Selecting the right design software is highly essential for construction firms and sub-contractors to manage their construction processes effectively and establish good communication to meet project delivery timelines. As the number of applications currently exists today, it is difficult to choose the right software for the proper completion of the work.
This blog post has outlined a guide that should be followed to meet the requirements, compare other software, and make the right decision when it comes to choosing new design technology for construction estimating service projects.
Assess Your Needs
The first step is to determine what you are trying to achieve precisely and what specific issues need to be addressed. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Which type and sort of projects are you involved in handling, are they commercial, residential, or infrastructure? This stipulates the precise definition of the features of design that you would need.
- To what extent, how many of the members of the team require access? Do they have to work in tandem, as it were, in real-time? This defines whether you require a cloud or offline solution.
- Are there other tools it needs to interface with in your current environment such as planning or accounting software? This determines whether an open API-based solution is required as in the case of Google Maps.
- What do you want as output formats – 2D drawings, 3D Models, Bills of Quantity, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality? This shows what functionality is critical, that is the most important thing that has to be done.
Thus, when one gets a clear picture of the requirements to be fulfilled, finding the right software becomes a relatively easy task. Using the need-to-have and want-to-have features, categorize or prioritize features that would be used daily.
Evaluate Software Capabilities
Instead of narrowing down the options to a few heavy-duty CAD programs with hundreds of features that may not be necessary to your work, focus on finding programs that effectively solve your major pain points.
Here are the key criteria to assess construction estimating services design software:
User Interface
It is also important to determine whether or not the tool has an understandable and user-friendly design. Complex interfaces lead to the slowness of operations and hitch in usage and thus are difficult to work with. Another thing that is often better in such systems is interfaces – they are optimized for collaboration in the cloud.
Key Features
Ensure the basic modules underpin your needs outlined earlier such as drafting, quantification, design collaboration, etc Are present, and check whether drawings, renders, and material takeoffs can be produced readily among others.
Customization
That is how custom fields, templates, and workflows can be customized to align with your standard processes. It is better to customize your workflows so that they are more productive and stay consistent with your guidelines.
Integration Capabilities
Is data as mobile as people anticipate it to be? Determine what other applications, such as ERP or planning tools, can be interfaced with the design solution through APIs. Integration eliminates the problem of data siloed and manual effort that is required when working with multiple systems.
Collaboration Functionality
Can it be utilized to provide teamwork and or/ team members synchronous cooperation? Features like model access, version control, task assignment, and in-app messaging help to manage the team.
Cost Considerations
Of course, while deciding on the costs of the software, it is also important to consider the pricing and business model you are willing to apply for your company’s needs. New options compared to previous versions – evaluate subscription, perpetual license, or free versions carefully.
Shortlist Software Options
After identifying your needs and defining what capabilities a software can offer, develop a comparative chart to rank possible solutions.
Here are the most popular design software tools used in construction:
2D Design Tools
- AutoCAD
- SketchUp Pro
- Vectorworks
3D BIM Software
- Revit
- ArchiCAD
- Tekla Structures
Cloud-based Tools
- Autodesk BIM 360
- Procore
- PlanGrid
You can probably narrow down your list to around 2-3 tools that receive a favorable score on your assessment parameters. If you are currently using certain design software, just list the strengths and weaknesses to know whether the other is better in those aspects.
Set Up Free Trials
Almost all software companies have free trials for their paid software software products. Use them sparingly, as a way to determine whether hands-on is feasible given the technology you have at your disposal.
Some tips for effective trials:
- Instead of merely experimenting with various features try using some test daily use cases.
- It is better to include actual users in the projects rather than including only one project manager.
- Assess the ease of onboarding and training matters.
- Assure the integration functionality of the new system with those already in place.
- This is by assessing the quality of output, time, and other forms of return on investment which are commonly referred to as ROI.
The actual users put the technology through a rigorous free trial that quickly depicts capability, value addition level, and adoption perspectives.
Select Software Confidently
When needs are clearly defined, objectives of software selection are set and achieved, and when the hands-on evaluation is done, your team can be confident that it has found the perfect design solution to fit the present and future needs of the product.
The software found is most consistent with current processes, but at the same time offers an upgrade path for the capabilities. That is why technology is considered to be an investment that aligns with the company’s long-term business growth requirements to have a large-scale solution in place.
For the extra credit, also consider vendor support responsiveness, construction estimators experience in your industry, and any testimonials from clients while buying.
Conclusion
It is not just wise to make decisions based on what vendors tell us about new design software, but instead, we need to undertake a systematic analysis across the relevant factors identified above.
This systematic way of screening allows for determining which technology will be most valuable in terms of the functions it will perform, how easy it will be to integrate with other technologies, how expandible it is, and how much return on investments will be realized to meet the current construction requirements as well as future development plans.
Since faster construction projects, risk-free cooperation, and the use of novel technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are now critical, design software is a requirement for all construction businesses, regardless of their size.
Perhaps, mastering these guidelines, you will be able to define the best solution that will contribute to the increase of project efficiency, the improvement of quality and the development of your construction business.
