by Adam Khemiri, eMeasure
As any business expands, it eventually reaches a critical point. Processes must be optimized before further growth. For estimators, handling manual plans is cumbersome and wasteful. Moving to on-screen measurement will dramatically improve productivity in many ways. Let’s take a look at some of the main advantages.
Go Faster
Of course, one of the main advantages of on-screen measurement compared to paper plans is the speed. Instead of using a ruler to measure each wall, an on-screen measurement program lets you use your mouse to measure areas, lengths and counts in a flash! If your plan is CAD (or vector PDF), some systems have the ability to take advantage of the polylines added by architects. This means you can take off a whole room in one click. Plus, with traditional takeoff by ruler you would have to manually aggregate all of the individual measurements into one total using a calculator, or possibly a spreadsheet. This is time consuming and potentially prone to errors, whereas an electronic takeoff system automatically extends and aggregates all dimensions to quickly give an accurate overall total. Studies have shown that when using an on-screen measurement system, takeoff speed will increase by up to 80 percent!
More Accurate
With a ruler, you’re relying on the steadiness of your hand to ensure you don’t make any mistakes. Plus, when you’re taking off from a paper plan, you’ll often be making notations of measurements. These have to be crystal clear, or else they’ll be read incorrectly by someone else. These two factors mean that sometimes, accuracy can be in question. With most on-screen measurement systems, measuring a dimension inputs it directly into an organized list. This ensures you’re able to refer to it later with no confusion. Some systems will even show you where a measurement comes from when you click on the figure. This gives you a great reference point and makes sure you know what’s been measured where. When your plans are on-screen, you can zoom in easily, making sure you’re taking the most accurate measurement possible. And again, if you receive CAD or vector PDFs, use an on-screen measurement system with polyline compatibility. With one click, your dimension will be measured exactly as the architect, designer or drafter intended it. Any software costs are quickly recouped by savings in increased accuracy.
Everything in One Place
If you’re measuring manually, you may have a bunch of different plans relating to the one project. Not only do you have to pay for printing costs, but this can be very annoying for storage purposes. Over time, it continues to add up and you can feel like you’re drowning in blueprints! You couldn’t possibly carry all of the paper plans for all of your projects around with you, too, so referring back easily is difficult. Plus, if you happen to lose or misplace one of the plans, it can become a big issue. With an on-screen measurement system, you can load all your plans into the one program. That means you’ll have everything you need in one place. You can easily keep track of the project and optimize your processes. With the program installed on your laptop, all of your marked-up drawings and corresponding quantity takeoff go with you wherever your laptop does! And by simply toggling between the different plan views, you’ll be able to see what’s been measured where! Previously, you would have had to move huge plans around a tiny desk to try to compare.
Ready for Revisions
We’ve all been there. The initial estimate is done, but you then get revised plans back from the architect, designer or draftsperson. However, it’s unclear where the changes have been made. You have to spend considerable time scrutinizing the plan to see where the differences lie. This is a huge timewaster. To eliminate this frustration, on-screen measurement systems allow you to overlay plans so you can see the differences instantly. This is a huge time-saver. You’re able to update necessary measurements quickly, without having to measure the whole plan again.
See the Bigger Picture
When you’re estimating from plans, it can be extremely difficult to try and visualize how the end result is supposed to look. With an on-screen measurement system, you can view your measured dimensions in 3-D. This allows you to see what’s been measured where, and if you’ve missed anything. You can also visualize the end result more accurately. It’s a great advantage that paper plans simply can’t give you.
Bonus: Integrates with Excel
So many of us use Microsoft Excel every day for estimating. If you’re taking off from paper plans and using Excel, you know the feeling of having to type those figures into Excel one by one. And it can be so easy to type one figure wrong—a mistake that lets down your whole project! Some on-screen measurement systems actually integrate with your Excel spreadsheet. This allows you to directly drag and drop those measured dimensions into Excel. Not only does this mean the chances of getting a figure wrong are dramatically reduced, but it’s a huge time-saver. You can even set up templates so that when figures are measured, they are automatically input into the spreadsheet. The power of a fully-blown estimating system, but all in familiar Microsoft Excel.
Overall, it is clear that if you want to take your business to the next level and develop your workforce, you need to invest in an on-screen measurement system or risk being left behind. Give your business the best advantage it can have, and move on-screen today!
Adam Khemiri is the business development manager at eMeasure. eMeasure is the latest software offering from Exactal Group, a low cost, high quality on-screen measurement solution intended for those who want rapid and accurate Excel®-linked takeoff at an affordable price. Intuitively designed with a learning curve of under an hour, eMeasure allows estimators to painlessly takeoff quantities with just a few clicks. Users can load in digital plans, calibrate and rotate, measure up, and then when done, just drag and drop the quantities straight into their spreadsheet with the Excel® add-in. eMeasure is a Bronze ASA sponsor. For more information, visit www.emeasure.com or email sales@emeasure.com. Use the code ASA211 when purchasing to get special discount deals—or rent per month for a great price!
