If you’re a construction manager, you’ve probably been there before. The owner mandates a specific project management system for the job. You don’t get a choice. You have to use it. On paper, that sounds fine. But once you dive into the work, the cracks start to show.
The mandated system might handle RFIs or submittals, but what about everything else? Safety logs. Change events. Custom inspection reports. Daily progress tracking. The list of processes you still need to manage grows longer, while the software you’re stuck with won’t bend to meet your needs. That’s when the frustration sets in. You’re left cobbling together spreadsheets, email threads, and side apps wasting valuable time just to keep projects moving.
You shouldn’t have to work this way.
The Challenge: Doing Your Job in a Rigid Box
Rigid, one-size-fits-all tools are often designed with one perspective in mind and doesn't fit the needs of other stakeholders who live in the details of each project. These systems create a box, and if your processes don’t fit neatly inside, you’re forced to manage them outside the system entirely. That means:
- Wasted hours duplicating data across multiple systems.
- Limited visibility into critical workflows that owners don’t track but you need.
- Reporting headaches when you can’t combine all your project information in one place.
The result? You’re constantly doing “workarounds” instead of focusing on managing the project.
A Smarter Approach: Supplement, Don’t Struggle
Many contractors and consultants have found a better way: they continue using the mandated system for the owner’s requirements, but they supplement it with ProjectTeam.com for everything else.
With ProjectTeam.com, you can:
- Build the forms you need: Whether it’s safety incidents, legal documentation, equipment logs, or custom investor requirements, you can configure your own forms without IT help.
- Automate your workflows: Keep processes moving by routing tasks, approvals, and notifications to the right people.
- Consolidate reporting: Generate reports that bring together mandated processes with your supplemental data, giving you a true 360° view of the project.
- Stay flexible: As projects evolve, you can adapt your forms and workflows instantly (something rigid systems simply can’t match).
Real-World Example
One of our contractor clients was required to use a rigid system specified by a large government agency. That system worked fine for RFIs and submittals, but it had no way to capture the detailed reporting needed to secure project tax credits. Instead of juggling offline spreadsheets, the team set up custom forms in ProjectTeam.com to track everything properly. The result? Clean, accurate reports that satisfied both the owner and the investors.
You may not always have control over the system you’re required to use. But you can control how you supplement it. With ProjectTeam.com, you can track the processes that matter most to your business, keep your data connected, and finally put an end to the frustration of working outside the box.
Request a demo of ProjectTeam.com today and see how you can take back control of your projects.
