Issue link: https://construction.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1520112
8 Why Not Rely on Accounting/ERP Systems? A Better Option for Field-centric Cost Management Financial accounting and ERP systems are great – for their designated purposes. Frustration for contractors stems from the fact that these solutions are not built with the field in mind. The promise of an all-in single solution for accounting, estimating and operations also remains unfulfilled. One system simply can't do it all and still deliver the logic, features and functionality needed by financial executives in the office and employees in the field. Accounting/ERP systems fall short for tracking and controlling costs at the operations level – the critical point where project insights are gathered and data driven decisions that drive profitability are enabled Here is how accounting/ERP systems and operational software platforms compare for field-centric cost management: ACCOUNTING/EPA SYSTEMS OPERATIONS SOFTWARE PLATFORM REAL-TIME DATA COLLABORATION EASE OF USE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT Great for recording data and reporting about profitability after the fact Add-on applications for estimating and operations; integration steps, delays and frustration to make disparate applications work together Fundamentally designed for accountants and follow accounting logic; cumbersome to use in the field and typically viewed as an added burden Supplier's attention focused on core accounting product; innovation, updates and support for estimating and operations applications minimal and a low priority Data captured and shared across applications in real time; actionable data to react quickly to manage costs in the field Unified applications and a shared database for collaboration across workflows critical to managing costs: estimating, scheduling, field management and fleet maintenance Designed specifically to work the way construction workers work and make it easier for them to excel; intuitive and accepted quickly 100% focused on estimating and operations; more responsive to specialized features, training and support required by users