Director of Operations Software for Construction — North County San Diego
I'm PJ, in Encinitas. I build custom software for construction directors of operations who are tired of duct-taping Procore, spreadsheets, and texts together to keep jobs moving.
Quick answer — what a construction Director of Ops actually needs:
- One dashboard showing every active job, PM status, and schedule slip — not five tabs.
- Field-to-office data that doesn't require your PMs to type the same thing twice.
- Custom tools built around your workflow — not generic SaaS you have to bend to.
- Real answers in one text. I don't do sales calls. I do solutions.
See a real build I did for a construction PM team: Construction PM custom build walkthrough →
FAQ — what construction directors of ops ask me
Procore is too expensive / too rigid. What are my options?
You have three: (1) negotiate harder with Procore, (2) pick a lighter tool like Buildertrend or CompanyCam and stitch it together, (3) build a custom layer on top of what you already use. I do option 3 when the ROI makes sense. Text me your stack and I'll tell you which path fits.
How do I get my PMs to stop living in spreadsheets?
You don't kill the spreadsheet — you replace it with something faster. PMs use spreadsheets because they're flexible. A good custom tool has to be equally flexible AND give them back time. If it doesn't save them 20 min/day, they won't switch.
What does a custom ops dashboard actually cost to build?
Usually $4K–$15K for a real working system, depending on integrations. Ongoing hosting is typically under $50/month. I'll give you a straight number after one text conversation — no scoping meetings.
Can you integrate with QuickBooks, Procore, and Sage?
Yes. All three have APIs. Procore is the cleanest, Sage is the messiest. Tell me what you need to pull and push and I'll tell you if it's a weekend or a month.
How do I track job profitability in real time without a controller doing it manually?
You need labor hours, material POs, and change orders flowing into one place daily. If any of those three lag by a week, your "real time" dashboard is fiction. Usually the fix is automating the labor hour pull from whatever the field uses.
Should I hire an internal dev or use a consultant?
Internal dev makes sense if you have 3+ ongoing software problems and $120K/yr to spend. A consultant makes sense if you have 1–2 specific problems and want them solved in weeks, not quarters.
Useful advice for your role
Stop buying software to fix process
If your PMs aren't consistent, no SaaS will save you. Fix the workflow on paper first, then automate the steady parts.
Measure schedule slip weekly
One number: average days behind across active jobs. If it's trending up, something in your intake or resourcing is broken — not the schedule tool.
Kill duplicate data entry first
Every spot your team types the same thing twice is a leak. Fix those before anything else. That alone gets PMs 3–5 hrs/week back.
Field photos should auto-tag to jobs
If your crews still email photos with no context, you're losing documentation you'll want during a change order dispute. Fix this in 2025.
Change orders are where margin lives
Most construction companies lose money on change orders because they're slow to price and slow to approve. Automate the pricing template, not the approval.
Your best report is the one nobody asked for
The weekly "here's what's off-track" email, auto-generated from your systems, is more valuable than any dashboard nobody logs into.
Hey — I'm PJ. I've built custom ops tools for construction, trades, and field-service companies across North County San Diego. I'm a one-person shop. You text me, I answer. No account managers, no sales funnel.
Connect on LinkedInTell me what's broken. I'll tell you if I can fix it.
One text. No mee