A recent article on Software Advice, Tailwinds for Web-Based Construction Management Systems, got us thinking about, well, web-based construction management systems — namely, that a lot of contractors may not know much about the topic and may know even less about some of the techie buzzwords that define the topic.

For starters, you may be wondering, what exactly is Web-based project management software? Basically, it allows users to access various programs, from accounting to auditing, through a Web browser. Therefore, you don’t require any software installed on your machine, all you need is an Internet connection. Key sellers of Web-based construction project management software include HeadsUp Technologies, EADOC and Procore.

As you learn more about Web-based systems, you may see and hear some unfamiliar jargon. Here’s a short list of technical terms that are thrown around a lot:

• Web 2.0 - This phrase refers to next-generation Internet technology, such as blogs, wikis, RSS and social bookmarking, that encourage a greater input from the Web community. In a perfect world, this would make the Internet a true marketplace for ideas. However, skeptics point out that these forums allow casual users the ability to alter content - which, in turn, erodes the credibility of some information.

• SaaS - Otherwise known as Software as a Service, SaaS is the software model in which programs are hosted by a vendor on a network or server, and can be accessed by users through an Internet connection. This is in stark contrast to the traditional model, where software has to be installed on a personal computer.

• RIA - A Rich Internet Application (RIA) is aWeb application that has all the functionality of a full-fledged desktop program. These programs don’t require installation, but they also can be used offline.This is because they function within a “sandbox,” or a closed system on your computer which allows a limited access to your machine’s resources. While this is one of great advantages of using a RIA, it comes at the expense of slower performance and rather lengthy script download times.

• Ajax - Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a method of building interactive applications for Web pages that update in real time. Instead of waiting for a new page to pop up after an action is taken, Ajax allows a page to update automatically without having to load again. Google Maps is an excellent example of an application that utilizes Ajax.

While this is hardly an exhaustive list of technical terms that you may encounter, it should provide you with a solid knowledge foundation to build off of. Even a rudimentary understanding of these terms will help you determine whether the various, aforementioned Web-based project management software tools will fit the present and future needs of your firm.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Project management and scheduling software. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.