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From site notes to BOQ to program

How BulkDesk drafts the BOQ from site notes and the program from the BOQ, and why a person always decides.

BulkDesk can write the first draft of the BOQ and of the program. It sits inside the job, on the two tabs where that work already happens, and on one shortcut page, Quick draft. You only give the inputs; the instructions the drafts follow ship ready with BulkDesk.

Quick draft, the shortcut

For Planning and the director: the yellow Quick draft button at the top of every screen, or the BOQ, Program and Materials boxes at the top of the Overview.

  1. Pick the job, or press New job to make it. BulkDesk remembers the last job you used.
  2. BOQ: write the site notes and press Draft the BOQ. Check it, then Use as the estimate.
  3. Program: give the start date and the crew, press Draft the program, then Add to the program.
  4. Materials: press Make the material list. It takes the material lines of the estimate and makes the job's order list. Press it again later to replace the list after the BOQ changes.

Each draft is the same one you see on the job's Estimate and Program tabs; Quick draft just puts the three steps on one page.

Step 1. Site notes to BOQ (Planning, Estimate tab)

  1. Open the job and go to Estimate. The box Site notes to BOQ is at the top.
  2. Write what you saw on site, the way you would tell a colleague. On the phone, use the microphone on the keyboard and just talk. The dashed buttons (Rooms and sizes, What we build, Finishes, Access and limits, Client asked for) add a heading so nothing is forgotten.
  3. Press Draft the BOQ. It takes one to four minutes and you can leave the page.
  4. When Draft BOQ ready appears, press Check the draft to see every section, quantity, rate and the items to confirm.
  5. Something wrong? Fix the notes and press Draft again. Your notes stay in the box.
  6. Happy with it? Press Use as the estimate and confirm. It becomes the estimate revision on this job.

Step 2. BOQ to program (Planning and Site Manager, Program tab)

  1. Press Next: draft the program, or open Program. The box Program from the BOQ is at the top.
  2. Pick the start date on site and add what the BOQ does not say: crew, trades already booked, site limits, client dates.
  3. Press Draft the program. It reads the latest estimate on the job by itself.
  4. Check the draft: activities with dates, orders with lead times, labour, risks, claims and handover.
  5. Press Add to the program and confirm.

Why it works this way. A draft never invents site measurements: what it assumed is listed for you to confirm, and nothing is used without a confirmation. Earlier drafts keeps previous attempts. The cost and the monthly limit are in Settings.