SuccessEstimator Basic Training - US COST.NET

from the cost management professionals at USCOST Reporting Guide

This manual provides materials to assist generating the U.S. Cost Success Estimator Reports. Samples and step by step instructions on printing reports are provided.

U.S. COST

Product Document

August 2006 Printed in the United States of America

© 1983–2006 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.

Information in this study guide is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of U.S. Cost, Inc.. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of U.S. Cost, Inc..

Licenses and Trademarks

Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95/98, Windows NT/2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications, and the Microsoft logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

U.S. Cost, Inc. 600 Northpark Town Center 1200 Abernathy Road, N.E. Building 600, Suite 950 Atlanta, GA 30328 USA

Telephone: 770.481.1600 or 800.955.1385 Fax: 770.481.1640 Internet: http://www.uscost.com

ii © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction...................................................................... 1

Objectives ..................................................................................... 1 About this Guide ............................................................................ 1 Setup ............................................................................................ 1 Printing Reports ............................................................................. 2 Navigation ..................................................................................... 3

Chapter 2 General ............................................................................. 5

Report List..................................................................................... 5 General Tab Reporting.................................................................... 5 Detail Report Template 1 ................................................................ 6 Level Report 1 (Crystal Reporting Sample) ....................................... 7 Level Report 2 (Crystal Reporting Sample) ....................................... 8

Chapter 3 Detail Items .................................................................... 10

Report List................................................................................... 10 Detail Items Reporting.................................................................. 10 Detail Report 1A........................................................................... 11 Detail Report 1B........................................................................... 12 Detail Report 1B - Distributions ..................................................... 13 Detail Report 2A........................................................................... 14 Detail Report 2A - Distributions ..................................................... 15 Detail Report 3A........................................................................... 16 Detail Report 4A........................................................................... 17 Detail Report Contractor Grouped.................................................. 18 Detail Report Contractor Grouped Filtered ...................................... 19 Detail Report CSI Grouped ............................................................ 20

Chapter 4 Levels.............................................................................. 23

Report List................................................................................... 23 Levels Tab Reporting.................................................................... 23 Level Detail Report 1 .................................................................... 24 Level Detail Report 1 - Dist ........................................................... 25 Level Markup Assignment Report................................................... 26 Level Report 1 ............................................................................. 27 Level Report 2 ............................................................................. 28

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Contents • iii

Chapter 5 Other............................................................................... 31

Reports List ................................................................................. 31 Other Tab Reporting..................................................................... 31 Bill of Material Report ................................................................... 32 CSI Level 1 Summary ................................................................... 33 Facility X CSI Summary................................................................. 34 Productivity Factor Assignments .................................................... 35 Zero Cost Detail Items.................................................................. 36

Chapter 6 Parametrics..................................................................... 39

Reports List ................................................................................. 39 Parametrics Tab Reporting............................................................ 39 Formula Assignments to Level and Details...................................... 40 Variables Details .......................................................................... 41

Chapter 7 Resources ....................................................................... 43

Report List................................................................................... 43 Resources Tab Reporting .............................................................. 43 1st Layer Markup Summary Report ................................................ 44 2nd Layer Markup Summary Report............................................... 45 Contractor Markup Make-up Report ............................................... 46 Contractor Report A ..................................................................... 47 Contractor Summary .................................................................... 48 Crew Make-up Report................................................................... 49 Crew Resource Report 1 ............................................................... 50 Equipment Make-up Report........................................................... 51 Equipment Resource Report 1 ....................................................... 52 Labor Make-up Report .................................................................. 53 Labor Resource Report 1 .............................................................. 54 Material Resource Report 1 ........................................................... 55 Prime Contractor Summary Report ................................................ 56

Appendix ......................................................................................... 59

About U.S. Cost, Inc. .................................................................... 59 The Success Enterprise Tool.......................................................... 61 The Company Web Site ................................................................ 61 Technical Support ........................................................................ 61

Table A – Report Data Matrix ................................................... 62 Table B – Cost Structure .......................................................... 63

iv • Contents © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.

SuccessEstimator Basic Training

Chapter 1 Introduction

Objectives

This guide the end of this training program, you will be able to:

• Provide basic guide for selecting the correct data to report.

• Determine the report best suited for your needs.

About this Guide

This guide is designed to provide new users with a sampling of each report available in Success Estimator “out of the box” version. It does not make any provisions for clients who have customized reporting.

Setup

When Success Estimator is installed a file called “Storage Shed Sample Estimate” is included as an example. This file has been used for the screen shots provided. In instances where the sample file did not provide information needed to create a report additional data was included to complete the demonstration.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Introduction • 1


Printing Reports

The Success Estimator tree structure not only is a method of organizing cost, but also a control over reporting. There are some basic rules to remember when running reports:

• Prior to initiating the Print Reports dialog box, make sure you have selected the desired level. If you want to report on the entire estimate select the root level, also called the project level.

• Expanded sub-folders containing cost you wish to see printed. Any collapsed levels containing Detail Item Assignments (DIAs) will NOT show up on reports.

• Only levels that contain DIAs generating cost will appear on reports. If your estimate has no cost, a report will NOT run.

To print a report, complete the following steps:

1. Select the tree level according to the report information you want to see.

2. Check that any child levels are expanded if you want the data to show up on a report.

3. In the Menu Bar, select the File | Print Reports. The system displays the Print Reports dialog box.

Note: If the totals are not calculated, the system displays the Needs Totaling dialog box.

4. Chose the tab where the report is located.

2 • Introduction © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


5. Select a report.

6. Click the Preview button to view the report prior to printing.

7. Click the Print button to print.

Navigation

If previewing, some reports will include a cover page and the data you are looking for is on another page. In the upper left are navigation buttons that will allow you to page forward and back through the report with additional buttons to go to the first or last pages.

You can also zoom in or out of any area of a report preview by clicking on it.

Canceling Print Jobs To cancel a print job, click the “do not” symbal in the Status Bar while the report is in progress.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Introduction • 3


4 • Introduction © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


Chapter 2 General

Report List

Reports available in the General tab:

• Detail Report Template 1

• Level Report 1 (Crystal Reporting)

• Level Report 2 (Crystal Reporting)

General Tab Reporting

While the information in these reports can be useful, their primary purpose is to serve as a starting point for users to customize their own reporting. Reporting in Success Estimator uses the program R&R Report Writer, a Liveware Publishing program. However, Success Estimator also works well with Crystal Reporting as demonstrated by Level Reports 1 and 2.

This guide will describe and demonstrate the reports included with Success Estimator, but reports can be customized by the user or U.S. COST can do it for you.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. General • 5


Detail Report Template 1

This report is almost identical to Detail Report 1A in the Detail Item tab. The only difference is Productivity is not included. This report is provided to be a template for user customization.

6 • General © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


Level Report 1 (Crystal Reporting Sample)

This is a static sample report that is unrelated to the estimate (It is always the same report of Storage Shed Sample). It serves only as an example of how Success Estimator can work with Crystal Reports. Both Crystal reports 1 and 2 are versions of reports found in the Levels tab.



Level Report 2 (Crystal Reporting Sample)

This is another static sample report that is unrelated to the estimate. It serves only as an example of how Success Estimator can work with Crystal Reports. Both Crystal reports 1 and 2 are versions of reports found in the Levels tab.

8 • General © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.




Chapter 3 Detail Items

Report List

Reports available in the Detail Items tab:

• Detail Report 1A

• Detail Report 1B

• Detail Report 1B – Distributions


• Detail Report 2A - Distributions



• Detail Report Contractor Grouped

• Detail Report Contractor Grouped Filtered

• Detail Report CSI Grouped

Detail Items Reporting

Detail Item reports, as advertised by the name, reflect cost data of the Detail Item Assignments. The different reports show different levels of information. Generally, the lower the number the more detailed the report.

It is mandatory that the lower tree levels are expanded out in order to run these reports. If a folder containing DIA’s is NOT expanded prior to running the report the costs for that level will not appear.

Any DIA’s in a distributed level will only show in reports marked “Distributions.” The costs of any distributed levels are in the mark ups.

10 • Detail Items © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


Detail Report 1A

Grouped by level, report 1A provides Direct Cost detail with mark ups summarized below. Data is provided for all DIAs generating cost.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Detail Items • 11


Detail Report 1B

Grouped my level, report 1B provides more detail then any other report by including markup data on individual DIA’s. Only DIA’s generating cost are listed.



Detail Report 1B - Distributions

Similar in all regards to Report 1B this report also includes DIA’s contained in “distributed” levels.



Detail Report 2A

Grouped by level, the report shows the breakout of the different cost categories.



Detail Report 2A - Distributions

Grouped by level, the report shows the breakout of the different cost categories and includes DIA’s in distributed levels.



Detail Report 3A

Grouped by level, report 3A is similar to 2A showing the breakout of the different cost categories, but does not display DIA codes.



Detail Report 4A

Grouped by level, the report focuses on the Unit Cost of each DIA.



Detail Report Contractor Grouped

Grouped by Contractor, this report shows the breakout of the different cost categories. It begins with DIA’s that do NOT have a Contractor individually assigned (typically Prime Contractor work).



Detail Report Contractor Grouped Filtered

Grouped by Contractor, this report shows the breakout of the different cost categories. It only provides information on DIA’s that have a Contractor assigned.



Detail Report CSI Grouped

This report groups DIA’s by Code, regardless of Levels or Work Breakdown Structure. It then reports the breakout of the different cost categories.





Chapter 4 Levels

Report List

Reports available in the Levels tab:

• Level Detail Report 1

• Level Detail Report 1 – Dist

• Level Markup Assignment Report

• Level Report 1

• Level Report 2

Levels Tab Reporting

The reports in Levels focus on the costs grouped by the folder tree or Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Levels • 23


Level Detail Report 1

This report gives a cost matrix of each level’s cost categories with their markups.

24 • Levels © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


Level Detail Report 1 - Dist

The same report as Level Detail Report 1, but any distributed level costs are included both as a level and as part of the markups.



Level Markup Assignment Report

This report will display any tree folders that have Level Markups assigned.



Level Report 1

Grouped my level, this is a simple report of Total Cost for each cost category.



Level Report 2

This report shows Unit Cost along with the Total Cost of each level.



© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. • 29


Chapter 5 Other

Reports List

Reports available in the Other tab:

• Bill of Material Report

• CSI Level 1 Summary

• Facility X CSI Summary

• Productivity Factor Assignments

• Zero Cost Detail Items

Other Tab Reporting

The reports in this tab offer various types of information that may be helpful to the user. They generally do not focus on the standard reporting by level so, as with all reports, it is important to pay attention to the level you have selected prior to running these reports. The majority of these reports rely on the Code field for DIA’s, and uses the first two numbers to group costs.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Other • 31


Bill of Material Report

Any DIA in the estimate that has a value in the Material cost category shows up in this report. The grouping is by CSI code and utilizes the first two numbers in each DIAs Code.

32 • Other © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


CSI Level 1 Summary

The first two numbers in each DIA are used to group costs into the sixteen CSI codes. Any DIAs that do not have a code, or use a code that is unrecognized, are put into a NON-CATEGORIZED ITEMS group. The Total Cost for each cost category is then shown along with a summary at the bottom.



Facility X CSI Summary

The first two numbers in each DIA are used to group costs into the sixteen CSI codes. The report then groups costs by the 2nd Level (or child to the Project level). DIAs costs with an unrecognized Code are put into a group called OTHER ACCOUNTS.



Productivity Factor Assignments

This report generates a list of all DIAs that have a Difficulty Factor that does not equal 1.00.



Zero Cost Detail Items

This report provides a quick check to find any DIA’s that are NOT generating cost; whether it is because the Quantity was left blank or no cost categories have dollar amounts.





Chapter 6 Parametrics

Reports List

Reports available in the Parametrics tab:

• Formula Assignments to Level and Details

• Variable Details

Parametrics Tab Reporting

If your version of Success Estimator has been customized, whether by U.S. COST or your company, it is likely that Formulas and/or Variables are used in some way. The reports in the Parametric tab will give insight to the custom work.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Parametrics • 39


Formula Assignments to Level and Details

This report lists each level and/or DIA utilizing a formula.

40 • Parametrics © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


Variables Details

Grouped by level, this report lists each Variable in the estimate.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Parametrics • 41


42 • Parametrics © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


Chapter 7 Resources

Report List

Reports available in the Resources tab:

• 1st Layer Markup Summary Report

• 2nd Layer Markup Summary Report

• Contractor Markup Make-up Report

• Contractor Report A

• Contractor Summary

• Crew Make-up Report

• Crew Resource Report 1

• Equipment Make-up Report

• Equipment Resource Report 1

• Labor Make-up Report

• Labor Resource Report 1

• Material Resource Report 1

• Prime Contractor Summary Report

Resources Tab Reporting

The Resources reports comprise not only resources (Labor, Equipment, Crews, etc.) but also contractor markups that go into Total Costs. Resources reporting offers different methods to track costs separate from levels.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Resources • 43


1st Layer Markup Summary Report

The cost data in this report is grouped by Contractors assigned to DIAs and broken out by cost category. While the focus is on Subcontractors (1st Layer Markups) the report shows a breakdown of all markups that make up Total Cost.

44 • Resources © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


2nd Layer Markup Summary Report

The 2nd Layer represents cost data for the contractor(s) selected as Prime in Level Properties. This is normally used for the General Contractor, but if multiple Primes are selected amongst peer levels then this report would give a summary for each.



Contractor Markup Make-up Report

Each contractor in the estimate is listed regardless of whether or not they have been assigned. All associated markups are listed along with the total compounded percentage.



Contractor Report A

This report first gives a breakdown of costs for each contractor assigned in the estimate (unassigned contractors will not appear). Markups by contractor are then summarized before being totaled.



Contractor Summary

Each assigned subcontractor is shown with a cost category breakdown of the DIA’s they are assigned to.



Crew Make-up Report

Each Crew is displayed with members and hourly contributions.



Crew Resource Report 1

Each Crew assigned as a Resource is summarized in Hours, Rate, Direct and Total Cost.



Equipment Make-up Report

All Equipment is displayed in this report. If any items have a markup(s), both the Base Rate and markups are listed along with a summary.



Equipment Resource Report 1

Any Equipment items used in the project are displayed with a cost breakdown.



Labor Make-up Report

All Labor rates are displayed in this report. If any Labor items have markup(s), both the Base Rate and markups are listed along with a summary.



Labor Resource Report 1

Any Labor used in the project is displayed with a cost breakdown.



Material Resource Report 1

Any Material used in the project is displayed with a cost breakdown. Only Material items with a Base Rate show on the report. If you are using Material Adjustments without a Base Rate, those items will not appear.



Prime Contractor Summary Report

This report gives a summary of costs of the Prime contractor. It does NOT include Level markups.





Appendix

About U.S. Cost, Inc.

Since 1983, U.S. Cost, Inc. has been in the business of providing construction cost estimating, scheduling and value engineering services, and leading edge computer software to facility owners, designers, and contractors throughout the world.

Our clients—architects, engineers, contractors, government agencies, utilities, and Fortune 500 companies—rely on construction cost management information that is accurate, up-to-date, and easy to access. U.S. Cost, Inc.'s Consulting Services and Integrated Cost Management software puts the information where it belongs—in your hands.

Our services include:

• Construction Cost Estimating

• Value Engineering

• Scheduling

• Software Application Development

• Price Database Development and Conversion

• Software Integration

• Life-Cycle Costing

• Parametric Model Development

• Parametric Estimating

• Construction Inspection/Field Quantity Survey

Our products include The Success Estimator Estimating and Cost Management System for Windows™, the Value Engineering Data Information System (VEDIS), the Cost-To-Complete Environmental Cost Estimating System (CTC), Hazard Analysis System, and other software applications.

© 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved. Appendix • 59


U.S. Cost, Inc. is an authorized software developer of Microsoft Corporation, Primavera, Inc., and Autodesk, Inc., as well as resellers of RSMeans databases, AspenTech Richardson databases, and GTCO digitizers.

U.S. Cost, Inc. has spent the last fourteen years perfecting our team of construction cost management professionals and supplying them with the technology and resources necessary to provide our clients reliable cost information. Cost estimating and management is all about value. Accurate estimates assist engineers, architects, designers, planners, and owners in making decisions that save millions of dollars. If a cost estimate is not based on solid information, the result can be devastating. U.S. Cost, Inc. is a leader in supplying cost estimating to help users manage the cost of their projects and stay within budgets, schedule controls to make sure each job is delivered on time, and provide the software tools that help cost management and project control professionals do their jobs most efficiently.

U.S. Cost, Inc. maintains membership in the following trade associations:

• AACE International – The Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering

• Society of American Value Engineers (SAVE)

• American Institute of Architects (AIA)

• American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE)

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

• Society of Military Engineers (SAME)

• Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)

• Operations Research Society of America

• American Waterworks Association

• Authorized Developer, Microsoft Corporation

• Authorized Developer, Primavera, Inc.

• Authorized Developer, Autodesk, Inc.

Offices:

• Atlanta, Georgia (Headquarters)

• Dallas, Texas

• Arlington, Virginia

• New York, New York

60 • Appendix © 1983–2005 U.S. COST, Inc., All rights reserved.


The Success Enterprise Tool

U.S. Cost, Inc. continually updates and improves the Success Enterprise web site at http://www.esuccessestimator.com. The site contains up-to-date information about Success Enterprise and other related products, as well as press releases and notices. If you would like to receive information from U.S. Cost, Inc. via e-mail, please drop us a note to [email protected]. We will keep you informed of any upcoming service announcements and product releases.

The Company Web Site

www.uscost.com

U.S. Cost, Inc. continually updates and improves the corporate Web site. The site contains up-to-date information about our services and products, as well as press releases and notices. Registered users can download product updates directly from the site at any time. If you would like to receive information from U.S. Cost, Inc. via e-mail, please drop us a note to [email protected]. We will keep you informed of any upcoming service announcements and product releases.

Technical Support

Email us

Send us an email at [email protected] with as much information about your question or concern as possible and one of our customer service specialists will get back to you as soon as possible.

Call us

We can be reached at 770.481.1600 or toll-free at 1.800.955.1385 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. In most cases you will be connected directly to one of our customer service specialists. If you are asked to leave a message for call back, please provide as much information as possible about your question or concern so that we can try to resolve your problem in one phone call. If you want to show us a problem you are experiencing on a report, you can also print it out and fax it to us at 770.481.1640.



Table A – Report Data Matrix

Report Name

Levels

DIA

s

Resources

Cost C

ategory

Unit C

ost/Rate

Productivity

Direct C

ost

Sub M

arkups

Distributed

Prim

e Markup

Level Markups

Total Cost

Detail Report Template 1 x x x x x x x x xLevel Report 1 (Crystal)Level Report 2 (Crystal)Detail Report 1A x x x x x x x x x xDetail Report 1B x x x x x x x x x xDetail Report 1B – Distributions x x x x x x x x x x xDetail Report 2A x x x x x x xDetail Report 2A – Distributions x x x x x x x xDetail Report 3A x x x x x x x x xDetail Report 4A x x x x x x xDetail Report Contractor Grouped x x xDetail Report Contractor Grouped Filtered x x xDetail Report CSI Grouped x x xLevel Detail Report 1 x x x x x x x xLevel Detail Report 1 – Dist x x x x x x x x xLevel Markup Assignment Report x xLevel Report 1 x xLevel Report 2 x xBill of Material Report M xCSI Level 1 Summary x xFacility X CSI Summary x xProductivity Factor Assignments x x xZero Cost Detail Items x xFormula Assignments to Levels and DetailsVariable Details x1st Layer Markup Summary Report x x X x x x x2nd Layer Markup Summary Report x x x x X xContractor Markup Make-up Report x x xContractor Report A x x x x x x xContractor Summary x x x x xCrew Make-Up Report C x xCrew Resource Report 1 C x xEquipment Make-up Report E x xEquipment Resource Report E x xLabor Make-up Report L x xLabor Resource Report 1 L x xMaterial Resource Report 1 M x xPrime Contractor Summary Report x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x



Table B – Cost Structure




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SuccessEstimator Basic Training - US COST.NET