Navigating the Complexities of School Construction Projects (2024)

Construction projects are always challenging and demanding, but building infrastructure that operates on a strict schedule only becomes more difficult.

One of the biggest challenges when managing school construction projects is that the school year has a very definite start date, and with hundreds or even a thousand or more students, teachers, support staff, and other community members ready to move in on that day, delays aren’t an option.

There are strict health, safety, and security requirements for buildings like schools, so not meeting quality standards or delivering a finished product that meets every specification is not an option.

That’s exactly why we built Owner Insite for project owners, including school districts, so that they have practical, easy-to-master, but in-depth tools to stay on top of every construction project. Here’s how it works.

School construction is always costly, but budgets are usually tight, and cost overruns are just not an option.

The problem is that many things could increase the cost of a school project, from material price increases throughout a long-term project to unexpected delays. They’re not always avoidable, so you must stay on top of each school construction project’s budget. The sooner you spot a potential project and take steps to mitigate or offset it, the better the chance of delivering the project on budget.

Owner Insite offers simple but powerful real-time budget tracking. So, you can see the financial health of your project at a glance without having to dig through mountains of reports. The high-level overview lets you identify potential problems quickly so you can reach out to the professional team and start finding solutions sooner rather than later.

There’s no denying that communication is easier than ever. Whether email, social media, or cell phones, we’re more connected than ever.

However, communication alone is not enough when managing something complex, like building a school. You also need to have a plan for document collection and retention. Meticulous record keeping of who said what, when it was said, and what the outcome of each conversation was long after project completion is essential for every school district. Therefore, every project you have has unlimited users and document storage, which is included in your license.

Your AEC team will undoubtedly have and use their own tools and products, but you need your own for transparency and protection. You owe this to your board members and voting constituents, who are entrusting you to protect their interests.

Owner Insite’s centralized project communication tools close the gaps in our porous modern communication systems and ensure that everything is recorded, stored, and accessible from one central location. So, you can spend less time finding that missing email and more time on things that are much less frustrating.

For this reason, we created and will provide you with an archive, a digital copy of your project that’s yours in perpetuity.

Most construction projects, especially large infrastructure projects like school construction, involve teams of dozens or more from concept to completion. Coordinating all those people and the tasks they’re responsible for is more than a full-time job, and when systems and processes aren’t clearly defined and rigorously enforced, things can get out of control fast.

Owner Insite makes it easy to create and enforce workflows that make sense, build accountability, and can be repeated on project after project. So, instead of wondering where to find information or who is taking care of a particular task, element, or detail, you always know what to do next.

One of the biggest problems in the modern construction industry is data silos.

Most members of your construction team and other stakeholders will have internal software and systems that they use to manage their part of any project, but when those systems aren’t connected, transparency and collaboration are compromised.

Owner Insite brings all the pieces of the puzzle together in one central location while still maintaining data security and confidentiality where required. That makes it easier for every project team member to access critical information, share insights, and work toward the common goal of delivering your project on time and within budget.

One of the biggest barriers to any digitization or changes to your management systems is the time and effort it takes to implement and learn new systems. That’s also why many enterprise-level construction management software solutions out there don’t work for school districts. It just takes too long to get them rolled out and to retrain your staff.

That’s exactly why we made Owner Insite as user-friendly, intuitive, and easy to roll out as possible. We took out the jargon and complex technical functions you don’t need and replaced them with easy-to-navigate, quick-to-learn features that make sense.

We also offer quick and easy onboarding, which takes most clients an hour or less, and easy-to-access resources and technical support when you need them. This is why we provide unlimited training and support for every project, including your stakeholders! Once you have decided on your workflow processes, we will train your stakeholders for you.

Every construction software company claims that its solution is the best one available, but the truth is that most construction software is not designed for project owners. It’s designed for architects, engineers, construction managers, and trade contractors. These software applications are great for your AEC team to use as part of their internal process or tools of their trade. However, it is not Owner’s software.

Most of those software systems also contain lots of features school districts don’t need and are missing many that they do.

So, the best way to show our customers what Owner Insite does differently and how it makes delivering school construction projects easier, more efficient, and more accurate is to hear from the school districts we’ve already helped. If you are in a school district and want to learn more, we can put you in touch with some of our clients. Simply, contact us to start a conversation.