Top construction software blog entries of 2009
Categories: Construction industry news and trends, Field Management, Building Information Modeling, Cost Estimating, Engineering/CAD, Job Cost Accounting, Project Management, Primavera Software
Posted by Brian Eastwood | Dec 18, 2009 | 14:50pm
The goal of any blog is to provide insight into a wide range of products, concepts, strategies and industry news. Our top construction software blog entries of the year, compiled here, reflect that mission, covering conferences, acquisitions, interoperability agreements, product announcements and industry trends. Here’s a look back.
On using the Critical Path Method and Critical Chain Project Management -- “While Critical Chain Project Management is significantly more complicated that the Critical Path Method, it is often said that CCPM is more reliable because it takes every possible setback into consideration. Either way, these methods can help you manage your time much more effectively.”
Autodesk unveils Project Dragonfly, a free floor plan design software tool -- “This free Web-based floor plan design software tool caters to do-it-yourselfers who are designing or decorating one or more rooms.”
On the recession and construction: Effective cost-cutting measures -- “[A]sking employees to brainstorm cost-saving ideas, and then offering rewards to those whose ideas save the most money, will go over a lot better than implementing cost-cutting measures on which workers had no input. In addition, tightening the belt needs to be part of a larger exercise….”
How to move data from one Excel 2003 sheet to another -- “[T]here are two ways to make it work -- either create a formula to perform this task or use an add-in called a dataloader.”
Meridian, McGraw Hill connect their project, document management tools -- “[T]wo key makers of construction software, Meridian Systems [with Prolog and Proliance] and McGraw-Hill Construction [makers of Project Document Manager], have made their project management and document management tools interoperable.”
How contractors can benefit from the BlackBerry -- “BlackBerrys have been used by businesses for years. These smartphones can add a great deal of value to a company, especially one which has a workforce that’s constantly on the road. So, it should come as no surprise that the construction industry can benefit for these all-in-one devices as well.”
Primavera P6, Contract Management updated, linked to Oracle ERP -- “Notable among the enhancements to Primavera P6 and Primavera Contract Management are improved Web accessibility and storage of attachments….Meanwhile, with the release of Application Integration Architecture v2.5, Oracle unveiled 16 Process Integration Packs.”
Recognizing the benefits of Building Information Modeling -- “[I]n layman's terms, [BIM is] a process that brings geometry, geography and material quantities into 3D modeling software in order to provide a virtual representation of a building. Almost every key player in a construction project can benefit from these virtual models, and they can even foster better communication between teams.”
Primavera acquired by Oracle -- “Oracle, an industry leader in enterprise resource planning and data management software, wanted Primavera for its project management software. According to an Oracle-Primavera FAQ, Primavera software is used by all five branches of the U.S. military, 75% of U.S. government agencies and more than 90% of the world's top engineering firms.”
Web-based construction software: SaaS, RIA and other key terms -- “As you learn more about Web-based systems, you may see and hear some unfamiliar jargon. Here's a short list of technical terms that are thrown around a lot….While this is hardly an exhaustive list of technical terms that you may encounter, it should provide you with a solid knowledge foundation to build off of.”
We look forward to providing more of the same diverse news, commentary and tips with our construction software blog entries in 2010.
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Company Overview
Seattle-based Dexter + Chaney Inc. specializes in construction accounting and construction project management software. The company was founded in 1981 and provides its software to clients throughout the United States. Dexter + Chaney has developed an integrated construction management software package called Spectrum Construction Software.
9700 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA
Web: dexterchaney.com