Archive for the ‘Project Scheduling’ Category
by Hard Dollar on March 31st, 2011
Okay, it’s time to put on your thinking cap!
What goes around the world but stays in a corner?
Give up yet? We’ll discuss the answer in a bit, but first, let’s talk about how managing projects doesn’t have to be as difficult as the above riddle. You shouldn’t invest in a system that will leave you scratching your head in confusion. Instead, you need the HD Project Cost Management that provides an easy-to-use solution and accessible help that creates powerful results.
It’s actually quite simple; here are a few ways that Hard Dollar is literally making your life easier:
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Posted in Blog, Financial Integration, Industry Best Practices, Project Controls, Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | Comments Off
by Hard Dollar on December 4th, 2009
Scottsdale, AZ – December 4, 2009 – Hard Dollar Corporation, the leader in Project Cost Management today announced the release of Advanced Progress Tracking, adding instant visibility into progress and performance on planned activities, with side-by-side comparisons of the most critical factors that affect project success. Advanced Progress Tracking measures progress while increasing visibility to owners and contractors, increasing profits by 9% on average on every project, with real-time cost and productivity status and direct integration into finance.
Existing HD users can leverage the system to view side-by-side estimate vs. progress comparisons with direct integration to accounting, without adding additional systems or infrastructure. “Users can proactively correct potential productivity issues with transparent visibility into production trends, truly managing the project,” states Ron Babich, Hard Dollar VP of Sales and Marketing. “Accounting integration enables man hours, equipment hours, and quantities to be imported into accounting software for payroll, without duplicating entry. Owners and Construction Managers can now receive accurate information faster, satisfying regulatory and contractual requirements,” said Babich.
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Tags: 5d bim, Earned Value Reporting, Estimating Software, Microsoft Project, Primavera, progress tracking, Project Cost Management, Scheduling Software
Posted in Financial Integration, Industry Best Practices, Project Controls, Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | Comments Off
by Hard Dollar on November 5th, 2009
Many of the world’s leading engineering and construction companies use Hard Dollar software to estimate and control project costs. Discover how the software’s live, 2-way integration with Microsoft Project and leading design tools can bring together all the critical aspects of a capital project, including 3-D design, cost, and schedule.
See the video of HD Estimating Software Featured on Microsoft Showcase.
Tags: Estimating Software, Microsoft Showcase
Posted in Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | Comments Off
by Hard Dollar on August 24th, 2009
Many times the effort involved in creating a pre-bid schedule seems not to be worth it. We are so busy just getting the quantity take-off done and the direct and overhead costs determined, any time to do a schedule just doesn’t seem to be available. We would like to know:
- Is the construction time less than the contract time?
- What is the construction time to determine any supervision costs?
- What is the impact of any liquidated damages?
With Hard Dollar Project Cost Management Software creating a pre-bid schedule is fast. Hard Dollar has the Cost Breakdown Structure that you determined, so all that is necessary is to send it out to a schedule system. The only time involved is in setting up a schedule with all the activities. Since Hard Dollar has the activities (Cost Items), the “setup” of data is already done.
A very preliminary schedule can be created with just the Level One (higher level of Cost Items) items. In just a few minutes, the linking can be done, and a rough schedule created. Instead of taking days, just a few minutes is needed.
The impact is to have a more complete picture of the job and all of its costs, so better decisions can be made before the proposal (tender) is submitted.
Click here to learn more about HD estimating software.
Tags: Estimating Software, Project Cost Management, Scheduling Software
Posted in Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | Comments Off
by Hard Dollar on May 12th, 2009
One of the biggest challenges to implementing earned value as a project management system is creating cost-loaded schedules. Time and time again we hear that creating the initial cost-loaded schedule is not too painful, but most engineering and construction projects are continually barraged with changes, making it extremely cumbersome to keep estimates and schedules in-sync as things change. Further, in many companies, estimating software and scheduling software are entirely separate disciplines, each of which may have a different perspective of the project. Earned value forces tighter interaction between these two disciplines, which is ultimately good for both the owner and the contractor. Many of the key elements of earned value require the integration of cost and schedule, including:
- Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS)
This value shows how much money should have been spent to accomplish the work performed on a project to date. This is the essence of earned value, as it reflects the value of the project put in place to date.
- Estimate At Completion (EAC)
This value shows the current forecasted cost at completion, based on the cost to date and the work remaining. When graphed over time, this value shows the owner of the project the expected spend level, which can be matched to budget levels to ensure adequate funding is available for the project.
Many estimating and scheduling software packages are adding features to address earned value, but currently HD estimating software is the only application that can dynamically link cost estimates to Microsoft Project and Primavera schedules. This live, two-way integration between cost and schedule can reduce the time and effort spent on earned value calculations by 50% to 90%.
Tags: Earned Value Management, Estimating Software, Microsoft Project, Primavera, Project Management, Scheduling Software
Posted in Financial Integration, Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | Comments Off
by Hard Dollar on April 24th, 2009
5D-BIM Server Integrates Design, Estimating, Scheduling, Project Controls, and Accounting
Hard Dollar’s 5D-BIM Server integrates the project lifecycle including Design, Estimating Software, Scheduling, Project Controls, and Accounting.
Industry Solutions:
Tags: 5D-BIM Server, Accounting, CAD Design, Environmental, Estimating Software, Industrial, Infrastructure, Oil & Gas, Project Controls, Project Lifecycle, Scheduling, Utilities
Posted in Hard Dollar News, Project Controls, Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | Comments Off
by Hard Dollar on April 14th, 2009
Equal Higher Profits And A Competitive Advantage
A+B bids, which continue to gain popularity for public works projects, are forcing contractors to re-think their estimating and bidding methodologies. In A+B bids, the contractor submits both a price (the “A” portion) and a duration (the “B” portion) as part of the bid package. The state or other government agency financing the project establishes a daily cost associated with the job, and multiplies that daily cost by the duration bid by each contractor. The contractor with the best combination of cost and duration – A+B – is awarded the work.
Because A+B bids typically include significant penalties for completing the project late, as well as bonuses for early completion, contractors must be able to effectively analyze the correlation between a project’s cost and its schedule. Even more important, contractors that can easily perform “what if?” analysis across both the estimate and the schedule have a unique advantage when it comes to A+B bids. A+B bids are driving contractors to re-evaluate the importance of scheduling during the estimating process. Hard Dollar’s dynamic, ‘oneness’ integration with Microsoft Project and Primavera gives our customers a highly compelling advantage when it comes to optimizing a project’s cost and schedule using different resource and productivity scenarios, crew sizes, shift arrangements, and more. Adding the schedule element gives sophisticated contractors an additional criteria on which to compete for business, so it’s not just low bid gets the job.
Click here to learn more about HD estimating software.
Tags: A Plus B Bids, Estimating Software, Microsoft Project, Primavera, Project Estimating
Posted in Financial Integration, Project Estimating, Project Scheduling | 1 Comment »
