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Tips & Advice

Is Manual Data Entry Costing Your Business? Why Automation is the Solution

If you think that investing in software to automate your systems will cost you more money than doing everything manually, you’re not alone. Many businesses operate under the assumption that paying for automation is more expensive than paying people to do things. The truth is there are hidden costs to doing things by hand, and those costs can significantly affect your bottom line.

We’re going to look at the hidden costs you may not realize you’re incurring by doing your data entry manually. The magnitude of some may surprise you.

1. Increased error rate

Workers entering data manually, without verification, can have an error rate as high as 4%. That means for every 50 entries, two are wrong. In an experiment in 2009, it was shown that data entry workers made up to 10.23 errors when entering data from thirty spreadsheets. This is the nature of human data entry.

When errors involve money, the stakes are high. These errors could lead to over-and underpayments, over-and undercharging customers, disruptions to the accounting and auditing processes, and may lead to financial trouble. Data entry errors have cost companies millions of dollars.

2. It takes time

Manual data entry takes time. The average typist can perform 10,000 to 15,000 keystrokes per hour. Depending on the amount of data and its form, it can take even the fastest typist hours to perform data entry. If the data requires comprehension or analysis before entry, this slows down the process even more.

It could take a competent operator between 8 and 10 minutes to enter 400 units of data. This may not seem like much, but if the volume of data is high, it can cost your company valuable time that could be spent on other workflows, like analyzing the data.

3. Can’t focus on important business tasks

With so much time spent ensuring that the data entered is correct and finding and fixing errors, there is no time left to work on the business. Managers spend their time ensuring that the data they’re reporting is accurate and less time actually analyzing that data. A survey found that 37% of manufacturing professionals don’t trust the reliability of manually entered data when making strategic decisions. If you can’t trust the data you’re getting from your team, how can you grow your business or take on additional work?

4. Inhibits business growth

When management receives data, it often makes decisions based on that information, whether it’s correct or not. These decisions may inhibit the growth of the business. For example, a costly mistake can lead managers to believe a project is over budget when it’s not. They then make moves to cut company spending to protect the company, when instead, they should be investing in future growth.

5. Hidden costs

Most companies think automation costs more than entering data by hand. The truth is there are hidden costs to entering data manually. There’s the obvious labor to enter the data, then more labor to check for mistakes, and more labor to fix the mistakes. At each level, it becomes more expensive and time-consuming to detect and correct mistakes.

It has been shown that incorrect data can cost companies up to 30% or more of their revenue. In particular, a 2018 Goldman Sachs report stated that the direct and indirect costs of manual paper invoice processing are $2.7 trillion for businesses around the world. The hidden costs of manual data entry can be enough to make or break your business.

6. It’s boring

Continually spending days or hours doing mindless data entry can lead to employee dissatisfaction and turnover. When workers spend hours keying in the same information, they are bound to lose focus, which increases errors and leads to frustration. Data entry work is repetitive and tedious. 55% of employees in a survey cited the collection, uploading, and synching of data as the least productive part of manual data entry. When employees don’t feel productive, their morale lowers and they are then more prone to make mistakes.

Automation is the solution

How can companies save themselves the time and money that is lost through manual data entry processes? Automating as much as possible is one way to recoup these costs. By using machine learning and automation, the software can automate much of the data entry process, leading to fewer mistakes and speeding up the process.

Premier Software uses AI, machine learning, and automation to speed up invoice entry and other repetitive tasks, so you can spend time working on your business and less time entering data. For a demo of how our automation works to save you time and money, schedule one today.Author Biography:

Dawn Killough is a construction writer with over 20 years of experience with construction payments, from the perspectives of subcontractors and general contractors. Dawn has held roles such as a staff accountant, green building advisor, project assistant, and contract administrator.  Her work for general contractors, design firms, and subcontractors has even led to the publication of blogs on several construction tech websites and her book, Green Building Design 101.

 

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Uncategorized

Tips for Using Construction Software to Improve Performance

Construction companies upgrade their construction software for lots of reasons. One of the main reasons being to improve, you guessed it, performance. This includes being more profitable and more efficient, both in the field and the office. There are many ways to improve performance working with construction software, including choosing the right software, getting an ERP solution, changing processes, gathering data, and using analytics.

1. Get the right software for your business

One size software does not fit all. Before selecting construction software for your company, you need to do research to make sure you’re selecting the program that is best for your company. Get something too simple, and you’ll quickly outgrow it. Get something too complex, and you’ll never use it properly or understand what the data is trying to tell you.

Start by assessing your current system, even if you’re still using spreadsheets. Determine what’s missing and what information you wish you had. Shop around and look at multiple software options. Don’t rush this process or you’ll quickly be overwhelmed by all the information you receive. Look for software that allows for flexibility and growth in your company and the data you collect. You’ll want to be able to grow into the software and still have it serve you several years down the road.

Choose the software package that best suits your needs and gives you the most options for additional data collection. Some software packages target specific contractor types or are better suited for certain trades. Choose one that fits your company and the work it does, both now and into the future. Choosing the right software lays the groundwork for improving your performance and improving efficiency.

2. Get an ERP

An ERP software program, or enterprise resource planning, offers companies a holistic view of their operations and finances. In the construction world, it combines project management and accounting into one solution that is linked by data. This type of software solves a critical missing link in construction – it links the office to the field. Information entered in one area can be immediately seen by the other, making real-time decision-making possible.

ERPs have several advantages over standalone accounting software, including the ability to see data in real time, integrated data, and a larger view of company performance. All of these allow management to assess and act on trends in the business. They can spot problems both in the field and the office and proactively address them.

3. Don’t be afraid to change

New software often brings new processes. No software program does things the same way as another, and companies need to be flexible in changing their processes. Using the software’s process will improve efficiency and avoid extra work. It can also allow for additional data collection, which can be beneficial in assessing productivity.

New software provides the opportunity to learn more about the company and its processes through the collection of additional data. Even though the company hasn’t collected certain data in the past doesn’t mean you can’t learn from the information.

4. Gather data

Data is key when it comes to improving performance in construction. By being able to gather data from both the field and the office, management can assess performance companywide and make improvements to increase efficiencies and improve performance. Without this data, management must rely on anecdotal evidence and assumptions about what is happening on site.

When companies gather more data, they have an opportunity to learn more about the company. With limited information available, management has to make assumptions to fill in the gaps. But with concrete information coming from the field, management can monitor both growth and performance in real-time, allowing them to make better decisions.

5. Use analytics

Analytics help companies predict future outcomes based on past events. The more data the company has available for analysis, the better the predictions are. Since construction software allows for the collection of data from the field and office, analytics can provide insight for both areas and allow project managers and company management to make better strategic decisions.

Analytics can predict incidents and problems ahead of time, like forecasting the possibility of safety incidents depending on the type of work being performed. This proactive response helps prevent problems and allows companies to improve performance and increase efficiency.

Conclusion

If your company is looking to increase efficiency and improve its performance, construction software is a key part of that journey. Start by making sure you have the right software for your situation by assessing multiple options before deciding. If it makes sense for your company, select an ERP solution that connects the office to the field. Don’t be afraid to change your internal processes to match the software’s procedures. Gather as much data as you can and use analytics to help you predict outcomes for your business. Premier Construction Software has all the tools you need to improve your key performance measurements. Contact us to request a demonstration.

To learn more about how you can improve performance with a construction software, schedule a call with our team for a live demonstration.

Author Biography:

Dawn Killough is a construction writer with over 20 years of experience with construction payments, from the perspectives of subcontractors and general contractors. Dawn has held roles such as a staff accountant, green building advisor, project assistant, and contract administrator.  Her work for general contractors, design firms, and subcontractors has even led to the publication of blogs on several construction tech websites and her book, Green Building Design 101.

 

Categories
Accounting Tips & Advice

How to Create a Job Cost Report Using Construction Budget Software

Construction projects are complex. Getting accurate job cost information can be difficult if you’re not tracking costs and revenue in an organized manner. Trying to track budgets on multiple projects using spreadsheets and generic accounting programs simply doesn’t work. Financial Construction Software is a must-have for any organization that wants to be in financial control of their jobs and overall business.

The most challenging part of any system is to make sure the foundation is set up properly from the start. Project budgets must be broken down into cost items and cost types. Commitments are posted against these codes to help provide an accurate picture of what is remaining on the budget. Any deviations from this should be tracked via a change order so you can have an accurate picture of where a project stands, where it will finish, and analyze the month over month variance. If the job cost data is entered properly, it is easy for the accounting team to match the commitment and identify any red flags. This way businesses can rely on the job cost reports and there is less risk that you are caught with surprises at the end of the job. Having the information in real-time makes it easy to drill down to view the information and make more informed decisions, faster.

Setting up job cost accounting software

Setting up a job costing system isn’t complex if you have the right software, but it does require some planning. Here are some recommendations to help you better track your job costs using proper financial construction software.

Break down the job estimate into cost items and cost types. These codes represent specific types of work or areas on each project. Most companies use Excel to build out their job estimate as it can be very sophisticated with specific calculations. Other companies leverage 3rd party bidding/estimating packages specific to their industry. Premier Software provides up to five levels of job cost breakdown so you can track costs by the job number, cost types, cost items, and an additional 4th and 5th level of breakdown which are completely configurable to track further breakdown by buildings, units, lots, areas, custom levels etc. You can also group the cost items by CSI division codes.

Enter the job estimate into your financial construction software. In basic accounting systems, most users have to manually rekey the job estimate into their accounting system which can be very time-consuming. In most Construction Financial software solutions, you can upload the job estimate from excel or any 3rd party in just seconds. In Premier, you can do just that so you save valuable time.

Once uploaded, you can lock the original estimate so if anyone applies changes, they are properly tracked via change orders. This gives project managers better visibility into the variances and holds project managers accountable to their original estimate. Cost types are available on the job cost reporting but they are typically connected to your financials to the COGS or WIP accounts. This way business owners can get a macro view on how the company is performing across the jobs. Examples of cost types include Labor, Material, Subcontract, Equipment, Hard Costs, Soft Costs, Marketing, Other. Whereas, the cost items do not roll up to the financials. These are the phases of the job that typically provide the detailed job cost breakdown to help project managers assess the performance of the job. Examples include Electrical, Foundation, Demolition etc. These are typically sorted and grouped by CSI Division codes which are helpful when running summarized reports.

Enter commitments. Commitments are typically used to track labor hours, subcontractor agreements, and/or purchase orders for all material purchases. These should be entered into the accounting system as they are issued so it’s easy for a project manager to see what is remaining in the budget. You can set alerts or hard stops if a commitment is exceeding the budget or if a user is allocating incorrectly.

In Premier, you can automate the generation of these commitments to help save valuable time and ensure proper allocation.

Track change orders in the system. Both owner change orders and internal changes need to be entered into the system to properly track job costs. Change orders are used to track requested or required changes to a job that were unanticipated at the start of a job.  It is imperative to track change orders since they often have a financial impact to either the company running the job, the customer, or the subcontractor that is working on the job.  Budget Transfers are an auditable way to move funds between cost items on a project. They’re often used to allocate to and from the contingency and balance the allocation of budget when one part of the project is performing better than another.

Allocate actual costs to the job. Accounts payable, GL entries and payroll costs should be allocated to the proper job cost on a timely basis so project managers compare it against the budgeted cost of those activities, so that the cost variance from budget is known continuously. … especially valuable if the organization performs many projects that are very similar to each other. Payroll costs should include burden, such as employer taxes, benefits, and employer-paid insurance.

Running job cost reports

Once the project has been set up, the job budget is entered, commitments are posted, change orders are updated, and actual costs are posted, the estimate at completion should be accurate and you can rely on the job cost reports. Premier Software has several out-of-the-box reports and project dashboard that consolidate accounting and job costing information which make it easy to see where you stand on the job, help you identify red flags, and make it easy to drill down into the details.

Project dashboard. The project dashboard provides project managers and executives a high-level overview of each project and drill down into any job cost or accounting details in just seconds. It provides useful KPIs to help identify the original vs. forecasted margins, overbudget items, overpaid vendors, WIP, cashflow, retainage, and AR & AP information. Also, a PM can easily create or view submittals, RFIs, meeting minutes, daily job logs, and unbilled change orders. Take action to approve, view, or electronically sign pending subcontracts, change orders, AP invoices, AR billing, and more.

Manage construction projects with the job dashboard in PremierJob Cost Progress views – This report provides a detailed or summary view of the job providing a full breakdown of the costs and revenue. View the original estimate, commitments, remaining budget, actual costs, monthly costs, % complete, estimate at completion. With multiple filters available, project managers can easily filter by cost item, cost type, cost groups, and more. Easily evaluate project managers and hold them accountable to key KPIs.

Work in progress report. The WIP report shows businesses whether active jobs are overbilled or underbilled. Cost overruns are common in the industry. It’s far too easy at the mid-point of any project to misjudge billing against the actual status of the project. The success of a WIP report depends on keeping accurate cost records and consistent documentation.

Forecasting reports. Project managers should forecast monthly and review M2M variances. A forecast can be considered a precursor to a Potential Change Order. Unlike a change order, however, a forecast is a well-informed prediction of trends that are arising that need to be identified and captured prior to a change order. Any predicted trends that turn out to be true, can then be converted into a change order and become part of the project budget & schedule. Premier helps by allowing PMs to enter in anticipated costs. The anticipated cost value impacts the estimate at completion providing a more accurate picture of where they will end on each line item.

Premier Construction Software makes accurate job cost reports easy

Using financial construction software for accounting, job costing, project and drawing management makes project managers’ jobs easier. It automates the most time consuming and complex processes so they can focus on what matters. Trying to track and report on this data by hand is difficult and time-consuming. Premier Construction Software helps project teams know their profitability and see potential issues quickly and easily.

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Tips & Advice

4 Ways to Improve your Budget Forecasting Process

Budget forecasting is a strategic and integral task within project management and control. At a high level, forecasting can be used to answer key questions like, “When will this project be complete, and how much will it cost?” This type of information is critical because without a well-calculated estimate of costs, a business may find itself without the cash necessary to complete a project or to pay workers.

 

Forecasting is also important for determining anticipated revenue because companies will want to know how much they stand to make before taking on a project. Additionally, an accurate forecast will provide insight into future cash flow, which is especially important in an industry where the funding for a new project may likely come from the revenue of a previous one. 

 

Creating a budget and financial forecast is no easy feat when there are always a number of variables that may impact a project—for example, weather conditions, change orders, or even a global pandemic causing shutdowns like we experienced this year.

 

So, what can you do to improve your budget forecasting? Consider these four tips:

1. Review Regularly & Update Accordingly

Anyone in the construction business will likely agree with the saying “the best laid plans often go awry” because no matter how carefully a project is planned, things can change and challenges may arise. It’s important to keep a pulse on a project’s status by revisiting forecasts regularly to determine whether or not the project is on-track. 

 

It’s also important to keep track of the initial forecasts and use them as a baseline for comparison, otherwise you won’t be able to effectively gauge project success and make the necessary updates to mitigate future losses.

 

When you create a budget forecast, it’s wise to set dates and calendar reminders to review the forecast and adjust the resource and budget allocations as necessary. Not only will this help gauge current status, it will help you create more precise future forecasts and reduce the likelihood of under- or overstating rates for future projects.

2. Factor in Direct & Indirect Costs

Project managers reviewing construction project plans

When you’re creating your budget forecast, it’s imperative to include both direct and indirect costs. Investopedia defines direct costs as “costs related to producing a good or service. A direct cost includes raw materials, labor, and expense or distribution costs associated with producing a product. The cost can easily be traced to a product, department, or project”, whereas indirect costs “are expenses unrelated to producing a good or service. An indirect cost cannot be easily traced to a product, department, activity, or project.”

 

Three common types of indirect costs are overhead costs (e.g., office equipment and supplies, insurance, salaries), equipment costs (e.g., depreciation, repairs and maintenance) and labor burdens (e.g., FICA taxes, Workers Compensation). Indirect costs can be difficult to calculate, but they need to be accounted for in a budget otherwise your forecasts will be inaccurate.

3. Use Hindsight of Historical Data 

As the saying goes, “hindsight is 20/20.” Use your company’s historical data to your advantage and to feed the precision of foresight. Reviewing historical data will help you identify previous pitfalls and to predict trends that are likely to happen again, all of which will help you plan better for the future to create more accurate budgets and forecasts. 

4.Utilize an All-in-One Software Solution

With so many factors and moving parts dependent on one another, it can be easy for project details to slip through the cracks. Adding to this, many construction companies are using multiple disjointed systems for their project management and accounting needs. Not only does this create bottlenecks in processes and waste valuable time, a disconnect between accounting and job costing means the data is unreliable and can’t be used to accurately gauge success or view up-to-date financial information. 

 

One of the easiest and most successful ways to improve your forecasting is to utilize an all-in-one cloud-based solution that allows you to access the information you need, wherever and whenever you need it. Premier Construction Software offers the most powerful construction software solution on the market to ensure you can effectively monitor and manage two of the most important functions—job costing and accounting. 

 

Our software brings the key business data together into a single platform, with seamless integration between all modules, and a single source of truth for reporting. Up-to-date financial reports are ready to go at any time, and can be tailored to your requirements. Premier also offers the ability to lock-in forecasts to ensure project managers are held accountable for their monthly forecasting. 

Final Thoughts

The power and usefulness of a forecast hinges on its accuracy—forecasting in and of itself isn’t enough to guide critical business decisions. Investing the time and resources required to improve your forecasting will contribute to more exact budgets which, in turn, will optimize cash flow and boost revenue. 

 

To learn more about Premier Construction Software’s forecasting capabilities, click here to schedule a personalized product tour.

 

 

Author Biography:

Kathryn Dressler is a content strategist with more than 10 years of experience across the spectrum of marketing services, including blogging, social media, public relations, copywriting and editorial services.

Categories
Tips & Advice Trends & Technology

5 Reasons You Should Invest in Construction Management Software

Largely driven by the ever-changing technological landscape, the construction is rapidly maturing and evolving. Like businesses across all industries, construction companies have come to rely on software and digital tools to perform everyday tasks and complete necessary job functions like communicating with team members, tracking expenses, submitting proposals and more. 

Still, many construction companies are unaware of what a comprehensive construction management software is, how it can benefit their business, and whether or not it’s a necessary expenditure.

In this blog, we’ll discuss five reasons it’s worth investing in construction management software. 

What is construction management software?

In a nutshell, construction management software is a set of project management tools used to improve and streamline the entire construction process, from planning to project completion. While there are software options that include project management features only, using an all-in-one construction software solution to manage your accounting and project management needs means the data used to drive key decisions is always in sync, up-to-date and reliable. 

What are the benefits of construction management software?

1. Improved Communication & Collaboration

Every project, regardless of industry, requires communication and collaboration to complete. Often times, communication barriers can lead to delays, misunderstandings and errors, all of which end up costing valuable time and money. Project management tools improve communication between team members and stakeholders by creating a central platform for real-time collaboration, brainstorming and problem solving. Providing a centralized place for team members to quickly access and communicate about vital project information leads to improved planning and faster execution.

2. Time & Resource Management

Being able to effectively gauge the required amount of time and resources needed to complete a project is critical for timely delivery and success. With construction management software, tasks required to complete every step of a project can be entered, assigned and updated easily. This allows project managers and team members to know what resources and equipment are required, and when, and allows for more accurate forecasting. 

3. Reliable Job Costing & Accounting

Having a constant pulse on project costs is essential to running a successful construction business. However, many companies use separate systems for accounting and projecting management that don’t communicate in real-time, which results in errors, inaccurate reports and untrustworthy data. An all-in-one software solution that ensures job costing and accounting data are synced means the information is current and reliable, and thereby allows informed decision making that reduces the likelihood of waste or over-budget issues. 

4. Document Sharing & Control

Because every step of a project requires some sort of documentation, construction companies have to deal with a lot of paperwork. A document management system provides a centralized place where critical information (like blueprints, wireframes and specifications) can be stored, managed, updated and accessed by those who need it. Construction documents are often complex and evolving, so having that information digitized, simplified and stored on the cloud saves time and reduces margin of error. 

5. Detailed Reports & Insights 

Construction management software records every phase in the construction process, and that data can be accessed at any time to analyze a project and to provide valuable insights that allow for informed decision making about next steps. Consolidated dashboards with various reporting options make it easy to digest and consume pertinent information, and provide the ability to drill down into the accounting information to view invoice or payment details, or to identify any red flags or pending approvals that may hinder project progress.

Is construction management software right for your business?

In this blog we’ve touched on five key benefits to using a construction management software and how it can help streamline processes, improve resource planning, enhance collaboration, and provide critical information needed to keep projects running on-time and at-cost—all of which ultimately lead to higher profitability.  

If you’re curious about Premier Construction Software but want to read reviews before contacting us, click here to learn more about us on GetApp.

Or, if you’d like to know how our all-in-one solution can be tailored to meet your business needs for maximum impact, click here to schedule a personalized product tour today. 

 

Author Biography:

Kathryn Dressler is a content strategist with more than 10 years of experience across the spectrum of marketing services, including blogging, social media, public relations, copywriting and editorial services.