Selecting Construction
Software:
You're better at IT than you think
By Don Fornes
If you are like most
construction executives, you don't view yourself as a software technology
expert. In fact, you probably approach new information technology (IT) projects
with trepidation and hand them off to the back-office staff or third-party
consultants. This is an understandable fear, and one of the reasons why the
construction industry lags behind others in software technology adoption.
The good news is that you probably already have the experience you need to
change your company's success with IT because the same skills that make for
effective construction estimating and project management can be applied to
software selection. Just like laying a new foundation, selecting software
requires a detailed set of plans, an accurate budget and meticulous project
management.
There are many reasons IT projects fail, but we've isolated what we believe
are the top four:
• limited budgeting and planning
• the wrong team for the job
• poor requirements planning
• lack of a rigorous selection process
Ten
steps to successful software selection
These clear steps should guide construction companies through a successful,
efficient selection process.
1 Assemble the right team. Start with an executive-level project sponsor
to ensure the project gets the right funding and attention. Next, assemble
a team of a project manager responsible for all details of the project, an
IT staff if available, and end-users that will contribute their requirements
and ideas.
2 Establish clear goals for the project. All choices throughout the
project should be weighed according to how well they help achieve goals such
as "Develop more accurate estimates" or "Improve coordination
between the field and the office."
3 Build a detailed project schedule. The next step is to create a project
schedule that outlines all the major activities and their sub-tasks. Be sure
to assign an owner to each activity and task, and to monitor progress with
an Excel spreadsheet or Gantt chart.
4 Create a budget for the project. For a successful project, it is
critical to have an accurate budget to work against. Be sure to account for
costs outside of the software itself, such as new computer hardware required
to run the software.
5 Define your requirements. As the most important step in the entire
process, define your functional and technical requirements for the new system.
Consider a simple list of features, as well as a thoughtful analysis of "current"
versus "optimal" business processes.
6 Draft a Request for Proposal (RFP) and Evaluation Framework. The
RFP will take the form of a list of questions, critical features, and technical
requirements that can be sent to software vendors for their response. The
evaluation framework spreadsheet should track each product's capabilities
relative to your requirements, as illustrated in the table on opposite page.
7 Develop a short list of products. Create a "short list"
of three to five software products by answering questions such as: Does the
company serve your specific trade and business size? Do they meet your technology
requirements and present a professional image?
8Evaluate short list products. Using the feature-by-feature scores and the
weightings for each requirement, rule out any product that falls short of
your most critical requirements. After prioritizing the others according to
their performance across all of your criteria, select one that you feel is
best, and one runner-up.
9 Check customer references. Do your "due diligence" by checking
the winning vendor's customer references. To offset "cherry picking"
of their happiest customers, require at least three references and prepare
a detailed list of questions that require specific answers.
10 Negotiate the deal. In determining the final price, consider key
areas such as: what type of license does the vendor offer; how is the software
priced; and, what are the maintenance and support policies. As a rule of thumb,
the larger the check you write, the more room for negotiation.
Software selection is not easy and should never be considered a second-tier
project. The right software, implemented properly, can have a major positive
effect on your business. Follow these guidelines and you will be on your way
to IT project success.
Don Fornes is president and founder of RiverGuide, Inc., a Web site dedicated to helping construction businesses research and select software applications. E-mail Don at don@riverguideinc.com or visit us for Construction Software at www.softwareadvice.com/construction/.
