There’s a lot of different functions you need in construction management software to handle everything that goes on in your business, from time tracking to accounting to document management.
That creates a tough choice for a construction manager: should you choose an application that includes all of these different functions in one place, or should you go with a software stack where you package a bunch of specialized tools together?
Let’s go through the advantages and disadvantages of both to help you decide what’s best for your company.
What’s a software stack, and what’s an all-in-one application?
The concept of a stack comes from the world of software development and it refers to the set of tools—applications and software—needed to get the work done.
All-in-one applications are a little easier to understand: that’s one piece of software that will handle nearly all the functions needed for your business.
So which is better, a stack or an all-in-one solution?
All-in-one applications
Work[etc] Project Workspace
Examples of all-in-one applications include Work[etc], Zoho, Wintac, or CoConstruct. They do it all: CRM (customer relationship management), project management, estimating, email, and collaboration.
For many people, the appeal of these applications is the simplicity and the built-in integration between the different features.
One significant advantage to using an all-in-one application is software support. Using a single application means that you only have one company to deal with when things either stop working or don’t work how you expect them to.
But there’s a big downside: they may not be as customizable as you’d like in terms of general workflow or automation. And if you don’t like one function—say, accounting—you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and get a whole new all-in-one app. (And that new app may have a different function you don’t care for.)
These types of solutions can also be expensive, as their pricing generally revolves around number of users and the number of features available. The more users and the more features you need, the higher that price tag is going to climb.
There are also security considerations to think about, not only in terms of keeping your customers’ and employees’ information secure, but in making sure that employees only have access to the information they need to do their jobs.
You may be limited in the degree and extent of customization and automation available. Many all-in-one applications use a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to features, which means that they are often quite generic in their approach.
Software stacks
Slack’s dashboard
Application stacks offer a bit more flexibility, but the trade-off is that this can be more complex to manage.
Here’s a sample application stack:
- Productivity and Email: G Suite
- Project Management: Asana
- CRM: NetHunt
- Collaboration: Slack
- Time Tracking: ClockShark
- Accounting: QuickBooks
- Recurring Billing and Payments: Stripe
These are all great applications with a lot of features for a small business owner—and if you don’t care for one, you can swap it out for another app that works the way you’d like. You can even customize your application choice based on your industry—for example, Knowify is designed specifically for service providers and construction businesses.
The downside to standalone applications is that they may not integrate with the other applications you’d like to use right out of the box (although many of these tools do integrate with QuickBooks, as they’re the heavy hitter in the small business accounting segment).
Some apps do offer integration with others. There is a good chance that if you choose applications specific to your industry, they will be able to integrate with each other—but make sure you check first. For example, you can copy and paste time records from ClockShark straight into Knowify.
When two apps have many customers in common, it makes sense to build an integration to make their customers happier. Let each app in your stack know which other apps you use. If enough customers tell them, you’re more likely to see a seamless integration in the future.
If integration doesn’t already exist between two apps, check for import/export features to move data between apps or look to a tool like Zapier that might provide a third-party solution. The advantage to using apps like Zapier to create the integrations is that you can customize and automate your workflow in a way that allows you to spend less time managing the back end of your business and more time on activities that affect your bottom line.
Of course, all this means that you’re likely to spend a lot more time messing around with the software than you would if the app was an all-in-one solution. Troubleshooting software issues can take a good deal of time and energy to resolve and this should be a factor in your decision making process. This is why the quality of the customer support you get should be an important factor when choosing apps for your stack.
Hybrid application solution
Asana’s dashboard
There’s actually a third option if you’re still unsure what to do. If an all-in-one application does, say, 80% of what you need it to do, you can look into augmenting its functionality with standalone applications, and thus create a hybrid software solution.
For example, if you really like Zoho’s functionality in every area except project management, you could choose to create an integration between Zoho and Asana so you can have the best of both worlds. Or if they don’t have a native integration available, you can use Zapier to link them together.
By making judicious use of available integrations and Zapier, you can add more customization to an all-in-one application while still having the flexibility to link an application that has more specific functionality.
Now it’s time to make a decision
- If you’re looking for ease of implementation and something that handles everything right out of the box, an all-in-one application is the way to go.
- On the other hand, an application stack is the answer if you want to ensure that every aspect of your workflow matches the way you do business exactly.
- Or you can choose to blend the two approaches if an all-in-one application gets you most of what you’re looking for with a limited number of other applications bolted on.
Every business is unique, so it’s important to seriously consider all the pros and cons of the different types of business management software. Start by identifying everything you need from your technology solutions, then rank them in order of what is most important. With your ordered list of features and capabilities, find the best solutions possible for your top three, and then look for more general solutions that integrate with them to cover the lower ranked items. This approach ensures you get the best technology available for your most critical needs and if you need to compromise, it will happen in your less important ones.
Construction managers out there: what have you used in the past? What advantages did you find in your solution, and what aspects did you not like so much? Please, let us known in the comments below.
The post Construction Software: Stack, Or All-In-One? appeared first on Capterra Blog.
from Construction Management – Capterra Blog https://blog.capterra.com/construction-software-stack-or-all-in-one/
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