Duplicate data entry hours per week
The most direct cost of disconnected systems.
Construction and general contractors · Systems integration
Make your project and accounting systems agree on every job
Most GCs run at least four systems that should share data: estimating, project management in Procore or Buildertrend, accounting in Sage, Foundation or QuickBooks, and field time tracking. In practice, someone exports and re-imports between them. Jobs get created twice, cost codes drift apart, and commitments in Procore never quite match what accounting shows at month end.
How it often works today
- New jobs are set up separately in the estimate file, Procore and accounting, so names, numbers and cost codes rarely match exactly.
- Approved change orders in Procore are rekeyed into accounting by the controller, and budget revisions lag behind by weeks.
- Field hours from ClockShark or Busybusy are exported to spreadsheets and adjusted before payroll, with cost code errors fixed by hand.
- When numbers disagree between systems, PMs and accounting each trust their own, and monthly job cost meetings turn into reconciliations.
Integration work starts with deciding which system owns each piece of data: jobs, cost codes, vendors, commitments, change orders and hours. Then we connect them using native integrations where they exist, and middleware like Zapier, Make or a small custom service where they do not. Sometimes the honest answer is fixing setup, not adding software.
The improved workflow
Map data ownership
We document which system is the source of truth for jobs, cost codes, vendors, commitments, change orders and hours, and agree it with the PMs and controller.
Standardize cost codes
One cost code structure is applied across estimating, project management, timekeeping and accounting, with a short cleanup of legacy and duplicate codes.
Turn on native integrations first
Many construction tools offer direct connectors to common accounting systems. We configure and test those properly before building anything custom.
Fill gaps with middleware
Where no connector exists, Zapier, Make or a small script moves the specific records needed, with error alerts sent to a named person.
Monitor and reconcile
A weekly check compares key totals between systems and lists differences, so drift is caught early rather than discovered at month end.
How we deliver this: AI automation for small business or fractional CTO leadership, scoped in writing and run over 90 days. See pricing or the sample scope.
What we would measure
Records failing to sync
Tells you whether the integration is healthy and who needs to fix what.
Days to close the month and issue WIP
Clean data flow should shorten the close noticeably.
Differences between PM and accounting totals
The trust measure: when it falls, job cost meetings stop being reconciliations.
Where people stay in control
- Changes to vendors, bank details and payment approvals are never automated end to end; a person approves them in the accounting system.
- Integration accounts use their own credentials with the least access needed, and that access is reviewed whenever staff leave.
- Before any change goes live, it is tested on a copy or a closed job, with the controller signing off on the results.
Example
Illustrative: change orders that never reached accounting
For example, a 60-person GC finds that approved change orders in Procore take about three weeks to reach the accounting budget, because the controller rekeys them in batches. Over a quarter, that lag makes several jobs look over budget when they are not. After mapping ownership and properly setting up the existing connector, change orders flow within a day and the weekly reconciliation shows two remaining mismatches to fix. Figures are illustrative.
Tools typically involved
What the first 30 days look like
In the first 30 days we would draw the current flow of jobs, cost codes, commitments and hours between your systems, and measure the hours spent on double entry. Then we pick the single most painful connection, often change orders or field time, and agree how success will be checked.
Common questions
Should we just buy an all-in-one construction platform?
Sometimes that is right, especially for smaller contractors with simpler jobs. For others, switching costs and retraining outweigh the benefit. We would compare integrating what you have against moving to a single platform, including the disruption, and make a written recommendation.
What happens when an integration breaks?
They do break, usually after a software update or a renamed field. Each connection we set up has an alert to a named person and a short runbook explaining what to check. Part of the 90 days is making sure your team can handle common failures without us.
Do we need a developer on staff?
Usually not. Most construction integrations are configuration and middleware. If a custom piece is needed, it is scoped and budgeted separately, documented, and built so that another developer could maintain it later. You own the code and the accounts it runs under.
The business case
Does it pay for itself?
Illustrative defaults for a general contractor. Replace them with your numbers.
What this workflow costs today
a month in staff time, before any lost sales
Monthly fee + assumed tools +
Break-even: new clients a month (at first-year value)
Or: staff hours recovered and redeployed
Break-even additional revenue
Value of +1 point of win rate
First 90 days, service fee
Worth a closer lookTest the assumptions
Illustration only, not a forecast or guarantee. Recovered staff time becomes a cash saving only if spending actually declines or the time goes into paid work. Tool costs are an assumption; we replace every number here with yours before recommending a scope.
Systems integration in other industries
Systems integration: full guide
Related guides
Is a fractional CTO worth it for a small business?When to hire a CTOHow to scope an automation projectZapier for small business
Terms used here
Next step
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