What s New in BUILD2WIN Version 3.2

Transcription

1 What s New in BUILD2WIN Version 3.2 BID2WIN Software, Inc. Published June 13, 2012 Abstract BUILD2WIN version 3.2 includes many exciting new features which add even more power and flexibility to your field tracking and logistics experience, including a brand new resource type for miscellaneous resources, equipment rate classes, and for Logistics users, the ability to schedule and fulfill material deliveries. This document provides a brief overview of these and other new features included in the latest version of the BUILD2WIN Product Suite. As always, more detailed information can be found within BUILD2WIN s online help system.

2 The information contained in this document represents the current view of BID2WIN Software, Inc. on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because BID2WIN Software must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of BID2WIN Software, and BID2WIN Software cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only. BID2WIN SOFTWARE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of BID2WIN Software Incorporated. BID2WIN Software may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from BID2WIN Software, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. The example companies, organizations, products, people and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, person or event is intended or should be inferred BID2WIN Software, Incorporated. All rights reserved. BID2WIN Software, Inc. and BUILD2WIN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of BID2WIN Software Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Version 1.0

3 Contents New Features Overview... 1 BUILD2WIN Field... 1 BUILD2WIN Logistics... 2 Better Visibility For Estimated Production Rates... 3 New Job-Level Security Setting For Project Managers... 6 Customizable Field Log Section And Property Labels... 8 Miscellaneous Resources Equipment Rate Classes Ability To Specify That Specific Custom Properties Require Values New Security Settings For Logistics Areas New Multi-Select Filters On Job Board And Map Material Deliveries... 22

4 New Features Overview BUILD2WIN Field Feature Better Visibility For Estimated Production Rates New Job-Level Security Setting For Project Managers Customizable Field Log Section And Property Labels Miscellaneous Resources Equipment Rate Classes Ability To Specify That Specific Custom Properties Require Values Enhancements To New Field Log Wizard Disable Delivered Columns For Materials Description BUILD2WIN has been enhanced to display more information about the way each tracking account was estimated, in the form of estimated crew production rates at the tracking account level, and within the field log. Learn more about this feature on page 3. As the number of jobs within your BUILD2WIN database grows, it becomes even more important to ensure that your Job Listing tab remains as orderly as possible for users who access it on a regular basis. As it applies to project managers, it often makes sense both from a usability and security standpoint to specify that the listing tab only lists jobs that are assigned to the project manager who is viewing the list. Learn more about this feature on page 6. You now have the ability to apply even more customizations to BUILD2WIN s already vastly customizable field log interface. With the new ability to re-label each section and column within your field log, BUILD2WIN will achieve even greater acceptance amongst your end users. Learn more about this feature on page 8. The BUILD2WIN Product Suite now includes a brand new resource type called Miscellaneous, and a corresponding section within the Field Logs area to which miscellaneous resources may be added and tracked against estimated miscellaneous costs. Learn more about this feature on page 10. BUILD2WIN now allows you to create an unlimited number of equipment rate classes, where each piece of equipment may be assigned rate class specific hourly costs. This new model works in a way that is very similar to the labor rate class model you re already used to. At the job level, each job may be assigned a default equipment rate class, and overridden as needed within your field logs when appropriate. Learn more about this feature on page 13. BUILD2WIN now allows you to specify that foremen are required to fill in values for specific custom properties. These settings are stored at the business unit level, allowing you to specify that certain custom properties are required for some business units, but not others. Learn more about this feature on page 16. When creating a new field log and copying information from Logistics, assignment notes will be copied into the applicable notes fields for employees and equipment. You also now have the ability to indicate that you wish to copy the relationship between employees and equipment as suggested by the way assignments are nested within each other within Logistics. You now have the ability to disable the columns representing delivered quantities for materials within the field logs area. This option is configurable on a per-business-unit basis. What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 1

5 BUILD2WIN Logistics Feature New Security Settings For Logistics Areas New Multi-Select Filters On Job Board And Map Material Deliveries Ability To Hide Parked Equipment On Job Board & Map Ability To Create Assignments By Dragging Parked Equipment Tooltip Enhancements Save & New Button On Equipment Move Dialog Description Within the Security Roles area, each of the main tabs within BUILD2WIN Logistics (Job Board, Moves, Trucking, Deliveries, and Map) is now securable, allowing you to specify which groups of users may access each of the main areas. Additionally, you may now specify exactly which types of entities (assignments, material orders, moves, and needs) a group of users is allowed to create, view, edit, or delete. Learn more about this feature on page 19. BUILD2WIN now allows you to filter both the Job Board and Map by Job Site Category, Job Site Supervisor, Place Category, and Business Unit. These filtering options are multi-select allowing you limitless combinations of filtering options. Learn more about this feature on page 21. BUILD2WIN now includes a brand new tab which allows you to schedule the deliveries of temporary materials to job sites, including a light inventory management interface. Also included are enhancements to the Material Order dialog. Learn more about this feature on page 22. To help keep your Job Board locations as manageable and streamlined as possible, you now have the ability to specify whether or not you wish to see parked equipment (equipment which has a location property but no current assignment) within your locations. If you DO choose to display parked equipment on the Job Board, you may now create assignments by dragging and dropping the parked equipment from one location to another, rather than having to locate the corresponding equipment resource within your Resources Pane. You may now view employee phone numbers in Resource Pane tooltips, and Project Manager Names in Job Board tooltips. It s now much easier to create a series of equipment moves without needed to continually reopen the Equipment Move dialog. New Standard Reports The following new standard reports are included with BUILD2WIN 3.2: Daily Material Deliveries Drivers Report Daily Material Deliveries Summary Daily Trucking Drivers Report Daily Trucking Summary Trackable Materials Report Weekly Plant Report What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 2

6 Better Visibility For Estimated Production Rates BUILD2WIN has been enhanced to display more information about the way each tracking account was estimated, in the form of estimated crew production rates at the tracking account level, and within the field log. The following example demonstrates the new ability to view estimated production rates within your jobs and field logs: A. In order to communicate estimated production rate information from BID2WIN to BUILD2WIN, a new setting has been added to the BUILD2WIN export add-in. To access the settings for this add-in, start by launching BID2WIN Estimating & Bidding. B. Click the Tools menu and then select Options. C. Under the Import/Export folder, select Export Settings and then choose BUILD2WIN, as shown below: D. Verify that the setting labeled Export Production Rates is set to Yes, as shown above. E. Export an estimate to BUILD2WIN, just as you normally would. If there are no estimates which need to be exported, you could consider changing the job number for a previously exported estimate, then re-exporting it to BUILD2WIN to serve as an example. You can delete the new job within BUILD2WIN at the end of this example if you wish. F. Launch BUILD2WIN, and open the job corresponding to the estimate you exported in the previous step. Within the job, navigate to the Tracking Account tab. Notice how there is a new column for Est. Prod. Rate, as shown on the next page. What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 3

7 G. Optionally, you may also configure the Accounts section within your field log to display estimated production rates for each account added to your field log. To access these settings, navigate to the Setup area. Click the Business Units link, click the name of the business unit whose settings you wish to configure, and then click the Field Log Settings tab. H. Click the Edit Field Log Settings button near the top of the page, and then scroll down to the section labeled Production Accounts. Click the Add Production Account Columns button. Select Estimated Production Rate and then click Add, as shown below. What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 4

8 I. Once you ve saved your changes, the next time you create a new field log (or edit an existing field log) you will see production rate information for each account added to the field log. This gives your foremen visibility into the estimator s sense of how quickly the work might be performed in the field. An example is shown below: Note: Exporting estimated crew production rates from BID2WIN is only possible when there is a single crew within the exported tracking account. Otherwise, BUILD2WIN would be forced to combine and average multiple production rates, potentially over multiple units of measure, leading to meaningless numbers. In cases like this, the estimated production rate field will remain blank, allowing you to manually enter a rate if so desired. What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 5

9 New Job-Level Security Setting For Project Managers As the number of jobs within your BUILD2WIN database grows, it becomes even more important to ensure that your Job Listing tab remains as orderly as possible for users who access it on a regular basis. As it applies to project managers, it often makes sense both from a usability and security standpoint to specify that the listing tab only lists jobs that are assigned to the project manager who is viewing the list. The following example demonstrates this new security setting: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Setup area. Click the Security Roles link as shown below: B. On the Security Role Listing page, click the Edit button next to one of your security roles, as shown below: What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 6

10 C. On the Security Role Edit page, notice the new setting labeled View Only Jobs Where User is Project Manager. A green dot next to this setting means True. When this setting is set to True, users belonging to this group will be unable to see jobs unless they are assigned to the job as the project manager. D. This feature has two primary benefits. From a security standpoint, it prevents users from mistakenly accessing or modifying a job where they have no responsibility. From a usability standpoint, it prevents the project manager from having to weed through a lengthy list of jobs which do not apply to them. Keep in mind that this new setting works within the scope established by the security setting indicated by figure 1 in the screenshot above. In other words, the setting labeled 1 specifies the realm of jobs that the user may potentially see, and the new setting labeled 2 further narrows the list of jobs the user can see within that scope. What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 7

11 Customizable Field Log Section And Property Labels You now have the ability to apply even more customizations to BUILD2WIN s already vastly customizable field log interface. With the new ability to re-label each section and column within your field log, BUILD2WIN will achieve even greater acceptance amongst your end users. The following example demonstrates the ability to customize field log section and field labels: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Setup area. Click the Business Units link as shown below: B. Click the name of the business unit whose settings you wish to configure, and then click the Field Log Settings tab. C. Click the Edit Field Log Settings button near the top of the page, and then scroll down to the section labeled Equipment. D. Notice the new field labeled Custom Display Name. If you wish to specify a new label for an entire field log section, simply enter your label in this field. In the example on the next page, the Equipment section has been relabeled Plant Equipment. What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 8

12 E. Also note the custom display name properties for the individual columns which appear within each section. In the example above, figure 2 demonstrates how the column typically called Description has been relabeled Plant EQ Desc. F. An example of how both types of relabeling affects the field log edit page is shown below: What s New in BUILD2WIN 3.2 9

13 Miscellaneous Resources The BUILD2WIN Product Suite now includes a brand new resource type called Miscellaneous, and a corresponding section within the Field Logs area to which miscellaneous resources may be added and tracked against estimated miscellaneous costs. The following example introduces you to BUILD2WIN s new Miscellaneous Resource: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Resources area. Click the Miscellaneous link, as shown below: B. The Miscellaneous Listing page appears. Here, you may create new miscellaneous resources or review a list of previously created resources. Below are some common examples. What s New in BUILD2WIN

14 C. To let BUILD2WIN know that you wish to see the new Miscellaneous section within your field logs, click the Setup tab near the top of your screen, and then click the Business Units link as shown below. D. Click the name of the appropriate business unit, and then click the Field Log Settings tab. E. Click the Edit Field Log Settings button near the top of the page, and then scroll down to the very bottom of the page. Place a checkmark next to the setting labeled Show Miscellaneous Section, as shown below. Optionally, you may also wish to take a moment to customize your sorting options, as well as the column configuration which will be used within your field logs area. What s New in BUILD2WIN

15 F. Save your changes, and then navigate to the Field Logs tag. Open a field log which belongs to the business unit whose settings you edited in the previous step. G. Scroll to the bottom of the Field Log Edit page and notice the new Miscellaneous section. Click the Add Miscellaneous button to launch the Add To Field Log dialog. Notice how you now have the ability to add Miscellaneous resources, as shown below: Note: Custom properties may be created for Miscellaneous resources, just like most other types of resources. Custom Properties are created within BUILD2WIN s Setup area. What s New in BUILD2WIN

16 Equipment Rate Classes BUILD2WIN now allows you to create an unlimited number of equipment rate classes, where each piece of equipment may be assigned rate-class-specific hourly costs. This new model works in a way that is very similar to the labor rate class model you re already used to. At the job level, each job may be assigned a default equipment rate class which may then be overridden as needed within your field logs. The following example demonstrates BUILD2WIN s new equipment rate classes area: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Resources area. Click Equipment Rate Classes, as shown below: B. On the Equipment Rate Class Listing page you will see the name of at least one equipment rate class. Click the name of any equipment rate class, as shown below. What s New in BUILD2WIN

17 Note: When you update to BUILD2WIN 3.2 from an earlier version of BUILD2WIN, the update process automatically creates a Standard equipment rate class to which your current equipment rates are copied. C. On the Equipment Rate Class View page, notice how equipment hourly costs are now entered at the rate class level, as opposed to previous versions of BUILD2WIN where equipment rates were entered on the Detail tab for each piece of equipment. This means that all equipment rates can be modified in one easy place, avoiding unnecessary navigation from page to page. D. The other key benefit of the new equipment rates class feature is the ability to record varying rates for individaul equipment records for certain variables. For example, you may wish to create one equipment rate class for local rates, and another for different rates that apply when you do work outside of a certain radius. E. Take a moment to navigate to the Jobs tab, and then click the Edit button next to any one of your jobs. F. On the General Information tab, notice the new setting for Default Equipment Rate Class, as shown on the next page. This information is communicated from BID2WIN Estimating & Bidding each time you export an estimate to BUILD2WIN, and represents the default equipment rate class which will be used on field logs you create within a particular job. Note: In order for the default equipment rate class from your BID2WIN estimate to match to an equipment rate class within BUILD2WIN, the descriptions for the two corresponding rate classes must be exact matches. What s New in BUILD2WIN

18 G. Note that you may also enable the Equipment Rate Class column within your field logs, if you would like your foremen to have the ability to override the default equipment rate class on a per field log basis. This configuration is done within BUILD2WIN s Setup area, within the Business Unit Field Log Settings tab. What s New in BUILD2WIN

19 Ability To Specify That Specific Custom Properties Require Values BUILD2WIN now allows you to specify that foremen are required to fill in values for specific custom properties. These settings are stored at the business unit level, allowing you to specify that certain custom properties are required for some business units, but not others. The following exercise introduces you to the process of specifying that a custom property must have a value assigned before a field log may be saved. The following example demonstrates this new feature: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Setup area. Click the Business Units link as shown below: B. Click the name of the business unit whose settings you wish to configure, and then click the Field Log Settings tab. C. Click the Edit Field Log Settings button near the top of the page, and then scroll down to the section labeled General Information. D. Click the Add General Information Fields button, as shown on the next page. Locate and select a custom property, and then click the Add button. What s New in BUILD2WIN

20 E. Finally, place a checkmark next to the Required setting, as shown below, and then save your changes. F. Navigate to any field log belonging to the business unit whose settings you edited in the previous step. Notice how your custom property appears within the General Information section near the top of the Field Log Edit page. What s New in BUILD2WIN

21 G. First, attempt to save your field log without selecting a value for your custom property. Notice the warning message that appears at the top of the page, and also notice how BUILD2WIN highlights the required field to make it easy for you to locate and correct, as shown in the example below. H. Finally, select a value for your custom property, and then save your changes again. BUILD2WIN should now allow the save to complete. Note: This feature pertains only to certain types of custom properties. Yes/No, number, and currency custom properties may not be flagged as required, as it is impossible for these types of properties to NOT have a value. (The default value for number and currency properties is always 'zero'.) What s New in BUILD2WIN

22 New Security Settings For Logistics Areas Within the Security Roles area, each of the main tabs within BUILD2WIN Logistics is now securable, allowing you to specify which groups of users may access each of the main areas. Additionally, you may now specify exactly which types of entities (assignments, orders, moves, and needs) a group of users is allowed to create, view, edit, or delete. The following example demonstrates this new security setting: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Setup area. Click the Security Roles link as shown below: B. On the Security Role Listing page, click the Edit button next to one of your security roles, as shown below: What s New in BUILD2WIN

23 C. On the Security Role Edit page, scroll to the new section labeled Logistics and review the new permission settings as shown below: What s New in BUILD2WIN

24 New Multi-Select Filters On Job Board And Map BUILD2WIN now allows you to filter both the Job Board and Map by Job Site Category, Job Site Supervisor, Place Category, and Business Unit. These filtering options are multi-select allowing you limitless combinations of filtering options. The following exercise introduces you to the new filtering abilities within BUILD2WIN s Job Board area: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Logistics area, and then click the Job Board tab. B. Near the top of the Job Board, open the combo box labeled Filters. Take a moment to experiment with selecting various filters. Note that since this is a multi-select combo box, multiple filters may be selected at the same time. In the example below, the screen has been filters to show bridge and paving jobs. C. Note that you may also choose to remove various pieces of job board clutter by specifying that you wish to hide empty locations, or hide parked equipment. This creates a much cleaner job board environment, helping you to keep your focus on the locations and assignments you re working on. D. Take a moment to click to the Map page within BUILD2WIN Logistics. Note that similar filter settings exist here as well. Your filter preferences for each of these two pages are remembered for your user account, so even if you close and reopen BUILD2WIN your filter preferences will be retained. What s New in BUILD2WIN

25 Material Deliveries BUILD2WIN's Deliveries tab allows you to create and review your material orders, and configure your transport requirements to ensure that your materials temporary materials are delivered on time to each job site where they are required. Below is a brief introduction to the new Material Deliveries tab within BUILD2WIN Logistics: A. Launch BUILD2WIN and navigate to the Logistics area, and then click the Deliveries tab as shown below: B. To create a brand new material order for a single material by clicking the New Material Order button within the toolbar area. Below is an example of the Material Order dialog, along with descriptions of the various fields: Transport - For this type of material order, choose Delivered. Material - The material to which this order applies. Quantity - The quantity of material represented by this order. Source - Select the vendor or location from which the material is being loaded. What s New in BUILD2WIN

26 Destination - The customer or location to which the material should be delivered. Alt. Address - Optionally, you may enter an address to use as an override. This is only applicable when you ve selected a Customer as your destination. Requested by - The person who requested the material. Requested on - The date on which the request was made. Needed by - The date - and optionally the time - at which the material must be delivered. Notes - Notes or special information pertaining to this material order. C. There may also be occasions when you wish to create an order for several materials at the same time. Simply click the Multiple Material Order Request button within the toolbar area to begin this process. Below is an example of the Material Order dialog, along with descriptions of the various fields: Destination - The customer or location to which these materials should be delivered. Alt. Address - Optionally, when selecting a customer you may enter an address to use as an override. This is only applicable when you ve selected a Customer as your destination. Requested on - The date on which the request was made. For each material in your Multiple Material Order Request, you may enter the following: Material - The material to which this order applies. Quantity - The quantity of material represented by this order. Needed by - The date - and optionally the time - at which the material must be delivered. Requested by - The person who requested the material. Transport - For this type of material order, choose Delivered. Notes - Notes or special information pertaining to this material order. D. Another key operation performed on the Deliveries tab is the process of assigning materials to a load for delivery. To create a material load, simply right-click the material order within the Material Orders pane, and select Create Load. E. To assign resources to a material load, locate the desired resources within the Resources Pane, and drag them to the material load. This is very similar to the process of assigning drivers to equipment moves on the Moves tab. F. To edit information about a material load (for example, to add notes, adjust material quantities, or indicate that a material has been loaded) you must first click the Edit button on the far left of the material load row. To save your changes, click the Save button. To cancel your changes, click the Cancel button. These buttons are highlighted in the image on the next page: What s New in BUILD2WIN

27 G. Finally, to indicate that a delivery is complete, simply place a checkmark in the column labeled Complete. What s New in BUILD2WIN