Construction Management Platform
Real-time Project Tracking & Collaboration
As construction projects involve multiple professionals, documents, budgets, deadlines, suppliers, and ongoing decisions, important information is often scattered across messaging apps, spreadsheets, emails, and different management tools. BrickBe is a construction management platform designed to centralize every stage of a project in one place. It improves communication between clients and professionals, provides real-time visibility into construction progress, and makes project management more transparent, efficient, and organized.
Benchmarking
Procore
What works well
• Comprehensive construction management features.
• Strong document and project control.
• Financial and budget management.
• Collaboration between different construction teams. • Detailed project reporting.
Opportunities
The platform offers extensive functionality, but its technical complexity and information density can make the experience difficult for clients or users without construction management expertise. BrickBe could provide a more accessible experience while still supporting complex professional workflows.
Buildertrend
What works well
• Construction scheduling and task management.
• Client communication tools.
• Budget and payment management.
• Progress updates and document sharing.
• Features designed for residential construction projects.
Opportunity
Although the platform connects clients and professionals, supplier discovery, material selection, project visualization, and purchasing are not fully integrated into a single continuous experience. BrickBe could connect project management and procurement more closely.
Autodesk Construction Cloud
A construction platform focused on builders, contractors, and client communication.
What works well
• Strong support for plans and technical documentation.
• Integration with design and construction workflows.
• Document version control.
• Collaboration between architects, engineers, and contractors. 2D and 3D project visualization.
Opportunity
The experience is primarily designed for technical professionals and requires familiarity with specialized construction tools. BrickBe could simplify access to project information and make visualization, approvals, and communication easier for clients.
Monday.com / General Project Management Tools
What works well
• Flexible task and workflow management.
• Visual project organization.
• Customizable dashboards.
• Easy collaboration and status tracking.
• Low learning curve compared with specialized platforms.
Opportunities
The product is not specifically designed for construction. Important workflows such as technical documentation, supplier coordination, material purchasing, project approvals, and construction visualization require additional customization. BrickBe could provide the simplicity of a modern productivity platform with construction-specific functionality.
User Research
To validate the assumptions identified during the competitive analysis, I conducted exploratory research with homeowners and people who had recently managed construction or renovation projects. The objective was to better understand their biggest frustrations, expectations, and decision-making process throughout the construction journey.
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Goals
• Understand pain points
• Analyze current workflows
• Identify opportunities for a digital solution
Main Findings
Fragmented communication
Most conversations happened through WhatsApp, e-mails, and phone calls, making decisions difficult to track.
Limited project visibility
Clients often didn't know what stage the project was in or what was causing delays.
Budget uncertainty
Unexpected expenses created anxiety during the entire project.
Supplier management
Finding trustworthy professionals and coordinating purchases was one of the biggest challenges.
Key Insights
1. Construction management is fragmented
• Benchmark analysis showed that information is distributed across multiple tools.
• Research participants confirmed that communication, documents, budgets, and schedules are rarely centralized.
Design Opportunity: Create a single source of truth for the entire project.
2. Clients need more transparency
• Most platforms prioritize professional workflows.
• Research revealed that clients struggle to understand project progress, approvals, and costs.
Design Opportunity: Design a dedicated client experience focused on visibility and decision-making.
3. Professionals need operational control
• Managing suppliers, contractors, schedules, and documents requires a more complete workflow than traditional project management tools provide.
Design Opportunity: Build an operational workspace tailored for architects, engineers, and contractors.
4. Communication needs context
• Important decisions often get lost in WhatsApp conversations or emails.
Design Opportunity: Connect conversations directly to tasks, documents, budgets, and project phases.
5. Construction is more than task management
• Managing a project also involves suppliers, materials, contracts, purchases, inspections, and approvals.
Design Opportunity: Create an integrated ecosystem instead of isolated management tools.
Personas
Amanda
55 years
Architect
"I can’t take following up on construction projects anymore. It’s always such a headache."
Goals
• Monitor construction progress in real time
• Keep deadlines, information, documents, and photos in one place
• Communicate more easily with everyone involved
• Manage project budgets and expenses
• Coordinate construction and interior design deliveries
Needs
• Real-time construction monitoring with checklists and schedules
• Centralized project information and files
• Easier communication between stakeholders
• Access to trusted and reviewed suppliers
• Financial and budget management
• Cloud document storage Better coordination between construction and interior design teams
Frustrations
• Increasing construction costs
• Communication gaps caused by a lack of technical knowledge • Construction delays Limited visibility into project progress
• Confusing, inaccurate, or incomplete documentation
Hugo
52 years
Civil Engineer
“There are always delays, mainly because of poor communication between engineers, architects, and suppliers.”
Needs
• Real-time construction monitoring with checklists and schedules
• Centralized deadlines, information, documents, and photos
• Easier communication between everyone involved Access to evaluated suppliers
• Financial and budget management
• Cloud document storage
• Better coordination between construction and interior design deliveries
Goals
• Coordinate contractors and project teams
• Keep construction work on schedule
• Monitor project execution
• Control budgets and costs Reduce delays and rework
Frustrations
• Difficulty coordinating contractors and schedules
• Inaccurate estimates and unexpected cost changes
• Delays in budget approvals
• Poor workmanship
• Damaged or missing materials
• Communication and collaboration failures Changes made during construction that affect the team and schedule
• Confusing or incomplete documentation
• Post-construction maintenance and repairs
Sofia
37 years
Teacher
“My construction project only gets delayed, and I have no visibility into its progress. I don’t understand many parts of the project or why the final result doesn’t turn out as I imagined.”
Needs
• Real-time construction monitoring
• Centralized deadlines, information, documents, and photos
• Clear communication with everyone involved
• Access to trusted and reviewed suppliers
• Easier financial and budget management
• Cloud document storage
• Better coordination between construction and interior design deliveries
Goals
• Follow construction progress
• Understand project costs and changes
• Communicate more easily with professionals
• Access project documents and information
• Ensure the final result matches her expectations
Frustrations
• Inaccurate estimates and unexpected cost changes
• Difficulty approving budgets
• Poor workmanship
• Damaged or missing materials
• Lack of coordination between teams Communication and collaboration failures
• Construction delays
• Limited visibility into project progress
• Confusing or incomplete documentation
Current User Journey
Value Proposition
BrickBe centralizes every stage of the construction journey into a single collaborative platform, helping clients and construction professionals communicate more effectively, track progress in real time, manage budgets, and make informed decisions with confidence.
User Jobs
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Approve projects and budgets
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Track construction progress
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Sign and manage project documents
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Share requirements and feedback
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Purchase materials
Pain Points
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Rising construction costs
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Fragmented communication
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Construction delays
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Limited visibility into project progress
Value Drivers
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Centralized project management
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Real-time project tracking
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Better communication
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Budget transparency
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Interactive 2D/3D project visualization
Key Design Decisions
1. Separate experiences for clients and professionals: Clients and professionals have different goals, responsibilities, and information needs.
Decision: Design two connected experiences tailored to each user's workflow while keeping everyone aligned around the same project.
3. Increase project transparency: Clients frequently felt disconnected from the construction process and uncertain about project progress.
Decision: Provide real-time visibility into schedules, tasks, approvals, budgets, and milestones.
5. Integrate suppliers into the workflow: Supplier management and material purchasing happened outside existing project management tools..
Decision: Include supplier discovery, material management, and purchasing as part of the product ecosystem.
2. Centralize the entire construction journey: Users relied on multiple disconnected tools to manage communication, documents, budgets, and schedules.
Decision: Create a single platform where every project activity is connected and easy to access.
4. Connect communication to context: Important decisions were scattered across WhatsApp, emails, and phone calls.
Decision: Link conversations directly to tasks, documents, budgets, and project phases.
6. Simplify technical information: Clients often struggled to understand plans and visualize the final outcome.
Decision: Use interactive 2D/3D visualization and intuitive interfaces to make technical information more accessible.
