Construction professionals have to put up with a lot, deadlines, complexity, uncertainty, so it really pays to have every bit of assistance at your fingertips. Mobile phone apps are becoming smarter and more useful to professionals of all description, meaning some of your most valuable tools can be in your pocket.
Below we explore the top 5 apps for construction professional and outline how they can help you boost efficiency:
1. Build Regs
The Build Regs App is a tool for direct and easy accessibility to the information enshrined in the Irish Technical Guidance Documents. The App is available on iOS from the Apple App Store and on Android from Google Play. The information is updated with any revisions or amendments to the TGD’s for subscribers as they occur directly to the user’s device from the cloud.
This means that the information is always ‘current’ and up to date. Updates will occur as they are notified by the DOE or relevant body, so that users are safe in the knowledge that they have the latest version of the TGD’s on their device. The App information is fully downloaded to the mobile device or phone and can be referenced in any given location, particularly on site without the need for a Wi-Fi connection. This is an important consideration, given, that having the Technical Guidance Documents literally in the ‘palm of your hand’ means you are never without access to this vitally important information for reference, checking and verification purposes.
2. Xero
Xero has become the go-to accounting app for small businesses, and for good reason. Users can access automated bank feeds, payroll, online invoicing, and easy to understand real-time financial data, and also customise their interface with hundreds of additional add-on features.
Xero seamlessly integrates with our powerful estimating software, Cubit, allowing you to import account codes and transfer finalised estimates for accounting purposes.
3. Asana
Wrangling the everyday tasks of everyone on a building site is a fine art. Knowing what work needs to be done, who’s working on it and when is the key to completing the job on time and on budget.
Asana is a free app and is great for project management. It allows you to set tasks and priorities and get updates at certain times from various jobs. It also has a feedback service and a channel for communicating with different teams.
4. Procore
Procore is a cloud-based construction management software application that helps firms increase their project efficiency and accountability by providing streamlined project communication and documentation. Users are able to manage their projects from any web-connected mobile device, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
5. BIMx
GRAPHISOFT BIMx is a set of desktop and mobile software tools to interactively present the 3D model and 2D documentation of Building Information Models created with ArchiCAD through a much simpler and intuitive interface than ArchiCAD’s complex BIM authoring environment’s UI. 3D models with 2D drawing sheets exported to BIMx document format can be viewed with native viewer applications developed for Apple iOS, Android, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems. BIMx presents three dimensional building models in an interactive way similar to First-person shooter video games. Clients, consultants and builders can virtually walk through and make measurements in the 3D model without the need for installing ArchiCAD. The real-time cutaway function can help to discover the construction details of the displayed building model. 2D construction documentation can be accessed directly from the BIMx Hyper-model’s 3D model views providing more detailed information about the building.
To see firsthand how our estimating technology is simplifying the lives of construction professionals, access your free 14-day Cubit trial by clicking below:
