Project Scheduling

Project Start and Completion Dates

The BidMagic estimating software provides very simple scheduling info, by calculating a project completion date.

Enter a start date for the project--the approximate date when you expect you'll be able to start work. The start date will be used to calculate a completion date, if that field is locked. It will also be used to calculate an inflation percentage, if the Delay from Bid to Start of Project field in Soft Costs is locked (see page 162).

HINT: You can use the nudge buttons to adjust the start date, or type it in directly. Several date formats may be used --for example, you can type 6/23/93, 6-23-93, 23 June 93, or June 23, 1993.

If you know the approximate completion date for the project, unlock it and enter a date.

If you don't know the expected project completion date, BidMagic can calculate it for you. To have BidMagic calculate a completion date, follow these steps:

1. If the Completion Date field does not already have a padlock next to it, hold down the Command key and click on the nudge button to lock it.
2. Enter the average number of skilled and unskilled workers that will be in the building on an average day. Include all workers on the project, whether they are your employees, or subcontractors. A fractional number of workers can be used. EXAMPLE: If you plan to have an average of 2 skilled employees and 1 skilled subcontractor in the building during the first half of construction, and 4 skilled employees and 4 skilled subcontractors in the building during the last half, then take the average of 3 and 8 workers, and enter 5.5  under skilled workers.
3. Enter the project start date if you haven 't done so already
4. If you think conditions on this job will result in more delays than normal (or fewer delays than normal), choose Preferences from the Navigate menu, and adjust the Delay Factor (see page 95).
5. The expected completion date will be calculated for you.

WARNING: The calculated completion date should be considered as a rough estimate only!

The scheduled completion date is used to calculate Inflation, if the Project Duration field in Soft Costs is locked. It will also be used to calculate any line items in Specifications that use the Project Duration variable.

NOTE: Because the completion date must be computed again each time you recalculate, locking it may slow down the calculation speed by a few seconds.