Beck Technology had a big year for the DESTINI platform in 2023. Our focus for product development was to improve the functionality we currently have while also providing the industry with estimating innovations.
This recap of product updates is to celebrate where we have been but also reiterate our passion to support a robust preconstruction data lifecycle.
At Beck Technology, we are determined to build and service the DESTINI platform for construction companies that need to better understand their project data, improve their precon efficiencies, delight project owners with deliverables, explore trends in their own estimates, and align with our vision to “revolutionize the industry … create the future”.
In 2023, we released 22 versions of DESTINI Estimator and Bid Day. Beyond the product releases, we also rolled out more clarity around our technology roadmap and created a process for user beta testing. Additionally, we delivered more on-demand training materials so all users can learn the DESTINI platform wherever they are at in their estimating journey.
Product Releases
One of our major version releases of 2023 was our highly anticipated integration with Togal.AI takeoff software. DESTINI Estimator now allows users with a Togal license to perform automatic takeoff directly in DESTINI Estimator. This integration has proven to exponentially reduce the time it takes to add takeoff items into an estimate.
Another notable highlight is our “Excel Reporting from Estimate View”. We lovingly called this feature during our development process “What You See Is What You Get” because it allows Estimator users to generate a report that looks a lot like the Estimator program. It is helpful to export data directly out of the Estimate View and be able to discuss the information in project review meetings.
Our team also unleashed “Standard Reports” in 2023. This allows users to have set standard reports that they can rely on at a moment’s notice and they can be branded with their company’s logo, colors, fonts, etc. This allows Estimator users to quickly and easily send deliverables that are visually consistent across their offices, teams, and projects.
In addition to the major improvements to the DESTINI platform, our software engineers delivered over 20 smaller maintenance releases throughout 2023. These releases improved the platform’s performance and stability.
Roadmap and PPE
New in 2023, we rolled out our technology roadmap in three buckets:
- In Planning
- In Development
- Pre-Production
At Beck Technology, we do our best to be transparent in business. Therefore, we created areas in our Help Center to better communicate these buckets of our roadmap and where we are in the process of bringing them to fruition.
“In Planning” means we are mapping out our plan to develop new features and functionality. This is the ideal time for DESTINI users to get involved with our development team to provide insights and feedback into what they expect from the platform as it relates to those tech features.
“In Development” shows what we are actually working on to get into the platform in the foreseeable future. Again, users of the DESTINI platform can continue to get involved with our teams as we create the features and functionality during this phase of our roadmap process. Internally, the Beck Tech teams get to see what our engineers are creating throughout the process and take part in regularly scheduled tech demos. During this bucket, our internal teams are also testing the features/functionality at length.
Our “Pre-Production”, or better known as PPE (Pre-Production Environment), is all about beta testing. While our internal teams are still testing a potential new major version of the DESTINI platform, our users can also get their hands on the beta version to test out their workflows. The feedback process is extremely important as our PPE testers are “kicking the tires” on functionality that will benefit thousands of estimators who use the DESTINI platform.
You can see our buckets and their details on our Help Center here.
Training
We put a larger emphasis on training materials and courses for DESTINI platform users in 2023. It led us to create the Beck Tech Training Portal. As we roll out new functionality, we are ensuring we also have the training material readily available to help teach users how to get the most out of their use of the software.
Whether people are brand new to DESTINI Estimator, a seasoned pro, or an administrator for the DESTINI platform for their company, our training material is a great resource for continuing education. Plus, users can earn badges and certifications as they complete courses.
Last year, we doubled down on our efforts to create world-class estimating software, be more transparent about our technology roadmap, and made sure our users have the educational tools to use more of the DESTINI platform. Looking ahead, we are staying the course with these ideals. Expect more exciting preconstruction data lifecycle news to come this year.
