software consulting, custom reporting, financial resources

Articles:

Credit Card Transactions

Entering Fixed Assets as Journal Entries

Estimating

Estimating-At-A-Glance

Estimating, Project Management Overview

Paying Liabilities and Transfers Between Accounts

Payroll Overview

Profitability

Proposals

Profits - Strategies to Improve

Responsibility As A Motivator

Risk Management

Schedule Variance

Take Your Business to the Next Level

Teamwork As A Motivator

Time Management

Time Management Matrix

Timetable of Procedures

The Balance Sheet, Part 1

The Balance Sheet, Part 2

The Balance Sheet, Part 3

The Balance Sheet, Part 4

Training Saves Money

Value As A Motivator

Year-end Close

Resources

The Facts

Master Builder is the best fully-integrated construction management program in its price range.

There are other programs which are less expensive. For instance, one can put together a decent construction management package for far less by using Peachtree by Sage, Excel, Outlook, Word and Project for about $1,200. But there is limited integration. Master Builder has full integration between the various functions, many more construction-oriented features, and hundreds more useful reports.

There are other programs which do a better job at specific tasks. In the estimating area, there are probably at least 10 other programs which are superior to Master Builder’s estimating module. The problems come when one wants to integrate the results from an outside estimating program with project management and accounting. Even the estimating programs which integrate with Master Builder have limited integration. That is due to limitations on the design of the integration by the manufacturers of the other programs.

There are other programs which have more features and better integration. They cost at least five times to purchase and five times as much to implement. There are other integrated programs in the same price range as Master Builder. They lack the wide range of features and/or tight integration of Master Builder.

And so on and so on.

Aside from requests for specific features, the main complaints I hear about Master Builder are (from General Contractors): “Master Builder is designed for subcontractors”, and (from Subcontractors): “Master Builder is designed for general contractors”. So the program's main fault is that it's trying to be everything to everybody, and it can’t be done.

That is correct: the program is trying to be everything to everybody, and it can’t be done. Looking over the facts I’ve described above, one has a choice.

Solutions

During the last 5 years, the solution to over 80% of the specific issues people have raised is:

Either someone does not know that a certain feature exists in Master Builder and is trying to achieve a result a different way than the program actually works, or

There is a report which yields the information which the person is looking for, or a report can be created which does that.

Most of the time, it comes down to training or reporting.

Mission Development can provide a solution: service@missiondevelopment.com

or 805-771-8400.

Please also check the Reports page.