By definition, a change order is a written request submitted by the project owner to change the project requirements, budget, or timeline. When the scope of the project is altered, a change order that details these updates is submitted. essential to provide detailed, accurate, complete information to avoid costly mistakes later in the project.
A recent study shows that while construction change order software is growing in usage, nearly three out of four companies are still managing change orders by hand. Initially, there’s a lot of back and forth between the project manager and team member(s) to finalize the change order details, which will then need to be included in the original contract. Project managers share change orders via word of mouth or printed copies. This manual and often unreliable process creates the potential risk of misinformation and miscommunication - both of which can affect your bottom line and projected timeline.
Unaccounted-for and miscommunicated change orders can lead to many project complications, including the contract amount, planning oversights, and old-fashioned human error. Rework is expensive and can delay your entire project timeline, and potentially result in unhappy customers.
Instead, many companies are finding a better way to handle construction change orders with specialized construction management software. The convenience and accessibility of cloud-based programs make it easy to see why.
BuildingBlok’s web-based project management software and construction change order app takes the confusion, frustration, and wasted energy out of the change order process.
Taking time away from your schedule and current tasks to review change orders and make adjustments can be tedious, but our construction project management software makes it as easy as possible to post and add change orders, which are accessible by all team members. This created an added level of organization and transparency, reducing the risk of misplacing or overlooking the requests. The ability to pivot a project efficiently makes all the difference for your bottom line.
While it would be ideal to potentially eliminate the need for change orders in the first place, this isn’t always possible. Errors or omission on the original documents will create a need for a change order after-the-fact, so taking the time to thoroughly review plans before any work on the project begins is an excellent first step in minimizing the need to re-work original plans; you may be able to catch errors or gain clarity and reduce the number and size of change orders during the project.
As a professional in the construction industry, you understand, however, that creating a plan for managing change orders is better than hoping you never need them. From better job costing to faster response, construction change order software streamlines the entire process.
Because every change order must be recorded, reviewed, and signed off on, a fair amount of time may pass between the initial request and the implementation. Project owners and project managers can use software to streamline communications and cut out much of the time-consuming back and forth, even when they’re not available to meet in person.
Each party can log into the platform, make adjustments in real-time, assign tasks to team members, and make important notes so that no details fall through the cracks.
Having a standardized process helps to remove the stress associated with change orders. While adding to the administrative process may not be everyone’s favorite part of the project management experience, change orders handled with efficient software tools remove communication barriers and make the process painless.
Uploaded file: "cor_2_final.pdf"
Added Note: "Signed copy attached."
Marked Change Order Approved.
Traditionally, submitting change orders is a resource-intensive procedure. Change orders are drafted with pen and paper, then put into a formal request that must be printed, copied, and delivered to the right people. There’s a lot of manual effort that goes into the process, leaving a disorganized physical paper trail in its wake that is largely inefficient.
Switching to a digital change order process cuts out most of the physical resources and transforms the paper trail into an easy-to-follow audit trail. Users can see exactly where a change order came from, their role in the change order, and what to do next, and can even search through documents in the knowledge base with ease.
Getting everyone on the same page after a change order is no easy feat, especially if you have multiple paper copies floating around. Change order software provides a unifying tool that allows everyone to work from the same set of information. As changes are approved, they are updated in real-time so that you always have the most up-to-date version.
One of the biggest benefits of using the software is the 24/7 availability of change order data. Using a cloud-based app, project owners and project managers can review change order details from their mobile devices or office desks alike, make notes, send messages, or approve changes on the spot.
This alone is a major time saver for busy project managers, giving them an easy way to communicate and stay organized while on the job site.
Change orders in the construction industry are inevitable, so being prepared for one at any time can help you save time, and money, and plenty of frustration.
As a leader in construction change order software, BuildingBlok helps you improve the way you handle change orders in your construction projects. From task automation to centralizing knowledge, our construction change order app can help you prevent delays, reduce confusion, and provide real-time insight into your projects so you never lose sight of change orders again.
BuildingBlok tracks everything and keeps us organized. Thanks BuildingBlok for giving me back my Sunday!
With BuildingBlok, we've optimized our entire project management processes. Now, we're able to take on more projects and manage them all without added headache. Thanks, BuildingBlok!
Buildingblok has been an essential tool to maintain accurate document control especially when managing multiple projects. Using email was inefficient and very difficult to stay organized since items were easily missed due to the high volume of messages received.