ProjectXpert 2017: Behind every successful project, there is a plan.

Transcription

1 ProjectXpert 2017: Behind every successful project, there is a plan.

2 Contents Behind every successful building project is a plan Why use Gantt charts? The importance of using a project management tool designed for construction The power of ProjectXpert Our top 10 reasons for using ProjectXpert Handy features of ProjectXpert The business benefits The software benefits First class customer support Used by thousands of UK building firms HBXL Building Software Limited Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this document may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of HBXL Building Software Limited marketing@hbxl.co.uk Please note Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this document is accurate at the time of publication, and HBXL Building Software Limited cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by HBXL Building Software Limited and its authors.

3 Behind every successful building project is a plan Why use Gantt charts? Running a building project is hard work. You have 10 balls in the air or 10 plates spinning all at once and you re bound to drop one (or 3!) now and again. The problem is with building, they re expensive balls (or plates!) to drop. Your Gantt will show you all the tasks involved in the project. It also shows who will be responsible for each task and how long it will take. To complete a project on time and on budget, you have to control a huge number of activities and ensure they re completed on schedule. Every ball that drops is likely to have knock on effects for the rest of the project and it s likely to be costly. ProjectXpert enables you to see everything that needs to be done and when it needs to be completed by. And unlike a spreadsheet or scribbled notes, it shows you this visually. You have complete overview of your projects and all their tasks. Even smaller builder projects such as kitchen or bathroom fits, or back to back plumbing and heating jobs can do with a good dose of planning to bring them in profitably and ensure you have full order books throughout the year. And it s not just about organisation, it s about communication. So many problems that occur on site (and with customers) are about communication, or rather lack of it. A clear Gantt chart shows everyone else what needs doing and when IN ADVANCE of when it needs doing. This gives the project momentum. Importantly it also communicates the impact of changes to the project on delivery. 4 It will show you visually if your build program is practical and any problems you might experience with labour (under or over allocation) so you can problem solve before you start. It will also help you work out which tasks need completing before others can start and then work out a critical path. As your project moves along it will evolve and a Gantt chart will help you monitor a project. You ll be able to see immediately what should have been done by a certain date, and if you are behind schedule take action to bring it back on track. Importantly it provides better protection for you against litigation caused by delays. You can track actual progress v target and highlight changes which have impacted project delivery e.g. client changes to plans, bad weather or delays in supplier deliveries. And as we mentioned earlier, communication is key to successful delivery of a project. 5

4 The importance of using a project management tool designed for construction There are of course many different project management packages out there on the market but most are not designed for use on construction projects. Why does that matter we are often asked. Here s why; Project management software designed specifically for construction is designed to be easy for a building firm to use not someone building a sky scraper or a motorway! Software for construction works in days as well as weeks after all not all jobs or phases go on for ages. More often than not on small projects like extensions and renovation work different trades come and go within days. And you need a package that can do that. Building projects need to breakdown organisation of build phases into materials, labour, plant, subcontractors by time and costs. Most project management software works on a top level resource level and doesn t break it down by resource type. The industry is unique in that way. And ProjectXpert is unique in that way too. On top of which, building firms often have multiple projects on the go, and you need a tool which allows you to overlay projects to see the impact on your workforce, cashflow and just general practicalities of delivery. Not to mention of course you need decent support to back it all up. And HBXL do that too. The power of ProjectXpert ProjectXpert is aimed full square at building firms of all sizes. It s not just the big players who have to juggle multiple jobs. Maybe you have several extensions on the go at once? Maybe you do lots of small insurance jobs? Maybe you re managing a 10 house site? For any project or projects you want to manage more efficiently, ProjectXpert puts you back in control. Project planning for building firms. Being tailor-made for the industry, ProjectXpert thinks the way you do. Simply list out the tasks, their likely durations when they start, when they ll finish and if anything has to finish before another phase can start. On top of which rather than simply listing costs like generic project management software would, it allows you to split the costs allocated to each phase into labour, plant and sub-contract. It also has lots of functions specific to builders and will produce graphs and histograms to assist with cash flow management throughout the job. There are lots of reasons to use ProjectXpert, but here are our top It s easy! And quick. Produce project build programmes quickly and efficiently It s designed specifically for construction projects (many project management tools aren t) It s integrated with EstimatorXpress so that you can import your EstimatorXpress project into ProjectXpert to produce your estimated build program in seconds It shows clear reports on goals and achievements for the project team Instantly see where resources are overloaded and forecast spend over time Brings together multiple projects for optimal efficiencies across your entire workload Keep track of actual versus your baseline build program It comes with top notch support It has cost effective licencing and great pricing for additional users 6 7

5 Handy features of ProjectXpert Mark up the % complete of your build phases ProjectXpert builds the chart as you go. It's really quick! Identify the relationships between phases (dependencies) List the tasks that you need carried out by typing them in. Give each a description, start date and duration Create a critical path to define which phases to be completed before others can start Add in essential tasks (sub-phases) for a phase to be completed Enter comments as text to annotate the build program Add in milestones - certain goals that need to be achieved Store a baseline of your build program to provide a snap shot of the original Track "built versus program" changes Assign resources (such as materials, labout or plant) to each task to see where resources are over or under allocated And of course there is easy printing! 8 9

6 The business benefits For any size building company Whatever the size of your business, ProjectXpert will put you in complete control of all your daily, weekly and monthly tasks. The software is equally powerful for individual jobs or multiple jobs on the go at the same time so you know exactly what is going on and YOU stay in control. Total business control Manage your projects; don t let your projects run you. Juggling resources, materials, finances and tradesman, there is always something to do and someone to speak to. When you re in control of each project through effective planning you ll reduce your stress levels and avoid complications such as over-ordering or unscheduled deliveries (or quite simply forgetting to order something in the first place!) A healthy business is dependent on clear thinking and fresh perspective. Too many hours spent working can be detrimental to both your health and your business. Build your build programme fast Either build your build programme from scratch using the Project Builder Wizard (really easy!) or import an existing job into ProjectXpert from EstimatorXpress for a professional Gantt chart super fast! EstimatorXpress, HBXL's estimating package, will associate your estimate to build phases in ProjectXpert, itemising the work in detail. It also has lots of functions specific to builders and will produce graphs and histograms to assist with cashflow management throughout the job. Impress customers. Stay on schedule. Stay on budget Impress clients by supplying a professional build program at tender stage with your quote. Won the job? Most problems on site are the result of lack of information or miscommunication. Keep everyone in the loop and manage expectations by determining whether you can work to the dates required. ProjectXpert will improve communication between you and your customers, your contractors and not to mention the bank manager. Provides protection against client litigation Let s be honest. We will live in a litigious age. Protect yourself from litigation (being sued!) caused by delays. Create a baseline of your project as a snapshot in time and then record on top all the detail of the delay e.g. late deliveries ordered by the client, poor weather, changes to plans or specification which impacted the project. ProjectXpert will record all this for you. And then if push comes to shove with your client, you can demonstrate everything very clearly. Run profitable projects with fantastic efficiency You might think that your spreadsheet and word processing systems are man enough for your requirements, but are they as profitable as they could be? Imagine being able to merge all the jobs you have on the go and see whether you can better utilise your labour, how your material is being distributed, where your equipment is on any one day. Or see the impact of changes on the program to completion? ProjectXpert has the tools to keep you budget and improve the profitability of your business. Track changes to the project to avoid misunderstandings Track tasks, finances and amends. Easily manage your project and track any agreed changes to the work in your build programme as the project progresses. Store a baseline to provide you with a snapshot of what things should have been happening and when versus any changes later made to the programme to show 'as built versus programme

7 The software benefits Easy to use Templates to set up your build program fast Draw tasks quickly with your mouse or type them in Convenient drag and drop Easy printing Precise scheduling Create phases and subtasks Create and edit links either by typing or with your mouse Critical path in a click See the knock on impact at the end of the project Customisable Include your company logo Change your bar or font colours Customise your print Add annotations to the chart First class customer support We understand that moving from manual methods of project management (paper based, spreadsheet, or even magnetic bars on the office wall!) can seem a bit daunting. We place first class customer support as our top priority which is why we provide an online support desk, telephone support, video tutorials and much, much more to get you started. You can Call us on Visit the online support desk Help.hbxl.co.uk us at support@hbxl.co.uk Used by thousands of UK building firms We have more successful Building firms, Contractors and Trade Subcontractors using our range of software throughout the UK than any other building software, and are the winner of multiple awards year on year and that s why we won Best Project Management in the UK Business Awards 2017 for ProjectXpert. Share Share the file between you, with additional multi-price licensing Use ProjectXpert to read other project files such as those created in Microsoft Project Export all your data to Microsoft Excel Integrates with EstimatorXpress Exclusive to our software is X-Connex data sharing technology which exchanges information about a job between software products. Import an EstimatorXpress project into ProjectXpert to produce Gantt charts even quicker. Also import your projects associated labour, material and plant costs. As you make amends on the job then export back to EstimatorXpress to reschedule all your deliveries and management reports. Great value! It s cheaper than Microsoft Project No ongoing subscriptions like Cloud applications it s yours! 12 13

8 Our website is packed with information, samples, videos and case studies, along with a full calendar of events and webinars you can sign up for plus instant ways to arrange a complimentary 14 day trial or no-obligation online demo. So visit today! TRIEd and TRUSTEd We re ready to help Visit Call us on or