Any construction project, from the smallest renovation to the largest skyscraper, is going to involve a lot of people. There are so many moving parts, and if you don’t have a good project management app to manage tasks, then a lot can fall through the cracks.
AEC project management is getting everyone in the AEC industry affiliated with your project–architecture engineering and construction professionals–to get on the same collaboration tools and project management tools. A construction project can only work when all team members are working on the projects and tasks in concert.
In some cases, this may look like a Gantt chart, and a Gantt chart is a great example of something that is needed for planning purposes and followed by tracking projects. A Gantt chart allows you to see every single step of every single project, but more importantly, it shows the order in which they can take place–what must come before one task and what must come after the next one.
Other AEC software for project management may use something akin to a Kanban board, where tasks are pulled on an as-needed basis, and construction managers and contractors assign tasks to their workers in a more free-flowing style.
The truth is that there are many ways that AEC projects can be run, and in many cases, it’s going to be a combination of many different methods of project planning.
How Do You Organize Project Management with Software for AEC?
When you’re working on multiple projects at the same time, as any architect, engineer, or construction company is, management time tracking becomes extremely important, and the need for a resource allocation system becomes apparent. Whether you’re working with small teams or global teams, having user-friendly project management software to organize your work is going to be essential to get it functioning at peak efficiency.
Why is BIM Needed in the AEC Industry?
BIM, or Building Information Management, has become the standard for large-scale and mid-scale construction projects. BIM is a 3D project management tool (and methodology!) that allows for modeling the project in 3D and then adding design information – at least in its first phase.
This system allows anyone in the AEC team to be alerted to deviations in the progress of a project. And this can be anything from a pipe that is missing to an outlet in the wrong place to an entirely wrong foundation slab. When these problems arise, the scanners capture all of the point cloud data (which is used to generate the 3D BIM model).
These cameras, by the way, are becoming more and more advanced all the time. While there are many job sites that use stationary cameras posted with wide vantage points, there are also emerging technologies that use roving robots or drones to capture the BIM information and return it to the rendering process using Scan-to-BIM. In this process the scanners scan the area, produce a point cloud or digital replica which is manipulated using Autodesk tools to add relevant information such as thicknesses, materials, service, tag IDs, etc.
Why Does Your AEC Firm Need Project Management Software?
Construction profits are getting thinner and thinner, and when margins are slim, you can’t afford to make mistakes on the job. Now that we’re working in a global economy, it can be much more cost-efficient to have an AEC team that is spread across the country and so not everyone can visit the job site with a hard hat and steel-toe boots and walk through the in-progress construction.
AEC project management software tools are used to streamline and automate the planning, execution, monitoring, and control of AEC projects.
AEC project management software includes features for:
- Project planning and scheduling: The software allows you to create project timelines, define tasks, allocate resources, and set milestones.
- Document management: Document management tools help you manage all project-related documents, such as plans, drawings, specifications, and contracts.
- Collaboration tools: This enables team members to collaborate and communicate with each other, share files and data, and track progress.
- Cost tracking and budgeting: These tools help you track project expenses, manage budgets, and forecast costs.
- Risk management: You can identify and manage project risks, and to implement risk mitigation strategies.
- Reporting and analytics: These tools provide you with real-time insights into project performance, allowing you to make informed decisions.
AEC project management software is designed to simplify and streamline the complex and often time-consuming task of managing construction projects. By automating many of the tasks involved in project management, these tools can help project managers save time, reduce errors, and improve the overall efficiency of their projects.
