Your Projects, Web-Based
July 09, 2010
Web-based project management: You could say that it’s come a long way in a short period of time. Pioneering technology companies launched their solutions back in the mid-1990s and at the time many wondered whether the concept would catch on in construction.
Today, these solutions have become a standard tool used on many construction projects across the country. Led in part by some technology-progressive owners, the move to Web-based project management is one of the hottest trends in the space. With that in mind, the technology provider community has had its hands full trying to offer robust new features and functionalities that meet the changing needs of owners and contractors.
One of the latest comes from Systemates, www.projectmates.com, Dallas, Texas, which released Projectmates 10.2 earlier this year. Among the latest enhancements include the enhanced cost management/cost tracking CPM (critical path management) scheduling tied to financials for earned value analysis; vendor management tied to contract approvals, change order routing, and pay application approvals; and customizable business process automation, among others.
Among the unique features is something the company refers to as ‘project leap-frogging’ that allows users to jump from one project to the next with the click of a button. The advantage here is the ability to move from one project to the next without having to leave the current module; an advantage for such a task as project budgets.
Technology from Systemates is in use by such technology-progressive owners as Crate & Barrel, ExxonMobile, and Office Depot, among others, demonstrating the importance Web-based project management plays among many different market segments.
Another long-standing provider of Web-based project management technology, e-Builder, www.e-builder.net, Ft. Lauderdale Fla., recently came to market with e-Builder Enterprise 7.4, featuring upwards of 70 new enhancements. The company says this is the first of four upgrades for 2010.
Among the enhancements are features that supports collaborative BIM model review; automated file synchronization with client servers; flexible reporting that allows visibility into both business processes and project KPIs; and new data exchange functionality leveraging the latest agcXML standards, among others.
Of course e-Builder has been at the forefront of the agcXML movement. In recent years the company has successfully showcased its ability to exchange information between its system and general contractor-based project management systems like those from Penta Technologies, www.penta.com, Brookfield, Wis., and Meridian Systems, www.meridiansystems.com, Folsom, Calif., during live showcases.