Tag: technology
These items have all been tagged with the tag "technology", You can see other tags in the Tag CloudConstruction Business Owner, May 2008
In today's competitive construction market, every company is looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. Enhanced technology can provide businesses with the necessary edge to outperform the rest. Choosing to invest in the right type of technology can help businesses increase efficiency, improve cost savings and provide tremendous return on investment (ROI).
Construction Business Owner, May 2008
Technically Speaking
Q:
I've been running my own concrete construction company for ten years now. Recently our job volume has grown considerably. The trouble is, I am losing track of what is happening in the field. I need to know when and where problems might be surfacing, but I can't possibly oversee every crew and every field activity.
Construction Business Owner, May 2008
Editor's Note: Following is the fourth article in our ten-part series called, "Accounting Software Checkup: Ten Ailments That Can Hinder a Healthy Bottom Line," by Fred Ode, CEO, chairman and founder of Foundation Software. Each "ailment" will be discussed in detail to help you determine if your seemingly healthy business has an underlying problem.
Sharp or dull. Constant or intermittent. What's the worst kind of pain? Some contractors describe it as the feeling they get when trying to produce accurate financial statements on a regular basis.
Construction Business Owner, April 2008
Q:
My excavating company has outgrown our accounting software, and I'm looking to replace it. But after doing a "Google" search, I am more confused than ever. Apparently, some accounting packages also do estimating. Other products say they do accounting, estimating and project management. One appears to be mainly project management software with accounting modules added on. At this point, we really need a good job cost accounting system, but I'm thinking maybe I should buy an all-in-one package to serve our needs in the future. What's your suggestion? And how would I find one that's right for my business?
Lee
Construction Business Owner, April 2008
Editor's Note: Following is the third article in our ten-part series called, "Accounting Software Checkup: 10 Ailments That Can Hinder a Healthy Bottom Line," by Fred Ode, CEO, chairman and founder of Foundation Software. Each "ailment" will be discussed in detail to help you determine if your seemingly healthy business has an underlying problem.
"I don't know how the job is doing." "I don't have any report to show that." "There is no data from previous jobs." These are comments that no contractor wants to hear.
Construction Business Owner, March 2008
Q:
I own a commercial contracting firm with about fifty employees. We do a lot of work in surrounding states. Last year, we decided to replace our old DOS accounting package with one that would allow us to do job costing. A friend convinced me that the “contractors” version of a popular small business accounting system would handle all our needs. Well, we bought it, and it’s been very disappointing.Construction Business Owner, March 2008
Most CEOs and presidents get a charge from leading. That is how they got to the position in the first place and that skill is a significant contributor to their success. They like the idea of guiding a company or a team of people through difficult challenges and making important decisions, sometimes quickly. Many “see” better than most and that helps them know where to go next when everyone else may be mired in the details or stumbling around in the dark. However, this leadership skill, which serves so well when it comes to men, machinery and markets, will often fall short when dealing with technology direction.
Construction Business Owner, March 2008
Today the construction industry is in essentially the same place as the U.S. manufacturing industry was in the early 1990s—trapped between the declining margins of a competitive environment and a lack of the efficient processes needed to grow. In the early 1990s, manufacturing used the same basic methods and processes for planning, tracking, producing, shipping and selling products that had been in place since the 1960s. Paper and human reporting were everywhere. Critical data arrived to decision makers desks too late to be useful. Operational control was more black magic than science, and communications was glacially slow.
Construction Business Owner, March 2008
Editor’s Note: Following is the second article in our ten-part series called, “Accounting Software Checkup: 10 Ailments That Can Hinder a Health Bottom Line,” by Fred Ode, CEO, chairman and founder of Foundation Software. Each “ailment” will be discussed in detail to help you determine if your seemingly healthy business has an underlying problem.
Nothing takes the wind out of people’s sails like doing repetitive, non-productive work over…and over…and over again.
There was a time when the only way a company received business was by referrals from neighbors or friends. And while this is still a good way to build your business and get qualified leads, the Internet is slowly becoming a vital marketing tool for the industry. More and more people are turning to the Internet to find everything from goods and services to qualified contractors.
