Construction resource management explained

Construction resource management is the process of planning construction resource usage to meet project objectives. Proper project resource planning helps to keep projects on schedule by ensuring that demands are met while maximizing the utilization of resources from project to project.

Construction resource management is used to:

• Track resource availability 
• Reallocate resources in response to project changes
• Track utilization rates to avoid under utilization or overworking your teams
• Ensure project teams have the right skills and experience
• Optimize resource time, effort, and cost
• Identify and resolve resource conflicts
• Forecasting future staffing requirements

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REDUCED COSTS

Construction resource planning software migration allows for the automation of administrative processes, which can help to reduce errors, minimize costs, and provide more time for operations management to put out fires and perform tasks to help increase productivity. 

Effective construction resource management helps to monitor staff reductions, schedules, and forecasting. All of which can help to meet operational demands to boost ROI in the short and long term. On top of that, construction workforce management scheduling helps to reduce duplicate work being done and increase management productivity. With team members having access to real-time, web-based information, there will also be improved communication within the organization which helps to improve attendance, retention, unavailability requests, and time management.

EASIER EQUIPMENT TRACKING

Automated resource management can have a significant impact on your organization’s equipment tracking. Having clear oversight not only helps to ensure that the right equipment is available for projects at the right time, it also helps to extend the lifespan of the equipment by monitoring utilization and scheduling periods of time for regular maintenance. With so many moving parts, having resource data consolidated into a single source of truth allows Ops Managers to better strategize how to get the most productivity out of them. It’s a similar idea to construction labor tracking software, which can help you keep tabs on your workforce resources.

FEWER ERRORS

Construction resource management can be a time-consuming process. Ensuring that your resources are being allocated to maximize their productivity and efficiency often means consolidating and analyzing a lot of data. If an organization’s resource management is reliant on a series of spreadsheets, they should take extra care when making changes or updates to their data. Spreadsheets can often become riddled with errors if the data entry is not standardized for all users. Simple things like different spelling (PM and Project Manager) can result in people slipping through the cracks when collecting data. Not to mention the headaches involved when formulas are changed.

Careful resource management and construction labor tracking software can help reduce human errors. General contractors that have opted to use construction resource management software are able to use permission settings to control the accessibility of their resource planning to prevent unwanted changes. Formulas are also built in and aren’t at risk of being altered. Allocation filtering also ensures that the right personnel is selected for a project role.

Construction resource management software will also help to reduce errors in the allocation of resources. Accurate, relevant data is easily surfaced to ensure the right resources are being allocated to satisfy the demands of the project.

LESS PAPERWORK

Manual resource management can often mean an increase in administrative duties and printed reports. These reports are used to better communicate project and workforce schedule data, but limiting access to your data can stifle quick decision-making in response to sudden change. Cloud-based resource management software helps to improve accessibility and control of resource planning. This means project teams are able to easily access the information they need regarding their project resources, but can’t accidentally set the resource plan on fire by accessing it. Learn more about the latest launch of the Workforce Plan Report in Bridgit Bench.

Automated resource and workforce management scheduling software helps to reduce tedious administrative duties and the need for printed reports as team members can easily access the data in real time from anywhere with an internet connection. Construction resource planning software that integrates with other tools, like Bridgit Bench and Procore, can help to eliminate duplicate work.

IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

Construction resource management software helps to ensure that the resources required by a project are being allocated to the right place at the right time to maximize workforce efficiency. Having all the right resources in place will help to significantly reduce costly project interruptions. It will also provide insight into an organization’s resource utilization to forecast staffing requirements in the coming months or years. This helps to identify areas where more work is needed to keep the team productive and happy working for your company.

Automating resource management also allows those responsible for maintaining and consolidating data to spend more time doing higher-priority tasks that can help the business’s bottom line. If you’d like to get more tips on how to manage a commercial construction project check out this guide by DoorStop or take a look at our article.

EASILY ADAPT TO CHANGES IN PROJECT SCOPE

Project changes regularly occur in the construction industry. It’s inevitable that unforeseeable changes will cause project dates to slide and resource requirements to change. Effective resource management in the construction industry will give operations managers clear oversight into the impact of these changes on their resource plans. Whether individual allocations are needing to be extended, or the full project is being pushed back, resource management software will help to surface any allocation issues that are caused by changes to the resource plan. It can also help to identify solutions when changes occur by providing an accurate record of availability for every resource.

ACCESS TO REAL-TIME DATA ABOUT RESOURCES

Access to real-time data gives operations teams and project management accurate, consistent data to reduce any guesswork involved in resource allocations. These “gut-feel” decisions can lead to inefficient resource allocation based on inaccurate or outdated information, which in turn can set projects back. This can lead to a dramatic decrease in a project’s profitability. Having real-time data for resource management ensures that efficient and productive decisions are being made to the benefit of every project and the business as a whole. This article by ConstructConnect explores the benefits of desegregating your data to share real-time information across your organization.

EASIER REMOTE COLLABORATION

COVID-19’s impact on resource planning cannot be overstated. Multiple high-level companies have taken a “work from home” approach to their business for the foreseeable future and while construction certainly requires some boots on the ground, many offices and operations teams have chosen to continue to work from home. Being able to collaborate with your team remotely can be a challenge. However, providing stakeholders with access to a real-time resource plan helps to ensure that everyone is looking at the same information to reduce COVID-19 construction resource challenges when allocation decisions are being made.

Learn about the other enterprise-wide benefits of construction resource management. Also, read up on women in construction.