CU1805

SOFTWAREfocus
Can construction benefit from better planning?
Ivar Veenpere, co-founder of Ganttic explains why better planning benefits construction
Planning is key to the successful
outcome of any project.
However, directing and
coordinating human and material
resources within the construction
industry brings with it a number of
challenges. At the heart of all projects
within the industry are the complicated
planning of finances, time
management, materials and supplies.
Add in the huge array of staff involved
across any number of the different
stages of construction, and you have
the potential to lose sight and track of
the project in hand. Project
management teams can struggle to
keep on top of tasks as they attempt to
smoothly run a construction project
from beginning to end.
Using resource planning software can
help with a number of problems faced
by those working within the
construction industry. Ganttic is an
online resource planning tool, that you
can use for managing a project
portfolio while utilising resources with
maximum efficiency. You can create
clear and comprehensive visual plans
that give you an instant overview of all
your resources and projects.
Ganttic is designed to be used in
whichever way best fits the
organisation's needs. For example, a
simple resource scheduling system, a
complex resource management
system, or something in between, it
can help to get things done efficiently
and on time. It has a number of key
benefits for businesses including:
Unlimited users
Up to 10 resources free
Click-drag-release to start planning
The ability to assign a task to
multiple resources
Assigning custom data fields
Implementing colour schemes
Managing resource grouping
Staffing is one of the key areas in
which construction needs a clear and
consistent eye on who's doing what
and where they're doing it. Ganttic is
best used within the sector to coordinate
specific teams within any one
project. As companies grow they often
find that the concurrent increase in
staffing levels can lead to logistical
nightmares.
The solution Ganttic offers is the
ability to give each manager within a
team the tools to see where their
employees are, when they are busy
and when they have available time.
Clear delineation of activity leads to
greater efficiency across the whole
business. One particular Ganttic client,
that works alongside the construction
industry, found that when the team
grew from 15 employees to 400 over a
period of five years they needed a new
way for their project managers to
understand exactly what their
consultants were doing. With 95% of
their consultants on the road they
needed to find a software package that
gave them clear visibility on staffing
levels and potential pinch points.
Having found that Microsoft Outlook
was now obsolete for their needs, the
resource planning options offered by
Ganttic gave them a clear insight into
the months ahead. What would their
consultants be doing? Were they
understaffed, overstaffed or likely to
face any issues? All could be seen
across the Ganttic interface, giving
them a clear and detailed idea of where
to add resources as well as issues that
could arise from any miscalculation.
20
May/June 2018