Completing capital project commissioning using paper and spreadsheets no longer works. While this used to work 20 years ago, today’s projects are far too complex to manually manage all the details in spreadsheets.

A lot of project teams still use paper and spreadsheets to manage commissioning, because that’s the way it’s always been done, and it’s not easy to change project delivery processes. It can take time in the corporate world to transition to new ways to work, and companies sometimes need help to make this transition.

But using paper and spreadsheets is an inefficient way to get the job done. Projects move fast, and project teams need access to real-time information to make real-time decisions. It is no longer appropriate to wait for Friday’s spreadsheet update to see the progress details. Besides, there is just too much information and too many details to keep track of manually in spreadsheets – things easily get missed.

Accountants stopped using paper and spreadsheets decades ago– there are just too many details and tax write-offs to work out with a pencil and paper. You certainly don’t want to miss anything that costs you more taxes?!? Software has made filing taxes much easier and more accurate, and the same applies to completing even more complex capital projects as well.

Everyone needs visibility and clarity on what success looks like during commissioning. When all project groups have a clear vision of what’s required for commissioning, everyone can contribute to completing commissioning on-time and on-budget. Commissioning software gives this visibility and clarity as the tool to communicate to all groups working on projects – what is required for successful commissioning, who needs to do it, and when does it need to be done by. Since successful commissioning and startup is the precursor to meeting your project in-service date, this must be everyone’s primary objective when working on projects – successful commissioning and startup.

Commissioning software is not just a tracking tool – it is the workflow management tool that defines how your capital project will be successfully completed. Instead of writing a hundred-page commissioning plan document that nobody will read anyway, commissioning software is the tool to model your commissioning plan and define the process to complete projects. And completing capital projects on-time and on-budget should be everyone’s goal on the project – shouldn’t it?

When commissioning software is used incorrectly – or worse, paper and spreadsheets are used instead – project teams are just gambling. They have no way to impact the outcome of their projects. All they can do is roll the dice and hope for the best at the end. This is hardly a good approach to projects.

There are some really good software options on the market – some of the best commissioning software has been created in the last few years – to take advantage of the new computing power and data analyse tools that exist. Cloud-based commissioning software is the most common, providing software as a service as required to complete capital projects. When you implement the right commissioning platform, you are able to complete projects as efficiently as possible. Construction commissioning software can easily save 2-3 days to complete projects, which usually covers the cost of the software. And in reality, these systems can save your projects weeks or months of completion, easily offsetting the cost of software. People ask – what is the cost of the software – when in reality, a better question to ask is how much can this software save projects? When you ask better questions, you get better answers – because the right software implementation can easily save projects a significant amount of time and money to complete commissioning much more efficiently. Time and money that you’re leaving on the table if you’re still using paper and spreadsheets.

Download the complete 25+ commissioning software list of available platforms and start using these systems on your projects – download the commissioning software list here.