Construction businesses have to meet urgent needs for new housing, commercial and government facilities, and public infrastructures. Coming out of the pandemic, construction firms face high expectations from clients, increased costs and shortages of critical supplies, and a lack of skilled talent. The right business management technology can make it easier for construction companies to run and grow a profitable, efficient, competitive business. In a series of five blog posts, we take a closer look at construction industry conditions and how an ERP software solution delivered by Sikich can help companies thrive.
Recently, we discussed important construction industry trends, the key capabilities that need to be in a construction software system, and the Sikich construction solution. Now we will dive more deeply into how we designed our construction ERP to help you run a profitable business and make the right decisions to move it forward.
Microsoft Power BI, mentioned in our previous post, is popular, but it’s not the only element of the Microsoft Power Platform you might find useful. Some construction companies we know rely on Microsoft Power Apps to bring additional capabilities to their Business Central ERP. You can use templates and simple commands to create apps, even comprising artificial intelligence (AI) components, without involving specialized developer talent. Your Sikich consultants can help you work with Power Apps to extend and refine Business Central. With this solution, you can drive the value of your ERP system all the way out to job sites and other remote locations. Many of our clients have used Power Apps to bring Business Central capabilities and data to the Android and Google smartphones of project managers and business executives.
Some construction firms use Microsoft Power Automate to create automatic, consistent workflows, for example, to ensure quote approvals by the right people, notify executives of changes in companywide project performance, or highlight a regulatory compliance concern. You can also create chatbots for employees and clients with Microsoft Power Virtual Agents to help them figure out processes or resolve questions promptly, so they can move on with their day.
To the rich functionality you get with Business Central and the other Microsoft technologies, Sikich adds one other, important element to close most remaining capabilities gaps for construction firms. We found a solution that can seamlessly integrate to make Business Central more powerful, while still keeping the system intuitive and adaptable to the priorities of technology users in a construction company. It’s called ProjectPro, developed specifically for Business Central by NetSmartz, a Microsoft partner with more than 20 years of experience and success serving the construction industry.
ProjectPro consists of several software modules that support important activities in your construction business:
Job Costing is part of every software deployment, and clients can pick and choose among the other capabilities.
From the company offices to your job sites, ProjectPro helps make your business more profitable, controlled, and productive. Here are some examples of what many clients find beneficial in the ProjectPro component of Business Central for Construction:
When you decide it’s time to find out how modern ERP technology and deep industry expertise can help you run a successful, profitable construction business, here are some next steps:
This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.