Monday, June 1, 2015
Current Version Information!
The latest version of Sage 100 Contractor is version 19.6.41, the release of which was announced on May 28, 2015.
Don’t Forget Scheduling!
Smart contractors realize that projects that take too long to complete often experience cost slippage, where actual costs exceed the original planned cost. Cost slippage on fixed price jobs falls straight to the bottom line. Cost slippage and delays on time and materials billing jobs may not show up directly in financial performance, but can cause customer dissatisfaction which will erode reputation and have a negative effect on the bottom line over time.
A scheduling program can help orchestrate the intricate plan of an efficient project by identifying:
A schedule should take into account the order in which tasks must be performed, which tasks must be completed before the next can be started, and which tasks can be performed simultaneously. In some organizations, the availability of resources such as specific employees, subcontractors or equipment may be limited and if they are assigned to another project, the schedule for this project may be affected as well, so resource planning and conflict identification can be important. Contractors that are consistent and effective schedulers find that their subcontractors and employees appreciate knowing when they are expected to perform tasks and how long they have to perform them. By periodically updating schedules, contractors can identify changes to the original schedule resulting from taking more or less time than planned for completed tasks and project new task starting times for subsequent tasks. Effective project managers can then promptly notify resources assigned to these subsequent tasks of these changes and help them adjust their own schedules.
I often find that managers of my clients are surprised to find that Sage 100 Contractor has had an effective scheduling module built in to the core system for many years! They are looking to acquire a scheduling program when they have had one in their office for as long as they’ve had Sage100 Contractor and its predecessors.
Scheduling can be quite complex, between building task lists, estimating task durations, identifying and defining task predecessors, estimating lead and lag times and putting it all together into a coherent schedule. Scheduling is one of the many processes that usually isn’t perfect “out of the box” and benefits greatly from ongoing refinements gleaned from job autopsies.
Contact us for assistance and more information about the scheduling module.
A scheduling program can help orchestrate the intricate plan of an efficient project by identifying:
- The work or tasks required to complete a project, and estimating how many days it should take to perform the tasks
- The resources needed to complete those tasks, whether employees, equipment or subcontractors
- The ordering of materials, especially those that must be special ordered and may have long lead time
- The arranging for inspections required by building codes
- The timing of billings, especially those dependent upon specified milestones in the project’s completion
A schedule should take into account the order in which tasks must be performed, which tasks must be completed before the next can be started, and which tasks can be performed simultaneously. In some organizations, the availability of resources such as specific employees, subcontractors or equipment may be limited and if they are assigned to another project, the schedule for this project may be affected as well, so resource planning and conflict identification can be important. Contractors that are consistent and effective schedulers find that their subcontractors and employees appreciate knowing when they are expected to perform tasks and how long they have to perform them. By periodically updating schedules, contractors can identify changes to the original schedule resulting from taking more or less time than planned for completed tasks and project new task starting times for subsequent tasks. Effective project managers can then promptly notify resources assigned to these subsequent tasks of these changes and help them adjust their own schedules.
I often find that managers of my clients are surprised to find that Sage 100 Contractor has had an effective scheduling module built in to the core system for many years! They are looking to acquire a scheduling program when they have had one in their office for as long as they’ve had Sage100 Contractor and its predecessors.
Scheduling can be quite complex, between building task lists, estimating task durations, identifying and defining task predecessors, estimating lead and lag times and putting it all together into a coherent schedule. Scheduling is one of the many processes that usually isn’t perfect “out of the box” and benefits greatly from ongoing refinements gleaned from job autopsies.
Contact us for assistance and more information about the scheduling module.
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