Show of hands: have you ever experienced major frustrations, difficulties, or even setbacks when trying to communicate important project information to owners as an estimator? If you said yes, then this article is for you.
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Communication – plain, regular, everyday communication between people – is hard enough on its own. Seemingly simple words can often be filled with subtext, colloquialisms, and industry or role specific terminology. When you add extra layers, such as an owner with a certain vision in mind and an estimate that indicates that vision might not be possible, communication can quickly go from just confusing to downright painful. In some cases, it may become altogether nonexistent. In the worst case scenario, poor or zero communication between the owner and a precon team can mean significant delays and lost time, labor, and money.
You don’t want that. Owners definitely don’t want that. So how do you begin to bridge the gap? How can you bring an estimate to an owner that clearly and effectively demonstrates what is and isn’t possible, and why? Ensuring that your estimating software allows you to bring easily accessible, defendable data is the first step to achieving that goal. But the next step is making sure that your software also integrates with other relevant tools, so that you have the fullest picture of your data possible.
DESTINI Estimator just so happens to be an all-in-one estimating software that offers a multitude of integrations with other key preconstruction products. Here are a few of the products that work with DESTINI Estimator, as well as how they significantly improve communication and keep everyone on time and under budget.
- Autodesk BIM360 – allows you to powerfully visualize information
- Join – see ideas that have been accepted, rejected, or are being considered in real time
- Togal.AI - transform your takeoff and save time
Autodesk BIM360 – allows you to powerfully visualize information
DESTINI Estimator’s integration with Autodesk’s BIM360 is perhaps one of the most powerful in terms of quickly communicating information to owners. BIM360 allows users to create an estimate based off a 3D model. This 3D model immediately updates in real-time as changes are made to it. Users can also open and browse BIM360 documents directly within Estimator, as well as compare models in order to determine what happens when scope changes are made to the estimate.
Instead of throwing a bunch of numbers at owners, they can now actually see what happens to their project when certain properties are adjusted within the estimate. This cuts down on a huge amount of back-and-forth – it’s so much easier to understand why something isn’t possible when you’re looking at irrefutable visuals. In fact, owners love it so much that many are beginning to specifically ask for model-based estimates when sending in RFPs.
Join - see ideas that have been accepted, rejected, or are being considered in real time
Join is a project management tool that helps users keep track of and document all project decisions. Thanks to its ability to integrate with DESTINI Estimator, users can have a high-level overview of a project while also knowing that the data is accurate, not having to worry about verifying data reliability over and over and wasting time in the process.
Join automatically records the little details of every single decision made in relation to the project. On top of that, it can tell an estimator what suggestions have already been incorporated into the project and suggestions that have been rejected. Instead of getting stuck in the cycle of endless email threads with owners and disconnected spreadsheets, project updates stay concentrated in a clean, accessible hub. Now you don’t have to worry about losing money or time because of lost change orders and siloed data.
Togal.AI – transform your takeoff and save time
The last DESTINI Estimator integration that we want to talk about is one of our latest additions, Togal.AI.
Togal.AI is a machine-learning tool that uses artificial intelligence to make 2D takeoff faster and less cumbersome. With Togal.AI, what could take an estimator hours of clicking and dragging now only takes a few minutes. Togal.AI also interprets plans within a minimum of 97% accuracy and allows users to perform 2D takeoff from multiple drawings at once.
Greater accuracy means data that you can confidently defend when an owner asks questions about how you arrived at your conclusions. And it means that your team can spend more time on activities that bring greater value to an owner.
Robust, defendable data makes it easier to talk to owners
If you want to stop getting massive headaches every time you try to explain project updates or estimates to an owner, then you need data that you can depend on to be accurate every single time. It's clear that powerful integrations with other tools is the best way to get the fullest picture and the cleanest data every time. Interested in learning more? Click on the "DESTINI Estimator" tag on our blog.
