Linking Scheduling to Estimating: Solving Key Pains with HD+Primavera

Webinar Q&A Q: A: Will Hard Dollar connect to Microsoft Project? Yes. HD connects with MS Project in a live 2-way integration, just like it does with Primavera. How much is Hard Dollar? HD starts at $5,000, but pricing of course depends on which elements of the system are needed and how many users. Multipliers and KPI's (Productivity) are a major issue in the fundamental basis of errors that have been made. As a recover expert this has been a common root cause for over run in cost and schedule. Question would be; how does HD solve these issues with P6 and a generic estimating tool? Do you have general checks and balances? Checks and balances are built in to the system prior to updating the project with new production data. HD tracks the production (based on hours, quantity complete) that drives the actual costs of the job, thus uncovering the root causes of project overruns and giving the visibility to take corrective actions. Do these customers that use P6 and hard dollar typically have one person doing both types of software or do they utilize multiple people to run the software. How many people does it take to operate this system? This varies, based on how the user company is set up internally. In most large companies, it is typical that estimating and scheduling are two separate groups a scenario where they would both be using HD in a network environment with the ability to see the changes back and forth immediately. In other internal environments conducive to a single person doing both, HD/Primavera updates can be managed by one individual. Is this software a database or stand alone? It is a SQL Database, .net Framework application that can run in a network or standalone environment. Regarding the organization's historical estimating data versus 3rd party estimating databases (e.g. RS Means): what business intelligence rules are built into HD to facilitate this? Once 3rd party data, such as RS Means, is selected and populated into a new project, the data is open to be edited and manipulated as needed, including using it and storing it with the user companys own proprietary data. One of my major issues with P6 is the auditability in that the schedule can be changed by any user but changes have to be logged manually. Does HD have an automatic method of recording change for audit trail purposes? In HDs Primavera Integration, any change made that effects costs or the schedule are logged automatically in HD.

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Dallas 7160 N. Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 320 | Plano, TX 75024 | 469.467.9221 Houston 2277 Plaza Dr., Ste. 240 | Sugar Land, TX 77479 | 281.565.5222 Phoenix 7047 E. Greenway Pkwy. Ste. 250 | Scottsdale, AZ | 85254 | 480.659.3532

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How easy is it to implement HD once construction on a project has commenced and at what level in the schedule does HD work with? We have various options to meet implementation needs, including on-site training for hands-on assistance, using current company project data. A dedicated client can put HD into full action within a few weeks. Do you have any example clients that are using Prim P6 and HD in an IT environment? That is a road HD has yet to go down, although the basis of putting together the cost and timing of a project is generally the same. Perhaps worth looking into. After the initial linking, can I add a schedule activity in Primavera and have it populate in Hard Dollar - to add cost estimates to it? The activity would be created in HD (which would automatically create it in Primavera). Or it could be created in Primavera and you can assign cost activities to it in HD. Have you had customers who do not track profit, only expenditures use this software? (i.e., local government) Absolutely. We have many users that do not use the profit/revenue elements of the system, strictly working with costs for budgeting and forecasting of cash spend, etc. How is the detailed design information "captured" so that it can be properly tied to cost? Then once tied to cost, is a single task required in the schedule for that single cost or is the schedule representative of a assembly system made up of several costs? The design elements would come into HD as quantity takeoffs that are mapped to the appropriate cost activities in the estimate. These activities may represent an entire assembly system or a single item in HD, but assemblies can roll up to single items when synched to Primavera. Compatible with Primavera version 6.7? Yes, HD v10 (our newest version) is compatible with version 6.7. How easy is this product to manage and integrate with P6? I would like to tie estimates and schedules together, but will this take up a lot of time to enter and set up necessary info for this product to work as intended. The setup is minimal, really a matter of selecting the HD items you would like to schedule into Primavera, and clicking the Schedule to Primavera button. Can we create commodity curve and manpower curves Hard Dollar includes the ability to establish back loaded, front loaded, bell and linear curves for commodities and manhours. If new resources are added to an activity, does it over-ride those or doubleup If resources are added to an activity, it is assumed that you want to add them to the activity in addition to the resources that already exist.

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www.ims-web.com

Dallas 7160 N. Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 320 | Plano, TX 75024 | 469.467.9221 Houston 2277 Plaza Dr., Ste. 240 | Sugar Land, TX 77479 | 281.565.5222 Phoenix 7047 E. Greenway Pkwy. Ste. 250 | Scottsdale, AZ | 85254 | 480.659.3532

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Can you bring in estimate details into hard dollar from your own proprietary estimating tools? Can you create a "many to one relationship" between estimate details and Primavera activities? Yes you can map cost estimates from other sources into HD, complete with activities, resources, costs, and production values. Many estimate activities can roll up to sync to a single activity in Primavera.

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Dallas 7160 N. Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 320 | Plano, TX 75024 | 469.467.9221 Houston 2277 Plaza Dr., Ste. 240 | Sugar Land, TX 77479 | 281.565.5222 Phoenix 7047 E. Greenway Pkwy. Ste. 250 | Scottsdale, AZ | 85254 | 480.659.3532