Building Business Success with FastTrack Schedule
Design-build firm relies on FastTrack Schedule's flexibility, ease of use for scheduling and estimating construction projects
After seeing FastTrack Schedule advertised in several builders' magazines, Robert Witting began to think that the award-winning project manager might be the perfect solution for Witting Contracting, Inc. And he was right. His design-build firm, which employees 20 and completes $2-3 million per year in residential and light commercial construction projects has vastly improved their business process using FastTrack Schedule.
One Size Fits All
Witting put FastTrack Schedule to work immediately and found that he could not only use it for scheduling his projects, but that the program was also an effective tool for estimating, purchase orders, change orders, and creating time cards.
"We use FastTrack Schedule for just about everything," says Witting. "It's the first program I start with and the last one I use when the project is over."
In order to coordinate each employee's tasks and time in the field from the office, Witting creates a time card that is based on the project schedule. Because payroll is bi-weekly, the schedule is two weeks long and allows employees to see exactly what they will be doing for each time period. After estimating time and costs using FastTrack Schedule, Witting refers to the vendor information included in each schedule to help create purchase orders. Crews know exactly which suppliers are involved in each project, and the schedule shows them precisely when the materials will be delivered. FastTrack Schedule also helps them keep track of change orders on each project.
"Since we use FastTrack Schedule to estimate, we can filter different alternates and can show the client the impact on cost and time-frame," notes Witting.
An "Actual Cost" field is used to compare the costs of the project to
the original estimates, helping them stay on budget throughout each phase of the
project. Each employee reviews the project schedule in detail thanks to FastTrack
Schedule's presentation abilities. Witting and his team print out colorful 2'x 3'
schedules on the office plotter to help keep everyone on track.
Built-in Flexibility
A recent job required Witting Contracting to combine two separate buildings-an unfinished
bowling alley and a restaurant-to create one 23,000 sq. foot funeral home. With
the help of FastTrack Schedule, Witting and his team were able to complete the project
in 8 months, from demolition to grand opening.
"We could not have done it without
the ability to show the customer the scheduling and cost impacts of the different
changes we made throughout the construction project," says Witting.
When Witting felt he needed help in using the product to its full potential, he turned to AEC Software for insight. Helpful professionals in the Technical Support Department worked with him to develop the system he uses today.
According to Witting, FastTrack Schedule's flexibility makes it a critical tool for each phase in his company's construction projects, from estimating schedules to managing costs. He doesn't hesitate to define the role that FastTrack Schedule plays in his company's success.
"I couldn't run my business without it!" says Witting.
Customer Profile
Witting Contracting, Inc.
Chassell, Michigan
Industry
Building
Challenge
Remove bottlenecks in the planning, tracking, and coordination of jobs and crews
Solution
Move to FastTrack Schedule, an easy-to-use, cost-effective scheduling solution
Benefits
- Flexibility to use the program for a variety of functions in addition to scheduling
- Ability to show clients time and cost impact of changes to the schedule
- Large-format schedules keep project teams on track
- Professional service from AEC Software Tech Support