Paradigm-360

Responsive Web Design

Jerrald Hayes — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:20:42 +0000

Once upon a time the big concern in designing and deploying your website was how would it look in all the different web browsers that were out there and how would it look when your users went to print out the page.

Times change and the concerns a web designer/producer faces continue to change too.

Today the primary concern for a web designer/producer may indeed be what kind of device or devices will the website be viewed on. In addition to laptop and desktop computers we also have BlackBerries, iPhones, iPads, netbooks, Kindles and undoubtedly there will be more to come.

Web designer/producers are now interested in what we know as "Responsive Web Design" which is where the: "

…design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation. The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries. As the user switches from their laptop to iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. In other words, the website should have the technology to automatically respond to the user’s preferences. This would eliminate the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market. (Responsive Web Design: What It Is and How To Use It – SmashingMagazine.com)

A great article with some visual examples of just how this works can be found here: Responsive Web Design: 50 Examples and Best Practices -DesignModoAn excellent example of how this works is second example they have there in their article for ‘Andersson-Wise Architects‘ so anyone in the building and remodeling industry wondering how this would apply to them should have no problem seeing how important this can be.

Responsive Web Design: 50 Examples and Best Practices -DesignModo
The Andersson-Wise Architects example

Maintaining a web site’s personality and feel and as a result maintaining the brand identity of a company across all those platforms is the new challenge web designer/producers face today.

P.S. this is another good reason supporting Why We Generally Don’t Use Flash.

For some futher information and education regarding Repsonsive Web Design may I suggest a few books and web articles:

The Cook Doctrine: Apple is more than Steve Jobs.

J. Jerrald Hayes — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:53:30 +0000

From back in 2009 in a list of “We believes…” the unflappable Tim Cook. interim CEO of Apple, demonstrated that Apple is more than Steve Jobs.

“We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and thats not changing. We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we dont settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when were wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well.”

Steve Jobs 1955—2011

J. Jerrald Hayes — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:23:52 +0000

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More About QuickEye, The Plan Take Off Tool for “The Rest of Us”

J. Jerrald Hayes — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:12:24 +0000

My friends over at QuickEye, the new Plan Take-off tool for the Macintosh (and yes it works on Windows too but we’re all Mac Users here right?), have put together a bunch of videos to better aquaint building and remodeling company owners and/or lead estimators who are invested in the bottom line performance of the company with the features and advantages of their toolset.

As the owner of a construction company: What’s your biggest concern?
Estimating Errors	Time to Bid
Printing Costs	Handling PDFs
Working Remotely	Managing Estimators

Now that as MacUsers we finally have Plan Take-off tool I’d be really interested in hearing what you all think.

Another Earthquake,…Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple.

J. Jerrald Hayes — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:41:09 +0000

Another earthquake, one we all knew was coming but always hoped it would be later rather than sooner hit only minutes ago.

Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple.

Apple, Inc. released this message from Steve:

PRESS RELEASE: Letter from Steve Jobs

August 24, 2011-To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you

I find myself alittle stunned by this and at a loss for words but while it seems right now that Steve Jobs will stay on in his role a Chairman of the Board we all wish him the best and know he is doing the right thing for himself and has prepared Apple well to continue on without him at the helm. His inovation and business DNA will continue on.

One of my favorite most inspiring Apple advertising pieces…

QuickEye: A Plan Take Off Tool for “The Rest of Us”

J. Jerrald Hayes — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:13:58 +0000

Up until now Mac Users who wanted a take-off tool to work with drawings from plan rooms or work with drawing that came from anywhere for that matter found themselves left out in the cold and they had to devote a machine (virtual or otherwise) to run the Windows OS with one of Windows based Take Off tools.

Well now there’s QuickEye and while it does bring a rich set of take-off features to the Mac platform its’ also for Windows users too.

They say on thier website:

"With only one to three hours invested in learning and setup, you will gain one to two hours each day in productivity."

It took me a lot less than that. They have a regulary updated schedule of Go To Meeting based taining classes that you can just call them about and speak to one of the trainers .

If you’re ready to go and want to get started right away visit their Account Setup & Purchase License page to get yourself started.

‘How Much Should I Charge?’ & ‘Where Did The Money Go’ get a Facelift

J. Jerrald Hayes — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:18:23 +0000

Well it looks like Ellen Rohr’s two great books that I so often recommend , How Much Should I Charge? Pricing Basics For Making Money Doing What You Love and Where Did the Money Go?: Accounting Basics for the Business Owner Who Wants to Get Profitable, have gotten a makeover or facelift. Notice however I said “a makeover” not “revised.” The covers are new but so far I can’t see anything on the new Amazon pages or on her web site that indicates there’s any new or revised content but still they’re great books and essentials for the contractor just starting out.

How Much Should I Charge?: Pricing Basics for Making Money Doing What You Love

By Ellen Rohr

Price: $14.95 & eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime

While she never uses the phrase ‘Capacity Based Markup‘ in plain simple language that anyone can understand Ellen Rohr lays out and explains the mechanics of setting a price for your work using the ‘Capacity Based Markup’ methodology.

Where Did the Money Go?: Accounting Basics for the Business Owner Who Wants to Get Profitable

By Ellen Rohr
Price: $14.99 & eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime

The excellent companion book that explains financial language and the necessary financial thinking we all need to know in colloquial terms that makes sense to anyone.

More On Using Canned Data

J. Jerrald Hayes — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:44:04 +0000

I’ve also written a little bit about the problem with canned estimating data before (On Using “Canned” Estimating Data) but while working with some contractor clients these past few weeks on both developing their own customized data and importing some data from some of the data books that are out there I picked up on some other intrinsic problems with pricing manuals and data books that I haven’t heard anyone really call attention to before.

Case One:

In considering the cost of installing field tile I noticed that for installing the exact same size 4-1/4” x 4-1/4” field tile that two different books from two different publishers one had a Labor Hour figure for that same task that was 41% higher than the other.

So which one is right?

To tell you the truth,…they both are. It really all depends upon how the estimator interprets the data and which one most accurately depicts the way your company performs the task described.

As I written here before:

A contractor estimator needs to look at the “canned” book figures for labor hours as starting benchmarks, they are not absolutes. The labor hour units are standard as to “generally speaking” but individual as to interpretation. They are based on valid statistical samples that those publishers have researched but we don’t know the exact criteria they had in mind so they are subject to interpretation, in fact your interpretation. Use those data book labor figures with your own interpretation of their meaning. If it “sounds right” then go ahead and use it and monitor the results to see how accurate your judgment and interpretation actually turned out to be.

Also in talking with my client(s) about those figures for laying tile it was my considered opinion that laying tile that makes up an edge where you have to cut the tile is perhaps twice as labor intensive as the general field so to really develop a good pricing system for tiling you need a SF Labor Hour figure for the main body tile and a LF Labor Hour figure for the edges.

While I think any tile installer will tell you it is more expensive to lay tile on the diagonal than in a square grid pattern it is really only the perimeter edge work which is more labor intensive and therefore more expensive than the field where you are essentially laying full square tiles just like you do in a basic square grid installation.

I have yet to see a data book that mentions that or gives a special labor rate for that consideration.

What is essentially that same thinking then again also applies to other task such as installing trim for instance. If you strictly use a LF (Linear Foot) Labor Hour figure for installing trim when you get to that quirky 14′ x 16′ library that instead of just having 6 corners requiring miters or copes instead has 36 that price per LF wont work. You need to have a Labor Hour per joint figure for work that exceeds a typical amount of cuts in a space.

Case Two

Lets say that a hypothetical Kitchen and Bath Contractor is perfectly happy with one of those tile installation figures for the work his or her own employees do. The labor cost plus the material cost figure regardless of which markup method you use, Capacity Based or Volume Based, gets marked up to give you a price for that task.

The next thing the estimator does is look for the task of installing the sink, toilet and shower and again a markup is applied to that to give you a Price for that group of tasks.

The problem is that the "Price" that comes out of that book or software with the markup applied is really the "Price" a plumber should charge for that work. The "Price" the book is telling you to charge your customer is actually more realistically the "Price" you are going to pay your plumber for the work. That book "Price" is actually really your "Cost." If you use that figure to charge your client you wont make a dime on that subcontracted work even though you thought an appropriate markup was applied to it.

And Case Three

After correcting and adjusting some imported data for roofing for that subcontracted work markup problem I just mentioned I noticed that the base costs for some of the material budget costs seemed off to me.

Checking the figures that that particular book was giving I made some calls and compared them to some real material cost figures from actual real suppliers.

The cost they had designated in that particular book and data set I was working with for Laminated Lifetime Shingles was 211% higher that what the local cost actually is and the cost for the "economy" alternative 3-Tab 25 Year Shingles was 35% lower than what the local cost for those shingles are. You therefore might overprice yourself out of the better LifeTime shingle job or lose money providing the economy alternative if you trusted the book data.

Again I think this all goes back to what I said earlier.

…Use those data book labor figures with your own interpretation of their meaning. If it “sounds right” then go ahead and use it and monitor the results to see how accurate your judgment and interpretation actually turned out to be.

Actually come to think of it. I wouldn’t wait for the results to come in to see how accurate your judgment and interpretation is. I would check the figures before ever using them in an estimate.

Productivity: The debate over one-person (lead carpenter concept) vs. two (or more) person crews

J. Jerrald Hayes — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:49:01 +0000

I’ve been thinking about the issue of "productivity" and the debate over one-person (lead carpenter concept) vs. two (or more) person crews.

When I open up my estimating application or crack open a copy of R.S. Means’ Repair and Remodeling Cost Data I might see a line item that looks like this:

Description	Crew	Daily Output	Qty	Labor Hours
Interior,passage door, 4-5/8 solid jamb,Luan finish, solid core, 1-3/8" x 6′-8" x 2′-6" wide	2 Carp	20	ea.	.800

Lets say I have a job to install twenty of just the door they are describing there. I’m going to use that .800 Labor Hours figure times the number of doors (20) to come up with a figure of 16 Labor Hours to install the twenty doors. While I think that generally speaking hanging doors is a solo carpenter job I can see there that R.S. Means has based there figures on a two person crew. I going to interpret that to mean that while they may see the task as primarily solo too they feel there are times when having and extra set of hands can sometimes help so the .800 Labor Hours per door figure is based on that. So I go with that and let that be my guide.

I will then take that 16 Labor Hours to install the twenty doors and then multiply it by my Loaded Labor Rate of $85 per hour to come up with a Price of $1360 to install those doors. My Cost Estimate is done.

The text I’ve highlighted in bold red goes to so questions I have regarding productivity. When I first began to look at the topic of "How long does it (really) take to do something that’s been estimated to take 200 labor hours?" (JLC-Estimating & Markup Forum—Estimating Conundrum #2 How long… March of 2003) I was trying then to look at it in almost a generic form without looking at the issues of crew size so that I could examine some very basic scheduling issues.

The truth of the matter ( and there were plenty of people who brought it to my attention back then too) is that there are very very few tasks in general building and remodeling that productivity isn’t effected by crew size.

While (I used to) hang doors all the time and I still recall my own personal solo record of 17 in an eight hour day back in ’96 I also recall that I almost killed myself doing it and it took me days to recover from it so while I might have been ultra productive that one day I sure the days that followed were below average performance.

Regardless I mentioned above that while I personally see hanging doors as a solo carpenter activity (I could be wrong about that) I really see it done most efficiently by a two man crew so that on those occasions where you need an extra hand you don’t lose you productivity because your struggling to physically.

Despite what Walt Stopplewerth and the HomeTech school of thinking people seem to be advocating regarding using a one man crew I’m not at all convinced it’s the most productive way to get things done.

From Home Techs Frequently Asked Questions:

What Crew Types Do You Use When Determining Labor Costs?

The simple answer is ‘all types of crews’. We do not believe that the price for a specific amount of production changes depending on the crew mix. Let me give you an example. One contractor uses an experienced lead carpenter to do framing by himself. Another uses an average carpenter with a helper. The first contractor pays the lead carpenter a total of $30 an hour and he finishes the job in 10 hours. His cost is $300. The second contractor pays his carpenter only $22.50 an hour and the helper $15 an hour and they finish the job in only 8 hours. His cost is also $300. Both companies used different crew mixes but the per unit or per job cost is the same.

We have found that with stable, profitable companies, crew mixes do not substantial change the unit costs. So if you are paying your employees what they are worth, 100 square feet of wall framing should cost you the same whether you use a one or two man crew.

One problem I have with that is it just doesn’t quite work out that way in the real world. While not true of every task there are a lot of gains to be made at time by just having that extra time or perhaps it’s better stated that the extra time it takes to do a particular task all by yourself can be eliminated by having that "extra hand" on call from time to time.

But again,… it depends upon the task. And it certainly worth keeping in mind what is spoken about in software development circles as Brookes Law: "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later" which also has it’s humorous corollary "Nine women can’t make a baby in one month."

In his book The Mythical Man Month Brookes himself stated that that "law" was a "outrageous oversimplification" he gives two reasons why it is so often true (from Wikipedia Brooks Law):

It takes some time for the people added to a project to become productive. Brooks calls this the "ramp up" time. Software projects are complex engineering endeavors, and new workers on the project must first become educated about the work that has preceded them; this education requires diverting resources already working on the project, temporarily diminishing their productivity while the new workers are not yet contributing meaningfully. Each new worker also needs to integrate with a team composed of multiple engineers who must educate the new worker in their area of expertise in the code base, day by day. In addition to reducing the contribution of experienced workers (because of the need to train), new workers may even have negative contributions – for example, if they introduce bugs that move the project further from completion.
Communication overheads increase as the number of people increases. The number of different communication channels increases along with the square of the number of people; doubling the number of people results in four times as many different conversations. Everyone working on the same task needs to keep in sync, so as more people are added they spend more time trying to find out what everyone else is doing.

While Brookes is talking about software development I am sure intelligent builders and remodelers can see how this applies to building and remodeling projects too.

The answer I think is just don’t throw bodies and resources at a project and expect it to get done faster. You need to design and engineer the work flow process to succeed.

In another article from the Home Tech web site on the Lead Carpenter Method: Home Techs Lead Carpenter Concept Overview:

Studies of remodeling have shown that the one-person crew is the most efficient: that first person is 80%-100% efficient, the second is 25% efficient, and the third is minus 5%.

While I never been a fan of the one man crew idea for safety reasons alone I also have to wonder,…what are those studies? This is one of my favorite pet topics and I have found tons of studies and papers on productivity over the years and I have never seen on that states that conclusion. Hey Home Tech how about a footnote?

My thinking,….well it depends upon the task and how that task is organized and planned in relationship to other tasks.

While it is possible (I’ve actually done it a couple of times) one man alone cannot (or should not ) really install a shop built stair by himself. But then again after the stair is installed to get the newels installed and the balustrade ready for installation doesn’t take two carpenters. But then again when it come times to install that balustrade once all the prep is done two or three hands makes short work of that process where one person would struggle with it for a while with a lot of wasted time and effort.

It makes perfect sense for the stair installer to have two other carpenters working on a non critical chain/path activity such as maybe running trim or hanging doors that he or she can interrupt and call away for assistance for a few minutes.

However (and while its unlikely in this sample case I’m making) if those other two carpenters are instead working on the critical chain/path task then calling them away slows and delays the completion of the whole project so the stair installer in interest of getting the whole project completed in the shortest duration of time is then better off , or the project is better off, with him or her finding a way to do it alone.

In other words it depends upon the overall project’s organization and logic.

So getting back to the point I’m looking to gather some thoughts on whether there is a big enough difference in productivity between a solo trades person and a two person crew that we need to really to go nuts paying attention to that when were estimating and then scheduling? When does it matter and when doesn’t it?

How do we “Think Lean” about this?

What are your thoughts?

On Using “Canned” Estimating Data

J. Jerrald Hayes — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:42:23 +0000

“Canned” Estimating Data is the phrase I use (and I’m sure many other professionals do to) to describe using estimating data that comes from an estimating data books such as companies like R.S. Means, Craftman’s, BNI, or RemodelMax produce although it can also mean the data that comes with a new estimating program.

As helpful as using that data can be to get yourself started there are some real intrinsic problems that come along with using that data as it comes right out of the can so to speak.

All the way back in 2001 in a discussion on the Uniformat & Masterformat classification systems in the JLC Online Forums years ago Jim Erwin the developer of the now defunct Synapse Software Buildworks once wrote regarding the use of “canned estimating data”:

Re: Uniformat & Masterformat systems IMHO, doing detailed item estimating for residential using national costbook prices is like using a community toothbrush. If someone is going to the time and effort of detailed item based estimating, they should only be doing it with their own regular items and the current prices that they pay. If they don’t want to make that effort, then they should be doing unit cost estimating with composite line items and historical data. Considering the narrow margins, high cost of delivering a finished product, and the risks of running a business, just “winging it” is a formula for disaster. Estimating is not a total solution. Defined work processes, effective controls, professional customer relations, and a method of measuring and comparing performance all have to be a part of a successful plan for profit.

And back in 2004 my friend Bob Kovacs in another JLC Online Forums discussion comparing two other estimating products Xactimate & HomeTech again got to the subject of using canned data.

RE: What are the Top Estimating Software Packages? …On top of Joe’s comments regarding output, I’d also be concerned with input. In other words, where is the data coming from that’s in the program? Most of the guys I know who use Xactimate and/or Hometech use the data that comes with the program, which scares the life out of me. They’re playing with the law of averages, hoping that their actual costs are lower than the programmed cost more often than they’re higher.

Given that, if you plan to insert your actual costs into the program, have you considered the time you’ll need to invest in setting all of that up and maintaining it? It’ll kinda negate the “advantage” of being able to download quarterly updates from Xactimate. Is the time needed to do that offset by the bells and whistles you see in using Xactimate over your current spreadsheet?

To which Joe Stoddard then also commented:

RE: What are the Top Estimating Software Packages? …I totally agree Bob – my belief is that everyone would be better helped if these packages shipped with a *blank* database, but that’s what sunk Quantum Leap. Everyone wants a magic button that gets them out of taking off a plan and calculating costs. One of my biggest challenges as a consultant is trying to get client expectations in order.

1) Just because there’s a cost next to an item, does not mean it’s YOUR cost – even if you subscribe to the “city update” or “local cost modification service” They’re a guess, not a fact.

2) Just because you can import a budget does NOT mean you don’t need to check it, add/subtract as necessary.

3) Just because there’s a suggested manhour count does not mean that’s your productivity, and it should not be the basis of your actual construction schedule. Xactimate does not have a separate “subcontractor” category (you simply set up items as lump sum, or hourly with no labor burden) – so therefore you have to assign/check durations when stuff imports over in to Project. I had a client who actually thought they could base their final construction schedule on the estimate without checking it or tweaking.

Worse, I actually had a client importing stock budgets from Xactimate into their accounting system, not checking them or tweaking, and then complaining bitterly about the estimating software because their job costing was all out of whack.

[...]

While I very much feel the same way as Jim Erwin, Bob, and Joe we do provide a starter set of data with our 360 Difference program that is based on all the data I have collected from various sources and modified over the years the keyword there being “MODIFIED.”

I think the data in the database books are a good place to start in that they provide both a framework to look at and organize your costs and they provide a starting point off of which you can begin to set up your own numbers. And by starting point let me further clarify that to say they should be used as a starting point for the labor hours assigned to a line item task. The actual cost for the labor and the cost for the materials really do have to be your very own numbers.

My own reasoning for that thinking is as follows. First of all if an estimate line item cost is based on three criteria; the labor hours the task takes times the labor cost plus the of materials by relying on your own numbers rather than the “canned” data for those costs you’ve just reduced your potential for error by 66% and your actual costs for labor and your costs for materials are relatively easy to pin down.

Labor cost can be pinned down and defined with tools like our own Capacity Based Markup Workbook or Diane Gilson’s Employee Cost & Pricing Analyzer™(eCPA) or just purchasing Ellen Rohr’s book How Much Should I Charge?: Pricing Basics for Making Money Doing What You Love and following the procedures in it with a pad, pencil and calculator.

As for material costs building a materials list of just what is needed is probably the very first thing we ever did the first time we ever did any project and while it is still possible to make errors it is a relatively simple objective task.

It’s estimating the labor hours that a task will take where the real difficulty of estimating comes into play because estimating that time contains so much subjective analysis and judgment.

A contractor estimator needs to look at the “canned” book figures for labor hours as starting benchmarks, they are not absolutes. The labor hour units are standard as to “generally speaking” but individual as to interpretation. They are based on valid statistical samples that those publishers have researched but we don’t know the exact criteria they had in mind so they are subject to interpretation, in fact your interpretation. Use those data book labor figures with your own interpretation of their meaning. If it “sounds right” then go ahead and use it an monitor the results to see how accurate your judgment and interpretation actually turned out to be.

One of the neat features I have programmed into the estimating module of our 360 Difference system is as you review and approve the starter database items or any “canned” database items in your unitcost costbook in the detail view for an individual line item you have a checkbox you can check off to indicate that the data components in that line item that you have “approved” and the software also gives you a visual cue or warning to let you know what data hasn’t yet been accepted and “approved” as your own company’s data.

Once you check off the Labor Materials External Sub Contractor or Equipment components as approved (You can lick on the thumbnail image on the left to see a screenshot of a line item detail and the thumbnail below to see a screenshot of the list of costbook items in that sub-category) the field containing the total for that particular component changes from pale orange to white and that pale orange flagging color is user modifiable too if you want to lets say change it to pale yellow or red.

The estimator can then quickly see if the data they are using in an estimate have been used before and has been modified or approved for their own company’s use and they can even review the date it was reviewed and approved too to make sure it is up to date and current.

I always cringe a little when we get a new user who has just bought my program that tells me they want to use it to produce and estimate they want to get out to a client next week! Geesh! That’s really not the right way to work with any new estimating program.

To really use any estimating program correctly and accurately you need to do your homework and spend some time setting it up correctly (and we’re very happy to work with and help our clients do just that from training then on how to do it themselves to working as their virtual assistants, like someone in their office, performing the set up process for them).

Our goal with 360 Difference Estimating is to give our users the tools , training and help our users need build a library of estimating data that is truly theirs.

While this may take some time and effort in the beginning it pays off in the long run due to both the accuracy of the costbook line items they’ve built and they no longer have to put their faith in money into purchasing cost books year to year with quarterly updates.