Workflow “Quality Control” – what’s your process?

  • Workflow “Quality Control” – what’s your process?

    Posted by David Cutler on December 9, 2024 at 9:07 pm

    Currently my workflow has 4 basic steps:

    1. Complete Takeoff in Revu

    2. Export Markups List as a .CSV and wash data using Power Query in Excel (thank you @Doug McLean )

    3. Import into B2W (our estimating package – AKA Bid 2 Win)

    4. Refine the estimate in B2W and prepare proposal

    On a recent proposal I found an issue where I identified an additional area of pavement mill & overlay after step 2 above, so the additional quantity didn’t make it into my .CSV export and into B2W with my import. I missed adding it after the import was complete.

    While it isn’t going to make or break the job, I’m embarrassed that I allowed it to happen. I’ve added a line into my “Bid Process” spreadsheet that indicates “ENSURE THAT ANY QUANTITIES MEASURED AFTER EXPORT FROM REVU/IMPORT HAVE BEEN UPDATED”, but figured it would be worth asking the community how you avoid/check to catch these type of issues.

    Thoughts?

    David Cutler replied 4 weeks ago 4 Members · 15 Replies
  • 15 Replies
  • Vince

    Member
    December 13, 2024 at 1:52 am
    Points: 13,812
    Rank: UC2 Brainery Blue Belt III UC2 Brainery Blue Belt III

    As the end destination for my workflows is an Excel spreadsheet all I need to do is hit the refresh button before I make my final submission.

    Maybe you could use the Date column in Revu and a date box in Excel as part of your final check?

    • Doug McLean

      Member
      December 13, 2024 at 9:16 am
      Points: 15,383
      Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

      you need to set up a macro to refresh on open

      • Vince

        Member
        December 13, 2024 at 5:29 pm
        Points: 13,812
        Rank: UC2 Brainery Blue Belt III UC2 Brainery Blue Belt III

        I don’t always want to update upon opening the spreadsheet hence choosing when to refresh. Sometimes I like to save a new copy so I have a version history or so I can play around with the info that has already been collected.

        That’s not to say that I don’t have macros that run on opening or closing a spreadsheet. I have ones that close and hide all the worksheets when closing. Then on opening the sheets only unhide if the user has the correct credentials – machine name or something like that.

  • Doug McLean

    Member
    December 13, 2024 at 9:21 am
    Points: 15,383
    Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

    Mine starts early on.

    I start by making my Spaces on the floor plans and placing a custom tool that we use for any given Millwork Callout. (We’ve also recently updated this process to include items that we can’t run though our estimating software)

    Then I make the corresponding Space markups on the elevation drawings. We name the Space the same as the Millwork Callout so that its easy to tie everything together later.

    Next we use a collection of Custom tools designed to work with our estimating software to do all the takeoffs, then its just a matter of running through the process.

    The best thing you can do to keep up on your QC is be vigilant. Always make sure that tools are up to date. BatchConfig files are correct, any data tables are current, etc.
    Keeping your team up to date too is also very important.

    • Troy DeGroot

      Organizer
      December 19, 2024 at 11:19 am
      Points: 23,824
      Rank: UC2 Brainery Brown Belt III UC2 Brainery Brown Belt III

      @Doug McLean do you ever Edit Action on the symbol and create a hyperlink to the space on the other sheet? You could do one in each view to reference back & forth making navigation quicker….. Maybe, just a thought. 🤣

      • Doug McLean

        Member
        December 19, 2024 at 5:28 pm
        Points: 15,383
        Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

        I’ve tried that, its tricky and time consuming to set up.

        I wish the Hyperlink abilities of Spaces were better.

        • Troy DeGroot

          Organizer
          December 19, 2024 at 9:27 pm
          Points: 23,824
          Rank: UC2 Brainery Brown Belt III UC2 Brainery Brown Belt III

          I assume Places would be just as tricky?

          • David Cutler

            Member
            December 20, 2024 at 7:07 am
            Points: 27,056
            Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Brown Belt I UC2 Brainery Advanced Brown Belt I

            “Places” @troy-degroot ?

            Are you referring to a location on a drawing, or is this a feature of Revu that I don’t know about????

            • Doug McLean

              Member
              December 20, 2024 at 10:13 am
              Points: 15,383
              Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

              @DavidCutler
              Places can be found on the Links Panel.
              They are similar to a Space, but slightly different.
              A Place would be something that multiple things can be linked too, like a section detail.

            • David Cutler

              Member
              December 23, 2024 at 7:19 am
              Points: 27,056
              Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Brown Belt I UC2 Brainery Advanced Brown Belt I

              And yet again you I’ve found out about a feature that I didn’t know I didn’t know about. Not sure how I’d apply it yet, but something to file away in the back of my mind for future applications…

              🙂

          • Doug McLean

            Member
            December 20, 2024 at 10:11 am
            Points: 15,383
            Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

            @troy-degroot
            they are.
            Far too manual for my liking

            • Troy DeGroot

              Organizer
              December 21, 2024 at 9:40 pm
              Points: 23,824
              Rank: UC2 Brainery Brown Belt III UC2 Brainery Brown Belt III

              I figured.

  • Doug McLean

    Member
    December 13, 2024 at 9:30 am
    Points: 15,383
    Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

    I also hope you’re moving forward with PQ. There’s so much too it.

    I’m going to try and do a couple of cool videos over my Christmas break to show some really cool tricks I just learned. (Just have to practice a bit first 😉)

    • David Cutler

      Member
      December 13, 2024 at 11:46 am
      Points: 27,056
      Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Brown Belt I UC2 Brainery Advanced Brown Belt I

      I’m using PQ to wash my data, but need to firm up my processes so that I can re-use the query, instead of re-writing it each time. I’ve played with updating the data source location, but don’t have that dialed in quite yet. I know you’ve said that that process is addressed in your Excon presentation, but I haven’t gone back to dig into it yet…

      • Doug McLean

        Member
        December 14, 2024 at 11:52 am
        Points: 15,383
        Rank: UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt UC2 Brainery Advanced Blue Belt Rank

        Reusing a Query is one of its biggest advantages. You’re going to need to do a little bit of coding to make it work, but its pretty easy stuff.
        Maybe I’ll add that to the list 🤔 😁

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