Complex Cost Estimating
SIMPLIFIED
Dash360 shatters conventional paradigms that historically required all of the cost estimating data to be collected in spreadsheets that ultimately end-up being a hodge podge, and then funneled back to one person to enter into a database.
With the Dash360 Cost Estimating Module, your geographically dispersed subject matter experts can all enter their cost estimates directly into user-friendly forms in a natural workflow presented in a structured and uniform way.
Collecting the estimates is only half the challenge, you need to be able to analyze and generate reports needed to assemble a project cost book. Mission accomplished with Dash360’s extensive visualizations and reports that can be customized and downloaded to Excel.
And for our friends working on federally funded projects, we have formats available (for example, the NSF’s Form 1030) that can easily be generated.
Dash360 Cost Estimating Form
Cost Estimating Demystified
Custom Notebook Fields
Dash360 is super customizable. On the Cost Estimating Form, we have a Details section that is 100% customizable.
Add Text fields, dropdown select boxes, radio buttons, checkboxes, large text area fields and even a WYSIWYG editor so you can track the information that is important to your team.
All customizable by your team’s administrator, adding a new field can be done in seconds.
Manage Resources
Dash360 allows you to capture your work package’s resource assignments by Labor, Non-Labor and Travel buckets.
Enter a start date, finish date and select a resource and quickly modify the distribution for your resource using our built-in Excel-like grid. You can use our built-in linear spread function that will spread your costs evenly month-over-month. Or, you can hand tweak any month to a specific value.
All calculations are built in the Admin area of Dash360 and are 100% customizable.
Then, add BOEs, contingency, schedule tasks, comments, links and more to each resource so you can keep track of all the details.
WBS Dictionary Data Entry
Need to build a WBS Dictionary for your project? Of course you do! Make collecting WBS Dictionary data from your team quick and easy.
Much like our customized notebook fields mentioned above, you also have 100% flexibility to build your WBS Dictionary form using all of the same field types.
Give your users access to Dash360 and building your dictionary will be done in no time.
Schedule Integration
Dash360 has built-in cost and schedule integration. We allow you to easily add milestones and tasks to your work packages from either the Estimating or Schedule section.
In the Cost Estimating Form, you can add a task or milestone by clicking on the Add Activity button. Then, enter all of the information for your activity.
Next, select any predecessors or successors for your activity. Dash360 keeps tracks of these relationships and will show them to you in a graphical form in our schedule area. Finally, tie your activities to your resource assignments for complete control.
Files, Links & Comments
The Cost Estimating Form also supports your team with all of the little things that make a big difference when trying to keep tabs on a work package.
Upload files like BOEs directly to Dash360 or link to files located anywhere – be it on a network share or the Internet.
We also have a fully thread discussion comments area that allows your team to keep track of changes and other small details that you don’t want to forget about.
Now, you keep all of your teams thoughts, ideas and documentation in one place.
Signature Approvals
Dash360 also has a workflow management and signature approval process.
Our Signature Approvals feature allows you to setup members of your team to signoff on a work package.
When the work package is in Signoff Approval mode, all ability to modify the work package is removed. This ensures nothing changes on your work package while it’s is being approved.
Need to make a change? Restart the signoff process to unlock the work package and make changes again. Dash360 will keep track of previous signoffs including dates & total cost.
Wait! There's More?!?
That’s right, partner! There is much, much more.
We are only showing a sliver of everything that Dash360 has to offer! We are too busy building new features for y’all! We quickly threw this here website together to give you a look see.
Here in Texas, we have a famous saying that’s called “All hat and no cattle”. It’s what we call those folks who talk a big game but then don’t deliver the goods.
We pride ourselves in being the exact opposite of that common phrase. We like to deliver results for our clients, and then we let our customers do all the boastful talkin’.
It’s just how we like to roll.
Estimating Reports
Work Package & Staffing Plan Reports Built-In!
Work Package Report
The Work Package Report is one of many built-in reports pre-built directly into Dash360.
Also known as the Cost Book Report, this handing page allows you to see all of your data by work package in an easy-to-see and quick to digest format.
See all of your notebook fields, resource assignment costs, contingency, attachments and even signature approvals all in one place.
Plus, all Dash360 reports have the ability for you to download in PDF or Excel so you can easily print your Work Package Reports into a nice Cost Book for your team and project review board.
Cost Estimating Reports
Dash360 comes with a collection of Estimating Reports that allow you to slice, dice and view your data how your team needs to see it.
The Cost Summary Report that shows you all of your cost broken down by resource type.
The Notebook Quality Check Report shows you which notebook fields have been filled in.
The WBS Summary Report rolls all costs up by WBS allowing for quick key decisions.
The Contingency Assignment Report allows you to see all of your contingency for your project.
Finally, best of all, every report is super customizable. Add, edit and remove columns. Group and filter data as needed. It’s all here.
Staffing Plan Report
If you track Labor resource assignments for your project in FTEs (and who doesn’t?), then you will love our Staffing Plan Report.
This handy report allows you to see your FTE distribution in both a yearly and month-by-month basis.
Use the Staffing Plan to see if you over-allocated on a resource type. It’s a great tool to use against your schedule to see if the two jive.
As with all reports in Dash360, you can easily customize this report to your needs. Add, remove or edit the columns, filter, sort and group data. We got you covered.
WBS Management
Interactive WBS Tree & Dictionary
WBS Tree
One of the really slick features is the WBS Tree. This tree like utility allows your team to view all of your WBS elements in an expandable and collapsible tree.
Then, every WBS has a small pencil icon that will appear when it is clicked. Clicking this icon will open the WBS Dictionary form for that element.
Now, your team can easily enter definitions for all of the required fields that have been setup by your team’s administrators.
A quick and easy way to collect all of that WBS Dictionary information all in one place. It’s so easy to use, your team won’t complain about entering all that data – at least not as much. 🙂
WBS Dictionary
Entering all of that WBS Dictionary data does no good if you can’t easily get it back out of the system.
The WBS Dictionary report is just one of many ways to get all of that data your team has entered back out of Dash360.
This report allows you to see every WBS element and all of the WBS dictionary titles and text all on one page.
You can also filter the WBS Dictionary by parent WBS element and WBS level.
And, as with many of our reports, we offer both a Word and PDF download option.
Phew! Is that All?
No. Not even close. But, we’ll let you rest for now.
We got to get back to writing more Cost Estimating features for all of our hard working project managers and their teams.
But don’t wait too long. There are still 4 more sections to check out!
Be sure to check out the Scheduling, Earned Value, Reports & Analytics and Risk sections to learn even more.
Or, save yourself some time and Request a Demo from one of our team!
We’d love to hear from y’all!
