If your systems don't talk to each other, you usually don't need to replace them. You need to connect them, so information entered once flows to every place it's needed. That stops the retyping, cuts the errors and means your reports show what's happening now, not what happened weeks ago.
Most construction companies run on five or six different systems. Accounting in Xero or MYOB. Timesheets in Deputy or on paper. Estimating in a spreadsheet. Job management in something else. Documents in email and Dropbox. Lots of systems, and none of them connected.
The problem isn't the tools
The tools themselves are usually fine. Xero does accounting well. Deputy handles timesheets well. The problem is the gaps between them. That's where someone retypes data, things get missed, and your reports end up behind reality.
Here's what those gaps look like day to day:
- Timesheets get keyed into payroll, then keyed again against jobs for costing.
- Supplier invoices arrive by email and someone types them into the accounts, then works out which job they belong to.
- Progress claims are built in a spreadsheet from numbers copied out of the job system.
- The owner asks "how's this job going?" and someone spends half a day pulling the answer together.
Each step looks small. Together they add up to a lot of admin, a steady stream of small mistakes, and decisions made on numbers that are out of date.
Signs your systems aren't connected
You probably have a gap problem if:
- The same customer, job or supplier is set up separately in more than one system.
- Month-end waits on someone exporting and combining spreadsheets.
- Different people quote different numbers for the same job.
- Mistakes get found when a client or supplier points them out.
- One person holds the process together, and things stall when they're on leave.
We go into these in more detail on disconnected business systems.
Connect what you've already got
You don't need to rip out your existing systems. That's expensive, disruptive, and often swaps one set of problems for another. Instead, connect what you've already got. An integration is a link that moves information from one system to another automatically, using the connection options the software makers provide.
When your systems talk to each other:
- Approved timesheets flow into payroll and job costing without retyping.
- Purchase orders match to supplier invoices, and differences are flagged.
- Claims and invoices raised in the job system appear in Xero or MYOB.
- Project reports reflect what's actually happening this week.
Where to start
Don't try to connect everything at once. Start with the gap that hurts most:
- List your systems and what each one is the "home" for: customers, jobs, costs, time, invoices.
- Draw the handoffs. Where does information leave one system and get retyped into another?
- Pick the most painful handoff, usually the one with the most volume or the most mistakes.
- Check for an off-the-shelf connector. Many popular tools have a marketplace app that does the job. If one fits, use it.
- Build a custom link only where you need one, for example when the marketplace app doesn't handle your job codes or approval steps.
For construction businesses, a common first step is linking the project system to the accounts. See Procore to Xero and MYOB integration for one example.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to replace my software to get one set of numbers?
Usually not. Connecting the systems you already use is often quicker and less disruptive than replacing them, and your team keeps the tools they know.
What's the difference between an integration and a marketplace app?
A marketplace app is a ready-made connector between two products. A custom integration is built for your setup when the ready-made app doesn't match how you work.
How much does it cost to connect business systems?
Costs vary widely depending on the size of the business, how many systems are involved and how much needs to be custom-built, so we scope every project first and give you a fixed quote after a free initial chat.
What happens if one system changes or goes down?
A well-built integration logs what it sends, flags anything that fails, and retries, so nothing goes missing quietly.
If your team spends too much time retyping between systems, book a free initial chat and we'll look at where the gaps are.