The Alaska Contractor: Fall 2006

The Problem
with
Paper
BY VANESSA ORR
There are many challenges facing those working in the
construction industry, but one of the largest, surprisingly,
is not found on the job site. Despite the fact that
Alaska construction projects can require hundreds of employees,
tons of materials and numerous remote locations,
one of the biggest bottlenecks to completing any project on
time and on budget is managing the staggering amount of
paperwork that each job requires.
For years, these documents - which can include everything
from legal contracts, purchase orders, permits, schedules,
technical drawings, correspondence, Requests for Information
(RFIs) and change orders - were kept in fi les and
binders in the construction company offi ce. With the advent
of the computer, spreadsheets and word processing documents
became the norm.
Even with these tools, companies are limited in the
amount of information that can be quickly shared throughout
the company, and rarely can decisions be made in realtime.
When people outside the offi ce, such as subcontractors
and clients, become involved in a project, integrating
the information with their systems can cause its own set of
issues.
As technology has advanced, however, construction
companies are becoming aware of new computer-based
Construction fi rms
move toward
computer-based project
management systems
management tools. Options include construction management
software, such as products from Sage Software, Webenabled
project management systems, such as e-Builder, and
a combination of construction management software and a
Web-based project management system, like the products
offered by Primavera. Using this new technology, companies
can cut down on paperwork, keep information current, and
share it with all of the entities involved in a project.
“Research indicates that companies are looking for ways
to reduce the necessity of paper documents,” said Tom Russell,
Sage Software product marketing manager. “Solutions
such as Project Management and Document Management
that provide electronic document storage as well as immediate
access is becoming increasingly important.”
The Software Solution
For many companies, moving from spreadsheets to project
management software means increasing the effi ciency of
their business and improving the bottom line.
“What Sage Master Builder allows us to do is get a better
look at how different jobs are doing,” said Jennifer Eskue, offi
ce manager of North Star Paving in Soldotna, AK. “We can
look at any job, any day, and see what is working and what
is not. We can see where changes need to be made.
28 The Alaska CONTRACTOR Fall 2006