Many companies that are thinking of implementing new construction accounting software wonder if it is better to use an external service to collect payroll data and input it to their system or do the input internally. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and the bottom line is that both can be completely effective so long as the data is accurate.

Since there is no general consensus about the best way to handle payroll feeds, every company must consider their unique situation and needs when making this important decision. The decision that you make will likely be a result of a combination of (but not limited to) the following factors:

* The size of your company, including the number of departments and employees.

* Your overall budget

* The ability of your management and employees to handle payroll internally without compromising accuracy.

* The impact of federal, state, and local regulations

* The availability of local or easy to access and integrate external resources

All companies in the construction industry must keep a close eye on the influence that payroll has on project profits. If accurate, real-time data cannot be found on a project level, companies increase their risk of mismanaging projects, making uniformed decisions, and dealing with profit losses as a result.

To put it another way, the more accurate and up to date your construction software is, the more able your organization will be to make the best possible decisions at any given point in time regarding project level decisions.

However, we all know that no business, project, or even software system runs without any problems. That is not to say that companies shouldn't strive for perfection. The goal is to find the optimal solution that will enable your company to operate as close to perfection as possible, given your budget and other constraints.

In the end, a good construction software package should provide you with the ability to make changes on the fly aimed at improving your overall operational effectiveness. Whether your payroll data comes from an external source or an internal one may not necessarily have an impact on that ability. External services may be a bit slower, but could also be more accurate. The opposite can be said about handling payroll internally, although not necessarily. If you do handle the payroll internally, the most important factor in your software's ability to provide you with the data you need is the level of training and competence that your end users have in using and inputting data.

Therefore, training should never be underestimated, cut short, or completely ignored. Users need to understand how to input data in to the construction accounting system as well as how the data that they input impacts the overall system and "high level" view that the software can provide for decision makers.

Finally, regardless of how you decide to handle payroll data, it is always a good idea to ensure that company practices, policies, and procedures are up to date with current best practices before changing your software. Taking these steps up front will save time and money down the road and will make the initial implementation of new construction management software much easier and painless.