Welcome back to Autodesk’s ERP Integration Series, where we’re exploring how Cost Management in Forma Build and Agave helps construction teams connect project financial workflows with their ERP systems.
In Part 1, we introduced how ERP integrations help reduce manual work, improve data accuracy, and keep project and accounting teams aligned. In this second installment, we’ll take a closer look at the cost Cost Management capabilities within Forma Build.
Jim Ferguson, ERP Integrations SME at Autodesk, walks through the core capabilities teams use every day to manage budgets, approvals, commitments, payment applications, change orders, forecasting, and cash flow.
Before we dive deeper into ERP-specific demos, this walkthrough shows why Cost Management serves as the connected foundation for more effective cost control.
Watch the video below to see how Cost Management helps teams manage finances, connect cost activities, and visualize cost-related risk to protect your bottom line.
Managing construction finances requires more than tracking budgets. Teams need visibility into commitments, expenses, change orders, billing, and forecasts—and they need that information to stay connected as projects evolve.
Cost Management brings these workflows together in a centralized environment, helping project teams manage financial performance from planning through project completion.
From a single dashboard, users can quickly identify items that need attention, monitor project financial health, and take action without jumping between multiple systems.
One of the biggest challenges in construction is understanding where a project stands financially at any given moment.
Cost Management helps solve this by bringing together budgets, commitments, expenses, payment applications, and change orders in a single view. Teams can easily track financial performance, identify potential issues, and understand how decisions impact the overall project budget.
Visual dashboards and reporting tools make it easier to spot trends, monitor progress, and maintain confidence in project financial data.
Construction financial processes often involve multiple stakeholders, approvals, and handoffs.
Cost Management helps simplify these workflows by supporting configurable approval processes for contracts, expenses, change orders, and payment applications. Teams can ensure the right people review critical information while maintaining accountability and consistency throughout the process.
By centralizing these workflows, organizations can reduce administrative effort and improve collaboration across project and finance teams.
Effective cost control isn't just about understanding what's happened; it's about anticipating what comes next.
Cost Management helps teams connect financial planning with project execution through forecasting and cash flow management capabilities. By linking costs to project activities and schedules, teams gain a clearer picture of future spending and overall project performance.
This visibility helps teams identify potential cost-related risks earlier, make more informed decisions, and improve forecast accuracy throughout the life of the project.
While Cost Management delivers significant value on its own, its full potential is unlocked when connected to your ERP.
Through integrations powered by Agave, organizations can connect project financial workflows with accounting systems, helping ensure financial data remains accurate, consistent, and up to date across the business.
The result is a more connected approach to construction financial management, one that supports both project execution and financial operations.
For too long, construction financial systems were designed primarily for accounting and IT teams, leaving project and operations teams to adapt back-office tools to the realities of day-to-day work.
Forma Build helps close that gap by giving operations teams a connected, centralized, and customizable environment for managing project finances, whether they’re in the office or at the jobsite.
By bringing project management and financial workflows together, teams can improve visibility, streamline approvals, collaborate more effectively with stakeholders, and forecast with greater confidence.
And when Cost Management in Forma Build is connected to ERP systems through Agave, project and accounting teams can work from more accurate, consistent financial data—helping everyone involved make faster, more informed decisions.
Now that you've seen the foundation, it's time to see how Cost Management connects to the ERP systems construction teams rely on every day.
In the next installment, we’ll go deeper into ERP-specific integrations, starting with Sage 300, where you’ll see how Agave’s integration connects data between Forma Build and Sage 300 to help eliminate manual processes while improving visibility and accuracy across project and accounting teams.
To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
