In this article, David Simpson, global product manager for Elecosoft explains to PBC Today how housebuilders are using project management software to meet construction targets
The UK’s housebuilders face complex challenges. They must manage the delivery of multiple developments in parallel while addressing rising lead times and prices for materials, getting the right tradespeople on site at the right time, and keeping customers happy. Unfortunately, the sector is falling behind the government’s targets.
In 2021, the government called for the construction of 300,000 new homes, but only 181,810 were delivered. This 40% shortfall was the largest since 2007. It’s clear that adjustments are needed to meet bold targets in the years ahead.
Housebuilding has always been an industry with a strong local focus and this naturally leads to construction businesses organising themselves regionally. When it comes to project management and scheduling, project planners traditionally use excel sheets or other tools to plan locally. However, project planning needs a similar approach no matter where a site is.
Saving time and sharing knowledge with software
By using project management software across a national business, planners in different regions can combine their knowledge, reduce their administrative load and free up time for more important tasks. For example, with specialist project management software it’s possible to set up and adapt standard project templates to avoid starting from scratch.
And by updating the project planner throughout project delivery, the team will create a record of the project. The main advantage of this is that it provides visibility and helps communication with the client colleagues and contractors. It can be used as a benchmark for future projects or as a record of actions in the case of a dispute.
Three examples of businesses that have met their target delivery for housebuilding projects are Bloor Homes, Lovell Partnerships, and Durkan.
Eighty sites, one comprehensive view
As the UK’s largest family-run housebuilder, Bloor Homes, works on thousands of home plots across England. At any time, Bloor employees are working on as many as 80 sites. Keeping all of these sites operating efficiently while maintaining transparency is a difficult task – and it saw software as the solution.
The company had been using a low-cost project management software that has a web interface and app. However, this was no longer fit for purpose as it required individual management and setup for each site, which created unnecessary administrative tasks.
Instead, it wanted more visibility and transparency over its programme and process management
After reviewing several alternatives, decision makers adopted the Elecosoft Powerproject planning and project management software. They selected four network licences and 36 standalone licences to cover their seven regions. In addition, they have extended the system’s reach with 100 mobile licences under the Site Progress Mobile module, which provides site-to-office progress reporting from site managers using mobile devices across the country.
A further requirement was a custom integration with Bloor’s financial and enterprise resource planning software, which required a close working relationship.
Today, Bloor’s construction directors, contract managers and site managers across the business are trained on the software and use it to plan projects and report progress.
A representative for Bloor said: “the introduction of Site Progress Mobile’s field data capture ability was a massive bonus, saving time across the group.”
Since adopting the software, Bloor reported significant time savings, improved planning efficiency and better reporting accuracy. While the entire sector has been working through a time of uncertainty and change, Bloor’s approach to project management has helped the builder stay on track, as shown by it achieving a five-star rating by the Home Builders Federation in 2021, which recognises customer satisfaction and quality.
Working on an award-winning Major Housing Partnership
Another housebuilder that is using technology to deliver projects more effectively is Lovell Partnerships, a part of the Morgan Sindall Group. It was appointed as housebuilder by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk for a 1,000-home urban extension under a venture called the Major Housing Partnership. With the project running from initial planning in 2014 through construction to 2025, Lovell is using Powerproject software to help its team schedule project delivery in phases and record progress.
As the first phase, the area of Orchard Place set a tough initial challenge. The site had a high water table, tidal deposits and rich soil, which required time-consuming groundworks. Then, the “Beast from the East” snowstorm and the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic slowed progress. Fortunately, the software’s management and scheduling features helped the team make up for lost time.
Construction Manager Michael Saunders Michael said: “We can look at the whole project on screen and discuss what resourcing we needed to get back on track. With Powerproject, you see the impact of changes immediately, which helps you stay focussed. For example, once we knew the cost and duration of groundworks, we updated the delivery sequence and looked at where we could pick up time. This motivated us to bring in pre-cast ground beams, rather than building them on site.”
When Covid safety measures required the team to clean the site three times per day, it was easy to add these to the programme templates. Later, when this requirement was lifted, the team found other uses for this time by using a dynamic scheduling tool. The project management software also made it simple to share schedules with the customer in real time, building confidence in the team’s delivery timeline.
Project management software enables teams to work quickly and consistently
Software also helped Michael’s team with supply chain engagement, even as the pandemic caused disruption. With Powerproject, they were able to filter requirements by contractor and share the data with subcontractors. Similarly, the software enabled Lovell to build standardised templates for each type of property on the Orchard Place site. This enabled its team to work quickly and consistently.
Despite several unexpected challenges, the first phase of the project was a success, earning Michael a gold medal at the 2020 UK Construction Manager of the Year Awards.
Building on this success, the East Anglia team plans to continue using Powerproject for the Major Housing Partnership’s remaining sites. Michael added, “As a business we’ve got some very happy clients, and we want to continue those successful partnerships while winning similar projects. Powerproject is ingrained in our team. And we’re still only using the tip of the iceberg!”
Durkan created 354 homes in 139 weeks
Another construction firm that has delivered success through the software was Durkan.
It delivered a four-block, 354-home project for housing association Southern Housing Group (SHG) in Ilford on schedule, with two blocks being finished ahead of schedule. Project Director Patrick Phillips used Powerproject throughout to manage the details that can make or break a project.
Patrick said: “we used Powerproject to manage access to the site, ruling out certain times where traffic would be heavy, or the road would be blocked with delivery lorries. This meant the programme ran smoothly, and it also helped with local relations, as our machinery wasn’t preventing access to nearby facilities.”
The software also played a major role in design and production choices. Patrick explained: “for example, when we looked at traditional crane-based methods, the timeframe came out at 62 weeks. However, when we implemented slipform into the programme, we gained ten weeks, as we could pour over one floor per day. Powerproject enabled us to pull the whole timeline forward.”
Realising the potential of project management software
By its nature, construction is complex and project management software can help to bring control to an uncertain world. Where a tool like Powerproject by Elecosoft stands out is that it was developed specifically for the built environment and can therefore provide a deep level of detail at the same time as a high-level overview. That is a real advantage to housebuilders as they strive to complete projects on time.
