InformationWeek

I reviewed three offerings: Blueline Online's ProjectNet, Framework Technologies' ActiveProject, and BidCom's in-Site. The products are similar in that they all aim to manage complex construction projects, though Framework contends that ActiveProject transcends engineering and construction projects and covers any kind of project "that builds things," such as a manufacturing project. They are different in that each handles different pieces of a long project cycle, such as the design and construction of a building.

ProjectNet, for example, is best at dealing with the intricacies of the design process and for project team members who must collaborate on immediate decisions. The strongest features of in-Site are designed for contractors, and its greatest strength is its usefulness in providing information to a building owner at the end of the project. ActiveProject is the answer to a building owner's need for better project coordination and ease of implementation.

No one product provides the sets of features required to be the only project-management tool throughout the life of the project. The products organize their databases differently. I believe the lack of a standard data structure between them creates cul-de-sacs of data that could cause this emerging market to stagnate before it has a chance to mature.

Because of the nature of the construction industry, each participant looks at the same piece of information in different ways. The architect, for example, looks at a plan for design issues, while the engineer looks at the same item for its functional issues, and the contractor is concerned with its construction methods or product pricing. If a designer could use ProjectNet during the design phase, hand off the data to the contractor who would use in-Site during construction, and then deliver a data model to the building's owners using ActiveProject on their intranet, a natural flow would exist that is sorely missing today.

In-Site from BidCom, a Web extranet service provider, allows construction project teams to harness the enormous amount of information generated while they are building a facility. BidCom's in-Site provides a suite of applications users can access within a browser to capture and disseminate project-specific information. The tool acts as a third-party data escrow account for project information and provides a secure, common space for data exchange by all project team members. Project extranets keep construction costs down through effective communications. Fewer mistakes get made. Once you master the process for generating monetary savings, you can move on to generate time savings, too.

BidCom improves the contractor's life by providing an elegant interface and construction-focused project-management workflow functions. The in-Site Java interface in the main frame of the site provides the impression of working in a fully featured Windows application-a real benefit. The ability to filter queries, view audit trails, and view attachments such as photos will provide a contractor with the correct decision-making information, while saving time.