The integrated project management software for construction – PlanToBuild

With PlanToBuild we are introducing the next digital company in our “Digital Tools” series. PlanToBuild has developed software that provides all the information about the construction project and can be shared with everyone involved in the project. The days of Excel lists and printed schedules, duplicate coordination and untraceable construction defects are over.

What problem does PlanToBuild solve?

The construction industry is undisputedly one of the largest economic sectors for Germany and the world, but the increase in productivity is too low and the error rate far too high. To put it positively: it never gets boring on the construction site – because the large number of project participants requires a maximum of communication and coordination. To become more productive, the error rate on the construction site must be reduced. The order books are full and new construction-specific start-ups with work-saving apps are springing up daily. Yet despite this, the status quo in the construction industry is analogous and lags behind in comparison with the rest of the industry: full order books coupled with a shortage of skilled workers lead to overloads and a rising error rate and costs.

Digitalisation offers real added value to the building industry: Gone are the days of excel lists and printed schedules, unnecessary double voting and untraced building defects. With PlanToBuild, planning in Excel is replaced by digital schedules. From now on, double coordination is no longer necessary, as all information on the construction project is available online in the cloud and can be shared with all those involved in the project. This means that everyone knows where the project stands and what they have to do. Construction defects can be tracked seamlessly and recorded with the photo via app. And all this is done with integrated software; the linking of isolated applications and double data maintenance is eliminated.

PlanToBuild serves the phases from design to execution. The company focuses on the following target groups:

A complete and comprehensive digital solution for the entire construction phase

The company has developed a holistic project management software, which means that communication gaps caused by isolated applications are no longer an issue. PlanToBuild is the answer to the construction industry’s desire to have a complete and comprehensive digital solution for the entire construction phase. At the same time the software is intuitive to use. For an even easier introduction to the software, digital onboarding with online training and prepared templates for project documentation can be used if required.
For architects, specialist planners, subcontractors, clients and all those involved in construction, the term collaboration with PlanToBuild software is given a
new dimension. Since all project participants work on the same thing with one tool, everyone is at the same level of information. Gaps in construction project management and construction documentation were yesterday – now current data, schedules and the history of documents are available to everyone. Simple, clear and in real time.

The idea of PlanToBuild is the complete digitalisation of the planning and execution phase on one platform, taking into account all project participants. The software is cloud-based and therefore accessible at all times. In addition, the entire building is always taken into account, from planning to installation and operation. PlanToBuild is thus geared to the entire life cycle of a building. Thanks to the individual authorisation concept, all those involved in the project can access the information from the projects to the extent necessary.

Less error guaranteed
PlanToBuild aims to make the work of metalworkers, architects and planners easier. The solution is not limited to metal construction. Construction errors happen everywhere and can be reduced in all trades thanks to the potential of digitalisation in the construction industry. With the tool of PlanToBuild, fewer errors due to lack of communication and documentation on the construction site are guaranteed. This means that more can be built, but construction schedules are adhered to, more orders can be generated and these can be implemented in shorter times. Digital access means that site managers and planners are mobile and do not always have to be on site for the project to work. In the future, the aim is to establish itself as the leading project management solution for construction. In the first step, the target group is to be given long-term support in switching to digital project management, data backup in the cloud and the paperless office. Then the successive further use of innovative functions such as construction progress visualisation and tracking of individual elements on the construction site will follow. It is already noticeable today that users automatically come up with further ideas and modules that can be integrated. Since every customer and thus every company has its own pace, an individual concept is developed for each customer. Always with the aim of simplifying work, minimising errors and saving costs.

#digitising cloth – tips from PlanToBuild

From which sector can the construction industry learn?

Many industries have recognised the potential and support of digital tools from the outset and have made use of them at an early stage. The construction industry is correcting its attitude from a hesitant stance towards the introduction of digital work simplifications. The financial or telecommunications sector with its early implementation of digital trends is comparatively difficult to cite as a role model, but orientation is provided by agriculture. The agricultural sector is increasingly implementing digital solutions, whether for weather and soil data, fertiliser quantities, seed management or the production of agricultural machines that work more precisely with modern software.

Where do you see the greatest pent-up demand for the construction industry?

Agility and innovation are seldom in the same sentence with the word “construction”. But we know that this industry stands for responsibility and honest work and that building contractors are far from being as attached to their thick paper files or daily construction meetings. We see that modern construction managers from the home office want to keep an overview of their construction projects, that fitters are ready to document the defects of elements via mobile phone and app and that architects sleep better because they can rely on their digital construction documentation via software.