What is construction and trade management software?

Working to streamline project operations, construction and trade software and apps give you a central source to manage project scope, expenses, employee hiring and time tracking, resourcing and accounting. Whether you’re running a project or working as a subcontractor, construction and trade management software is a crucial piece of tech for any tradesperson to effectively manage projects from tender to completion.

What are the benefits of construction and trades software?

• End-to-end project management. Larger projects can be a complex puzzle filled with moving pieces to keep a handle on. Construction and trade software gives you one place to manage the operational side, track employees, adjust timeframes and manage change requests. 

• On and off-site management. You can’t be everywhere at once, but you can manage your jobs from anywhere. Most construction and trade apps allow you to work offsite, managing your projects from your mobile, accessing and sending real-time updates to stay on track.

• Effective budget and resource allocation. Construction and trade apps can help you save money by keeping all your cash flow in one central dashboard, so you can easily see where your resources are being allocated, the time being spent and estimated versus actual costs and make quick decisions to stay in scope.

What are the typical features I can use with construction and trades management software?

• Estimating and quoting tools. Quickly work through the estimating process with laser-accurate quotes based on your capabilities, staff and equipment costs and labour hours. Tie your quotes to your accounting software to forecast your cash flow and update the numbers in real-time as work tendered moves to work won.

• Team scheduling and time tracking. Assign team members and subcontractors based on work needed and their availability from one screen. Keep on top of timesheets with easy clock-in-clock-out time tracking that updates your budget spend daily.

• Project and job management. Assign team members to certain jobs, set up repeat jobs, update project timelines and costs and send internal, supplier and customer communications from one app.

• Custom invoicing. Celebrate a job well done and feel confident in being paid for every minute of your hard work with custom invoices, automatically updated with itemised spend and hours so you can account for every dollar. Make payment easier with automated invoice reconciliation options for your clients. 

How construction apps work with Xero

When you’re on the job, every second and spanner needs to be accounted for. Connecting your construction and trade management app with Xero cuts out the admin and manual data entry and gives you real-time, line-by-line details on every project, down to the cent, making it simple to:

• Sync staff, supplier and customer information directly from individual jobs to your accounts

• Set up automatic reconciliation options for invoices approved per job

• Track cash flow with deep insights into expenses and profit margins

• Send clients automatically populated, line-by-line accurate invoices with multiple payment solutions

Find your fit

Every construction and trade apps’ integration capabilities with Xero can be different. To learn more, browse through the construction management apps in this category. Click on an app to find detailed information on how it works and integrates with your Xero account, and ratings and reviews by other Xero users. Want to try an app? You can then get started directly from the app listing page in just a few clicks.