PDF from Today's Webinar on Bid Pricing
15 Ways to Make Yourself a Better Computer User - by Lifehacker
Good suggestions by Lifehacker on just some very simple productivity tools. Try to implement some of these this weekend.
10 Suggestions to Increase Productivity
Just using HeavyBid does not make the most efficient estimator you can be. Here are some improvements that you can make to boost your productivity and efficiency.
1. Go to a dual monitor display. Cost of a dual display video card is very reasonable and you will get immediate productivity results. My preference are monitors that have a 16:10 aspect ratio. Check out www.dell.com as I have found their monitors to be a good value.
2. Purchase Adobe Acrobat software. I use Adobe Acrobat every day. Sure it is not cheap but the ability to turn anything into a PDF is something I just can't work without.
3. Update the Operating System from Windows XP to Windows 7. XP is over 10 years old now and full of security holes. Sure it works but just the security risks inherent to XP are not worth it. Windows 7 is proven and runs fast and solid and is full of features you don't have in XP. A no brainer.
4. Update your Microsoft Office - MS Office 2010 opens up with amazing speed and again like Windows 7 has a lot of great features. Well worth the upgrade.
5. Set up a company calendar and enterprise email system. Or just sign your company up with corporate Gmail and forget all the headaches of setting up a server system. HCSS uses it for their email system and that is testimony enough.
6. Big projects with lots of people on your team? Trying to manage a project just using email is like using a hammer to open a can. It can be done but it is the wrong tool. There are a myriad of collaboration tools on the web but my favorite is Basecamp. Once you have tried it you will never go back to doing all your team communication with email.
7. Set up time periods where you don't answer phone calls and you can give your total concentration to your estimate. Multi-tasking is a myth - we cannot concentrate trying to do many things at one time (or close to it) and mistakes will be made.
8. Get a good takeoff system and learn it ! Check out Insite at www.insitesoftware.com or just need just a simple length/area takeoff software? Look at PlanSwift at www.planswift.com.
9. Quick stacking up paperwork on your desk and think you are being productive. Learn how to handle paperwork so it moves on and off your desk quickly. A good book to read on this is Never Check your Email in Morning and Other Unexpected Strategies to Make Your Work Life Work by Julia Morgenstern.
10. Take a look at the work flow of your office and rearrange equipment if necessary. I have observed where the company's main copy machine was in the same office as the estimating staff so all day the accounting department has to disturb the estimators to make copies. Estimators have enough disturbances. Purchase a few smaller printers and minimize traffic through the estimators offices.
Got any more suggestions? Feel free to post them.
CSI Activity Codes Example
In Tuesday's webinar a question was asked if I had an example of an activity codebook for building construction. Typically building construction follows the CSI code format and this spreadsheet is a example of this.
Code Books Webinar PowerPoint PDF
Codebooks Webinar PowerPoint Presentation
For some reason I am having difficulty uploading the PP presentation from yesterday's webinar. I should have it posted tonight.
Amino Brothers - Kansas City
I trained Steven, Ken and Ryan for three days. They are an underground and site work contractor with projects in the greater Kansas City area. In three days we were able to set up different labor rates masters, set up equipment, import the accounting cost codes to set up their activity codebook and of course learned how to use HeavyBid. No I did not train the dog but since he was present frequently I thought I would include a photo. He is a Golden-Doodle which is half Golden Retriever and half Poodle.
Bid Summary Webinar - Additional Information
IPAD 3rd Generation - A Review
Since HCSS rolled out its mobile apps at the User Group Meetings in February I thought I would do a review of the latest IPAD offering by Apple. My oldest son gave me my IPAD 1 when they were first introduced 2 years ago and I have been a fan ever since of this device. Yesterday I heard the FedEx truck roll up my driveway and was handed a non-descrip box. When I opened it and saw the Apple label I knew my son had struck again and I was now the proud owner of what Apple is calling the IPAD 3. Here are my initial observations:
- The screen resolution is amazing as even the finest of print is very readable. With the IPAD 1 (the IPAD 2 has the same screen as the 1) fine print just does not appear crisp. Since I use my extensively for reading books and magazines this alone would justify buying the Gen 3 over the Gen 2. Colors are vivid and just pop out. To repeat: the new display is amazing.
- The speed increase over the Gen 1 is very noticeable as lag is now almost non-existent.
- The magnetic connected cover is a work of genius.
- Web surfing and email are actually practical now as the new processor doesn't get bogged down in repainting the screen.
- Do you have an IPAD 1 and worry about the time it will take to port over all your current apps to the IPAD 3? All I had to do is connect my new IPAD to my laptop, fire up ITUNES and all my apps were loaded. Now it took about an hour to enter in the user name and passwords for some of the apps but we are talking about brain-dead effort to get up and running. Just be sure to back up your old IPAD on ITUNES before connecting the new one up.
- The IPAD 1 did not have a camera and I understand the IPAD 2's camera is not the best. I took a few photos this evening in low light and the quality was average but an improvement I understand from the IPAD 2's camera. You would probably not give up your digital camera but the camera would serve very well to take quick job photos for HeavyJob or other applications.
- Facetime - The IPAD 3 has two cameras, one on the screen and one on the back. Using Facetime I was able to video chat with my oldest son on his IPAD and then flip to the other camera and show him what I was looking at in the room. I could see Facetime being useful for real time video chatting where a foreman or superintendent can show a job site issue to a supervisor in the office. Of course the IPAD would have to be hooked up to Wifi but IPAD's are also offered with cell service connectivity. To get streaming video from a job site would be worth the monthly cell service fee.
More to come as I evaluate this new tool and try out new apps that are being rolled out for the IPAD 3.
One HeavyBid License for Multiple Estimators
Occasionally I train companies that have purchased one license (or seat) for HeavyBid for multiple estimators to use. I fully understand the budget considerations where the cost of a multi-user license is just not feasible. First let me discuss the drawbacks of this approach. Obviously you would never expect two operators to share one excavator. This is what is asked of estimators sharing a security key necessary to fully operate HeavyBid. A better solution is to purchase a two multiuser system then a company has a much more flexible estimating solution. You can have many users set up (only two at at time can be logged in) and now as long as one user slot is open they can log on anywhere and anytime vastly improving usability. With a two user system everyone can use their own computer. Of course this means that a server will be required but lost cost solutions are available for this. In a short period of time the cost savings produced by increased productivity can quickly pay for the multiuser system.
With all that said how can you make one license, multiple estimators work? I just had this discussion at a training location where two estimators are going to use one license. The main issue is if the security key is going to be passed from computer to computer which computer has the latest Master Estimate and System Wide files? You can imagine that in a short period of time it will get very confusing where the most current files reside. Mistakes are inevitable. I don't recommend the multiple computers/one key solution. The estimators that I was training finally decided that the best solution is to purchase a laptop dedicated to HeavyBid and move the computer between them. There will be no question where the current files reside and when one person is not estimating they can utilize their own work computer. Not ideal but at least the potential for mistakes are greatly reduced. Again look at cost of lost productivity, put some costs to it and you will see that a the justification for a multiuser system can be easily made.
