construction software management makes it possible to store all information in one place and allows team members to quickly and from any location correct data according to the current situation.
Using construction inventory management software, even during meetings, participants will not be overwhelmed with various drawings and calculations, but will comfortably show all the summary information in a few minutes.
Knowing what is construction management software, and partially, gradually, or completely involving technological innovations in your project, you also minimize the mechanical errors that project participants can make. After all, you should not forget about the human factor, haste, or manual loss of any data.
What else matters?
It is extremely important not to forget about real cost management. That is, one must approve the final design quantity and establish a basis for evaluation. All these indicators must be equated to the wage rate, materials, and productivity ratios. Thus, a calculation will be obtained, which is a huge part of the estimate.
In manual mode, this may take several weeks or even a month. In this case, it is impossible not to say about the possible errors in the calculations. It is the automation of these processes that will give excellent results and minimize errors and thus risks. This is especially important if the change needs to be made urgently, and the volumes are very large.
Don't forget about the culture of responsibility. If you don’t give people good processes and tools, then you can’t help but talk about possible risks or even project failure. Often project leaders choose between having the team answer for expectations they are not prepared to meet or letting things take their course and end up with unmet expectations.
Both of these options are incorrect. It is essential to calculate costs in advance, understand the risks and consider options for solving any problems.
Conclusion
Many companies understand that there is still a lot to be done to automate the process, but if you start today with a new project and gradually implement automation in other projects, you will see significant improvements in the result and progress of projects. Don't expect a quick result, but look at the progress.