It’s no wonder that project managers at companies of all sizes are turning to project management tools like ProjectSight to streamline their workflows, elevate their day-to-day operations, and deliver better results. And the proof is in the pudding. Here are five ways project managers are improving their workflows and how you can, too.
1. Manage risk and avoid surprises
Unforeseen risks can easily jeopardize project timelines and budgets. It’s why Canada-based mechanical contracting, HVAC services, and plumbing and heating firm DILFO is using ProjectSight to mitigate risk by “tracking everything,” says DILFO Director of Operations Brendan Myers.
“When an issue happens onsite and impacts or delays our work, we can very quickly capture that and bring it up to everybody,” he says. “The foreman can send it to the project manager or superintendent, and they can decide whether they want to take action or not.”
That helps keep projects moving forward with confidence and gives DILFO peace of mind long afterward, as well.
“We’re validating that we’re meeting contractual obligations,” Myers says. “We’ve done the work, it’s been approved, and the general contractor has signed off on it.”
2. Keep everyone on the same page by centralizing documents
For every moving part in a construction project, there’s at least an equal number of documents. If just one gets lost or overlooked, things can quickly go off the rails.
When GLX Constructors joint venture team first joined forces to deliver the Billion Dollar Green Line Extension Project, “drawings were managed on our own servers, and finding the latest drawing was always challenging,” says Mike Kelly, GLX document control specialist.
Since implementing ProjectSight, “the field team and design teams are able to instantly access the most up-to-date version,” he says, adding that the mobile app provides the GLX Constructors field team the opportunity to allow general contractors and their subcontractors to effectively and efficiently manage the project from the construction site. “The mobile application allows the field team to access information on the job site even when offline,” Kelly says.
It was a similar story for DILFO. “[Files] were either in a folder somewhere or in email. I saw the need for standardization across the company to improve document control and alleviate some of the inefficiencies that can happen with revisions and lots of documents and emails,” Myers says.
Having a centralized location for their documentation means team members know where all the checklists, drawings and pictures are, and it’s making life a lot easier in the office and in the field.
Myers elaborates, “Having a spot with all of the history, where you can understand what has happened and write comments, is great. Otherwise, if something happens and I can’t get access to someone’s email, I’m completely out of the loop.
“I don’t have to wonder how I’m going to get information now. A superintendent asked me a question about a piece of equipment on a project. I didn’t have to sit there wondering or send an email. I just logged into ProjectSight and was able to do my work. I’m no longer pushing communication and waiting for communication.”
3. Improve collaboration between teams and clients
A general contracting company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, Martin Horn has served its community since 1979. The company does more than $40 million in construction each year in a wide variety of projects, from retail to higher education to residential.
“Our business is based on relationships, and we’re dedicated to building connections and fostering growth in our community,” says Robert Menasco, director of field operations at Martin Horn.
As the company pursued its mission, it faced the reality of lost time and effort while keeping track of project documents and specifications. With everything handled via email, communication between architects, subcontractors, and project managers often broke down as messages got lost in the shuffle. That led Menasco to start looking for an option that could meet the team’s goal: a single, easy-to-use platform that every stakeholder, from owners to subcontractors, could access.
“That was our biggest dream,” he says. “To be able to work in one system without losing or misconstruing data.”
ProjectSight has given the team much-needed transparency between all stakeholders. “It allows us to communicate freely and get faster answers from architects and owners in RFIs and submittals by streamlining that process,” says Menasco. “I honestly can’t imagine doing what we do without an online collaboration platform.”
It’s a sentiment shared by construction firm KCS West. “Having a single platform where everyone can collaborate is extremely valuable,” says KCS Project Manager Dan Bentil.
When it comes to cost issues, KCS West needs input from a range of stakeholders, including subcontractors, vendors, designers, and owners, and Bentil says ProjectSight “saves time and a lot of headaches. And for owners, it allows them to see how the project is actually shaping up.”
In ProjectSight’s mobile or desktop app, project managers and superintendents can access cost information in real-time. This lets everyone see and process change orders much faster.
“Being able to work and access information from a single platform saves time and helps you perform consistently,” says Bentil. “Ultimately, it invites more owners to give you more projects.”
4. Streamline systems
The James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation has served the San Francisco Bay area for more than 80 years as a general contractor. Before implementing ProjectSight, generating reports was a time-consuming task that often involved importing data into spreadsheets and making manual calculations from there.
“Now, if an owner requests to see data in a specific format, I can build that report and deploy it in a matter of days,” says the company’s IT manager, Brendan Radich. “That’s huge.”
The company has also integrated ProjectSight with their accounting system, making financial reporting much simpler and giving project managers and project engineers access to real-time data around costs, forecasting and potential impacts.
“We’ve now fully integrated subcontracts, subcontractor invoicing, general invoicing, budgets, vendors, and customers—everything is synched now,” Radich says, adding that PMs now have visibility into their budget and costs when they’ve previously had to wait on accounting to receive reports.
Now, instead of comparing to those separate reports, the data is all in one place. That means making better decisions about managing budgets and cost impacts because the entire team is working with actuals now.
Additionally, both KCS West and Martin Horn integrated ProjectSight with the ERP systems. For KCS West, it allowed them to streamline communication between stakeholders and standardize their processes across all projects and staff. Martin Horn’s Menasco says tying ProjectSight to the ERP system is “a big help because that eliminates the cost of missing information on the accounting side. Now we’ll have all our billing fully connected with the platform, so change orders from owners or subcontractors don’t get missed. It’s a full cycle of ownership in a single platform.”
5. Bridge the office and the field
Many contractors are good at getting data to the field, but it can be more challenging to get data back out of the field to the office.
With ProjectSight as the central location for DILFO’s data, the office can see what has been done in the field to track progress. Foremen are seeing that the work they’re putting in is making a difference, as well, giving them increased peace of mind and job satisfaction.
Brendan says ProjectSight has saved DILFO time on every project.
“It’s quick and accurate,” he says. “We are capturing our work onsite each day, and superintendents don’t have to go to the site to see where it’s at. They can focus on other things in the office.”
Real results, real impact
In an industry that never stops evolving, having the right tools can make all the difference. As we’ve seen from these real-world examples, ProjectSight is helping project managers streamline their workflows, improve collaboration, and achieve better project outcomes. And now, it’s available for free, making it easier than ever to experience these benefits firsthand.
Powered by AI, the free version levels the playing field, giving contractors, builders and project managers the tools they need to stay productive and in control — right from the start.
