17 years helping Australian businesses
choose better software
Kahua
What Is Kahua?
Kahua provides construction program and project management solutions to improve efficiency and reduce risk. With functionality and workflows built specifically for owners, program managers and contractors, you can be operational in days, minimizing time-to-value, and enhancing user adoption. Kahua is available on all mobile devices to easily connect field to office. Kahua gives you the power and flexibility to effectively manage processes, documents, and cost from project inception to closeout.
Who Uses Kahua?
Kahua enables collaboration between all capital program/project stakeholders with targeted solutions for Construction Project Owners, General Contractors, Program Managers, and Subcontractors.
Not sure about Kahua?
Compare with a popular alternative
Kahua
Reviews of Kahua
Flexible and adaptable
Comments: Kahua provides the ability to implement based on industry standards, adapt those standards or extend the product via configuration. The built in kbuilder tool means the product can be "customized" via configuration and available on computer and mobile.
Pros:
The user interface is easy to understand and navigate, even has dark mode! Kahua provides the ability to align with industry standards and support company specific processes with configuration and not customization. As a platform, integration and migration with other systems is easily supported. The configurable hierarchical structure provides the ability for Kahua to align with how each company is organized and how programs and projects are managed. The built in kbuilder tool allows companies to support extending the product in house.
Cons:
As Kahua provides an easier way to extend the product it is easy to try to implement too much. It is important to focus on what is important to the organization and project teams.
Alternatives Considered:
Kahua
Comments: Clark was an early adopter of the Kahua platform. Our previous experience with Kahua's [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] (the same team that built Constructware) meant we were among the first to learn of the new system and it's new approach to Construction Management software. The platform approach (PAAS) as opposed to the traditional, rigid, SAAS model solved many problems we'd experienced in the past and was true differentiator from the other leading products in this space. As an early adopter, it wasn't always smooth sailing though. We suffered from problems typical of new systems, but the Kahua team addressed those and we're now realizing the benefits that the platform-based system affords us as we continue to build out company-specific enhancements to our processes in the system and even entirely new applications .
Pros:
The power of Kahua lies in it's ability to conform to the way not only your company works, but how your PROJECT works. Every company is different and every project is different. Everyone will agree that collaborative systems have the potential to make the overall team most efficient, but only if EVERYONE participates. Since every member of the team typically brings their own systems to the table, the first hurdle to overcome on a new project is whose system will we use? As a GC, we have the ability to influence the system our subcontractors use, but much less influence over what the client and design team will use. The flexibility of Kahua has enabled us to take feedback from our clients and design partners and build those features into the Kahua system so that it's not just a system built around the GC's perspective, but addresses the needs of every team member and when implemented correctly, makes the entire team more efficient.
Cons:
The licensing model. Per-user licensing models are counter-productive. They deter companies from getting everyone on the system and often the users who get vetoed (due to cost) are the ones that either need the info the most are would potentially be some of the best contributors to the collaborative process. Licensing needs to be a simple unlimited user per project model.
Dont waste your time
Pros:
Nothing. Everything about this software is frustrating.
Cons:
Constant problems with loading the platform each day and loading information. Constantly having to stop what we are doing to write an email and attach screen shots. The person that's supposed to help doesn't understand what we try to tell him. There may be a language barrier.
Alternatives Considered:
Promising software with challenges
Comments: Our experience has been mixed. Many team members see the value of the platform, others are still un-convinced. The system has helped us collect and organize data, but we have not yet been able to use the platform to consistently turn around that data into visuals/deliverables so the promise of efficiency gained has still not been realized. Bugs and lack of features/reports has hampered adoption. As a firm inexperienced with a centralized databasing software, implementation was challenging as we had to think not only of how to use the software, but also how to set up our business processes to match. Our implementation was managed by a 3rd party (Runding) and, while their partnership was valuable, I believe our situation would've been more effectively handled internally by Kahua - we needed to understand the intent of some features in Kahua to know how to implement them.
Pros:
The transparency and openness in regards to development of the software. The responsiveness of the entire team. The ability to customize and configure the software to our specific work style.
Cons:
The flexibility can also create complication and deviation from established 'standards.' The software is sluggish, load times and delay are a common complaint from staff - although this seems to have improved with latest update. It would also be nice if the software came with a better suite of built-in reports that could be used "day-1" lack of even basic list-style reports has limited adoption. Lastly, there have been a few bugs which. Especially when these affect the work breakdown structure, these undermine confidence in the system and have further hampered adoption efforts.
Alternatives Considered:
Project Management and Owner's Representative firm
Comments:
We are a Construction and Real Estate management firm and hence we are using the Kahua platform to manage our projects were we act as PM or Owners Rep.
Kahua has allowed for a proper team integration, facilitated information management and improved our team's efficiency in critical processes.
Pros:
The platform allows the capacity to adapt workflows and processes specific to each company and to integrate with other stakeholders.
Cons:
To create specific apps it is required special training and a large man-hour investment. Ideally efforts should be focused into simplifying the design, test and deployment of new solutions.
Alternatives Considered:
PMIS Software
Comments: Company is very flexible and willing to support and work with partners and our clients in a very open and productive manner.
Pros:
Ease of use, ability to configure what is needed for each role, reporting, integration and overall ease to configure the solution to meet the particular needs of the customers.
Cons:
Grants Management - entire process end to end. Records Management.
Kahua Response
4 years ago
Thanks for your review Chuck. We are excited to announce we just released our Sources of Funds app earlier this month. It addresses grant management. We will have someone follow up with you to review it.
Kahua Review
Pros:
Kahua provides a configurable and customizable platform at various levels including the enterprise level, a division level as well as the project. It is very intuitive requiring little detailed training for end-users. Additionally, it supports an effective collaboration model where project stakeholders at all levels can participate in a digital fashion. The features and functionality provided have allowed us to start eliminating "point solutions" and focus our delivery teams on one key application.
Cons:
Growing pains as the platform matures, but the Kahua team handles them maturely and promptly to ensure that we, the customer, get a solid solution where we can drive consistency and efficiency across the enterprise while still addressing project specific requirements.
Easy to use, network capable, build my own apps
Comments: managing multiple projects as an owner and seeing those roll up to a program level
Pros:
The easy navigation and the ability to build in so much configuration. I also like that others (owners, AE's, GC's) can share data within the network functionality.
Cons:
I wish there were more options to integrate with BIM.
Kahua for Construction Management
Comments: The Kahua team and their partner network are very responsive to support needs and inquiries.
Pros:
Provides out of the box capabilities for quick deployment. However, the software is easily customized to your business and can be extended without the need of the vendor's development cycle. The k-builder platform is easy to learn for any tech savvy individual.
Cons:
There is room for more out of the box delivery of features around certain areas in the software such as contract management and unit price pay types.
Alternatives Considered:
Kahua for Construction
Comments: Kahua will help us in keeping all our project collaboration in one place.
Pros:
We liked this software due to its flexibility. You are able to configure so many options to make it your own right out of the box. The company has people with construction background and you can tell with the layout and design of each app.
Cons:
As with any software that is this complex there is a learning curve, but Kahua has been very response when we run into an issue.
Good, sound product with great support
Pros:
We have just gone through a quick-start implementation... it's our first time using Kahua on a project, and users continue to be highly enthusiastic about the capabilities, and ease of use. We have configured and implemented the software to fit project needs in about 30 days. This has take several months with other products.
Cons:
Like similar products, out of the box reporting is fair, but incomplete for our purposes. However, we like that we can create reports and dashboard on our own.
Fantastic file sharing app - perfect for collaboration
Comments: This products ease of use & user friendly appearance really makes it stand out from the crowd!
Pros:
This software being an app makes this the ideal collaboration tool for 21st century construction project management!
Cons:
In app applications require buying additional licences, which whilst not uncommon still feels a bit mean...