ConstructionOnline Reviews

I am a new user of this kind of software. A few months ago I did not even know that something like this existed. It has opened a whole new world for me and I am blown away by what this software can do. We demo'ed a few competing products before making a choice and it was the wide range of features at the most competitive price that sold us on ConstructionOnline. I especially like the messaging feature which is basically an email system dedicated to one specific project.

There is nothing I really dislike about ConstructionOnline, there are just some features I do not use as they do not meet my needs as a commercial general contractor. For example, I do not use Estimating and Change Orders as they seem to be less robust than some of the other software products. These features seem to be geared more towards the residential market. However, I realize it is hard to be everything for everyone.

A feature, I think, that would be nice would be the ability to sign documents electronically. Maybe one can do it through Redline; if so, I have not been able to figure it out yet.

As a general contractor one has to collect submittal packages from vendors and subcontractors, review them, and then attach a separate sheet to the package, that contains your stamp of approval/comments/signature on it, before you forward the submittal package on to the architect/engineer for review. On this submittal sheet there is space for the different reviewers to add their stamps as well. It would be nice if ConstructionOnline could generate this submittal sheet that you can attach to submittal packages sent to you. Currently, I generate the submittal sheet in another project management program, print it, place my stamp on it, sign it, scan it back into my computer, upload it to a pdf editor, add it to the submittal package file, and then upload the combined file to ConstructionOnline. It would be nice if you could do it all in ConstructionOnline.

If GamePlan works as it should, this could almost turn our operations into a self driving car. The increased efficiency and convenience we expect to get out of this should have a direct impact on our bottom line, as well as our ability to leave our clients satisfied

The OnSite App seems to need work before we can even use this. The language used in the app is confusing as well as the functionality. This makes the likelihood of proper use by our guys in the field highly unlikely, which could be worse than if we don't use GamePlan at all. It needs to be clear to the user that they just "Completed" the task. Currently, it says "Dismiss Event," which sounds more like you are ignoring the task. Additionally, you need a submit button, complete task button, or some type of clear confirmation that lets the OnSite User know, for sure, that they have just completed the task in the system. Then, the main page of the app needs to reflect that the task was completed. Additionally, I do not see anything actually being completed in construction online from the operations manager end of things. That takes most of the benefits of the software away. I tested this by creating a fake user account and assigning tasks to myself from construction online. I couldn't tell what I was doing when I was "Dismissing" event because I couldn't tell if it has updated the app. Then when I went into construction online, it did not show that anything of the tasks were completed. Again, we can't wait to get GamePlan implemented in the business, but I think we need some kinks worked out before we put it into place.

It contains in one place all the necessary tools to manage a project, from the conception of said project with the creation of estimates to daily monitoring with photos and reports. Every detail of project tracking is clearly integrated and user-friendly. It also helps keep the client up to date and has all documentation, communication and evidence in one easily accessible place.

Some features from Construction Suite are not part (yet?) of the online version.

The app is user friendly, overall easy to use and train, has almost every Project Management tool that a construction Project Manager will need.

Very basic estimating tool, very basic scheduling tool, very poor billing, invoice management and cost tracking

Im a big fan of the reporting in all areas of the software.
I have tried to impliment these forms of tracking before but it is extremely expensive to try and do on your own.

The price is a bit extreme i would like to see a bit more variance and the ability to drop a few more features for a discount.

It's RFI management feature helps us track and push timelines.

Project dash boards are a little busy, takes a little time/patience to learn where all the feature and specific menu items are located.

The fact that it is extremely fast and has a ton of great features

Not sure yet I haven't used enough to find a con.

One source or solution, everything under one platform.

Lack of a prebuilt RS Means construction cost database option.

Construction Online has emerged as our beacon of efficiency. Previously, our operations relied heavily on manual tasks, hindering our productivity and overall effectiveness. With Construction Online, however, we've experienced a paradigm shift. The platform's robust features have empowered us to streamline our internal communication seamlessly. Now, every member of our team is on the same page, fostering collaboration and enhancing productivity.

Moreover, Construction Online's project management tools have been instrumental in keeping us on track. We can closely monitor our projects, both in terms of schedule and budget, with unparalleled precision. This level of oversight has enabled us to proactively address potential issues before they escalate, ensuring smooth project delivery every time.

One of the standout advantages of Construction Online is its centralized information repository. Gone are the days of searching through endless folders and emails for crucial data. With all our information consolidated in one place, accessing project details, documents, and communications has never been easier. This centralized approach has not only saved us valuable time but has also improved our organization's overall efficiency.

While Construction Online has significantly enhanced our operations, we did encounter a notable challenge specific to our location in British Columbia. The platform's handling of Provincial Sales Tax (PST) posed a hurdle for us, as it's not recognized within the system. This limitation required us to devise a workaround, particularly concerning the integration of QuickBooks Actuals from QuickBooks Online. While this was a manageable inconvenience, it did necessitate additional steps in our financial processes.

CO's online scheduling is great, I love the automatic scheuduling updates that it sends out on a weekly basis.

In order to get a feature or two that you'd like, you need to be upgraded to a higher tier which doubles or triples the price

We are a small GC entity for an owner/manager of commercial properties. Construction Online allows us to easily manage multiple projects simultaneously whether we are the GC or just the owner's rep. It ahs paid for itself just in tracking of change orders alone. The fact that we can have one place to with one easy interface to store and retrieve information is absolutely amazing. It has allowed us to be better at what we do in the field because we spend less time trying to organize job folders.

The scheduling portion was a difficult piece to get to function properly Trying to have predecessors, getting the Gantt chart to layout correctly, and the schedule to print properly were all too difficult. We purchased Microsoft Project as a result.

UDA is a convenient place for all of our client's documents to be stored and shared across clients, subcontractors, project manager, and designers. The feature that allows clients to "approve" each choice ensures that their desires are withheld during the building process. Having a virtual format for all of this information is essential for our design business where clients are often out of state and makes communication easier. The live chat function on the software is great for questions about the software that are quickly answered by a representative.

The organization of categories, selections, and choices could be improved by having more flexibility for their organization. Often, we have multiple choices for a selection, and it would be easier for our flow for a client to approve multiple choices within a selection. However, we have found ways to work around this limitation.

Construction online is a great product however the thing that has been most impressive over the years has been the customer service. They have always responded to my questions and concerns promptly and accurately via email, chat room or phone. They have always been responsive.

My only only con would be future price increases. I will look past that if the product and customer service continue to be there.

There is a value in communication and instant data upload with our Customers and Sub's.
The ability to instantly upload pictures, punch list, RFI, client selection and change orders or adjusting architectural drawings on the fly is a valuable tool and these are but a few of the tools we use please keep improving the software.

There are a lot of software limitation such as the search for contacts and the ability to set categories and sub categories. The ability to rotate the plans once they are in the plan room.
The ability for some of the apps to connect properly with the online software such as time tracking or the use of plan room on an iPad or other tablet which has a lot of glitch's and does not work fluently.

Being able to keep all of our projects well organized helps my entire staff stay on track. Nothing is more important to us and our clients than staying on schedule and in budget

I am totally satisfied with CO, compared to other software it’s very easy to navigate and the customer service help is amazing

Constantly updating and evolving with more features. Easy to acclimate new users to features specifically used for their job duties. It is not an all or nothing software. We can limit users to features that will increase their productivity and not inundate nor confuse them with features that are not beneficial to their work flow.

Sometimes big time on web server don't know if it is due to # of users or or amount of information contained in our company files. Wish the web server could process the information faster when imputing data.