scadvice
Titanium
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2009
- Location
- "Stuck in Lodi", Ca
Since I’m sort of retired…or was that retarded? Anyway, I’m considering creating some software for doing basic job shop quoting. I mostly have used a spreadsheet to do this when I was working full time, but though it works reasonably well, it can be slow as your still punching in a bunch of numbers… the minutes, tenths of an hour, or dollars, cents, or whatever you use to tally up your time for the different processes and cost of doing a job.
I’ve tried a few of the under 1200 bucks packages out there and though some have pretty good ways of speeding up the quoting process none really have got it down to where it is friendly and usable, at least more so than a simple spreadsheet. All that I’ve seen seem to be written by people who have no clue as to a job shops actual needs or processes. There was one I tried that was OK, but the method of use was cumbersome plus it was so full of glitches that it would crash and then you would lose everything and have to start over.
I think I’ve come up with this way of eliminating as much as possible the hand inputting of numbers thereby hopefully speeding up the process of quoting and also have a few ideas for a few other processes such as compiling and presenting the quote.
Next, I would like to come up with follow-up modules which will take the Purchase Order and using the original quote selects out the awarded parts and assembles a traveler.
What that module and other modules will do to go beyond just a traveler is still being worked out, it will be something to help ordering materials, cutters, scheduling the machines, follow the job through the shop and outside operations, ect
.
When I said “I was considering creating software” I not going to write it myself but I have a very smart professional to do for me.
Using a ‘pick and click’ windowed flow chart system that have their own flow chart screens appears to be the best way of minimizing time spent doing your different chores of the quoting process. Having the ability to tweak (within reason) these windows or adding to different data bases to them ‘as you go’ also seems ideal. Again, keeping it quick and intuitive is the challenge.
I’ve tried a few of the under 1200 bucks packages out there and though some have pretty good ways of speeding up the quoting process none really have got it down to where it is friendly and usable, at least more so than a simple spreadsheet. All that I’ve seen seem to be written by people who have no clue as to a job shops actual needs or processes. There was one I tried that was OK, but the method of use was cumbersome plus it was so full of glitches that it would crash and then you would lose everything and have to start over.
I think I’ve come up with this way of eliminating as much as possible the hand inputting of numbers thereby hopefully speeding up the process of quoting and also have a few ideas for a few other processes such as compiling and presenting the quote.
Next, I would like to come up with follow-up modules which will take the Purchase Order and using the original quote selects out the awarded parts and assembles a traveler.
What that module and other modules will do to go beyond just a traveler is still being worked out, it will be something to help ordering materials, cutters, scheduling the machines, follow the job through the shop and outside operations, ect
.
When I said “I was considering creating software” I not going to write it myself but I have a very smart professional to do for me.
Using a ‘pick and click’ windowed flow chart system that have their own flow chart screens appears to be the best way of minimizing time spent doing your different chores of the quoting process. Having the ability to tweak (within reason) these windows or adding to different data bases to them ‘as you go’ also seems ideal. Again, keeping it quick and intuitive is the challenge.