The first thing to do to manage a construction project is create a job estimate. A job estimate is a list of items that make up the job.

Click Add Job at the top of the screen to create a new job. The Edit Job form allows you to enter general information about the job.

Click Estimate to go to the Edit Job Estimate form. Once you have created a job estimate, you can also view and edit the estimate information in a spreadsheet format in the Job Estimate Grid form.

You can create items in a job estimate by entering them, or you can copy them from other jobs or job templates that come with Smart Contractor. See the How Do I... Create A Job topic for more information.

You can group job estimate items into job sections. Using job sections allows you to list and total job estimate items by job section. See the How Do I... Use Job Sections topic for more information.

Smart Contractor creates job schedules automatically from the job estimate. The schedule can then be easily modified in the graphical Scheduling form.

• The schedule is created automatically using the Critical Path Method (CPM), based on the pre-defined duration and sequence of job activities defined in schedule models.
  
• View and modify schedules of multiple jobs simultaneously in the graphical Scheduling form. Smart Contractor automatically reschedules work activities when schedule changes are made.
  
• Smart Contractor can automatically schedule jobs in phases when job sections cannot be completed concurrently because of logistical constraints (i.e. owner is living in house during remodel).
  
• Schedule Resources (employees, work crews, subcontractors, equipment) for job items.
  
• Display resource scheduling conflicts and other errors.
  
• Print job schedules, and employee or work crew work orders.

Once you have created an estimate, you can print a contract for the customer to sign. Click Documents in the shortcut menu to print contracts and documents.

Contracts are generated from merge documents and boilerplate text that merge company, customer, and job information into the text when the document prints. Use the Setup Boilerplate Text form to create or edit any number of boilerplate texts. Use the Setup Merge Document form to create or edit any number of merge documents. Each merge document can be printed for any job. Merge documents can contain any text, in any font or color, and can include graphic images, and can be automatically formated with your company logo or letterhead. See the How Do I... Customize Forms topic for information on how to customize your printed documents and forms with your company logo or letterhead.

Smart Contractor comes with a set of contract merge documents that you can use as templates for creating your own contracts.

As part of your contract documentation, you might want to print an allowance schedule to document the list of allowance items in the job. Use the Merge Documents option in the Setup Menu to edit the allowance schedule contract, and use the Allowance Schedule option in the Print Documents list to print it.

Also, as part of your contract documentation, you might want to print a draw schedule to document the schedule on which the customer is expected to make payments for work completed on a job. Use the Merge Documents option in the Setup Menu to edit the draw schedule, and use the Draw Schedule option in the Print Documents list to print it.

You may need to provide your customer with a right to lien notice. Use the Merge Documents option in the Setup Menu to edit the Right To Lien Notice, and use the Right To Lien option in the Print Documents list to print it.

Once you have entered items required for a job, you may want to get price quotes from vendors that supply the products used in the job. You can request vendor price quotes in a number of ways:

• Use the Create Quote Request option in the Get Quotes menu (in the Purchases menu) to email quote requests with an Excel spreadsheet attached. The email message asks the vendor to enter prices in the spreadsheet and return it by email. When you receive updated price quote spreadsheets, you import them using the import vendor prices utility to update the prices in the job and in the product database.
  
  
• Use the Create Quote Request option in the Get Quotes menu (in the Purchases menu) to print quote requests. The quote request is a merge document that you can edit in the Setup Merge Document form. Mail or deliver the printed quote request to the vendor (the printed form will display the vendor name and address in a #10 window envelope). When the vendor returns the form, use the product entry form to update prices in the job and in the product database.
  
  
• Use the Print Quote Request Listing option in the Get Quotes menu (in the Purchases menu) to export an Excel spreadsheet (to a floppy diskette). Give the diskette to your vendor(s). They can enter their prices in the spreadsheet and return it to you. Then you can use the import vendor prices utility to import the spreadsheet to update prices in the job and in the product database.
  
  
• Use the Print Quote Request Listing option in the Get Quotes menu (in the Purchases menu) to print the list of products required for a job. Give the printed list to your vendor and ask that they write in their prices. Then use the product entry form to update prices in the job and in the product database.
  

The difference between printing a quote request in the Create Quote Request form and printing a quote request in the Print Quote Request Listing option, is that the Create Quote Request form prints a merge document with a formal request message and is addressed to the individual vendor, whereas the the Print Quote Request Listing option prints a generic form that is not personalized for the vendor.

Once you enter or update prices for products used in a job, those prices are available when the same products are used in other jobs.

Once you have entered items required for a job, you may want to get quotes from subcontractors. You can request subcontractor quotes by using the Create Quote Request option in the Get Quotes menu (in the Purchases menu) to print or email a quote request to a particular subcontractor.

A subcontractor quote request is similar to a vendor price quote request except that the items listed in a subcontract quote request are job items, whereas the items listed in vendor price quote requests are products. Job items are specific to a particular job; products can be used in multiple jobs.

A purchase order contains a list of products, quantities and quoted prices that you want to purchase from a venfor for a particular job. Use the Purchase Order form to print purchase orders.

You can customize the appearance of your printed purchase orders with your company's logo or letter head. For information, see the How Do I... Customize Printed Forms topic.

Once you have scheduled your job in the job schedule entry form, you can print Work Orders and Job Schedules.

Once you have entered a job estimate, you can enter actual job costs.

If you are using QuickBooks integration, you must:

• Enter job purchases in the Purchase Entry form. Purchases will be automatically copied to QuickBooks in the form of bills, or check or credit card purchase transactions. See the QuickBooks integration topic for more information.
  
• Enter labor hours in the Labor Hours Entry form. Labor hours entries will be automatically copied to time sheets (time tracking transactions) in QuickBooks, so that all you will need to do in QuickBooks is run payroll. See the QuickBooks integration topic for more information.

If you are not using QuickBooks integration, you can alternatively enter your purchases and labor hours in the Job Progress entry form. The job progress entry form allows you to update the costs of estimated job items, but you must use the Purchase Entry form to add items that are not in the estimate.

Job costs can be entered in the Job Progress Entry form (instead of the Purchase Entry form, and the Labor Hours Entry form). See the How Do I... Track Job Costs topic for information on when to use each form.

The job inspection schedule lists all scheduled inspections, either for a particular job, or for all jobs. This allows you to know where you need to be, and when, to meet inspectors. The information for the job inspection schedule comes from the entries you make in the Job Progress entry form.

When it is necessary to make changes to a job after it has started (as always happens), Smart Contractor allows you to create and print change orders. See the How Do I... Create Change Orders topic for complete information on how to create and print change orders.

When your customer selects their appliances, floor coverings, and other allowance items, they sometimes select items or materials that cost more than the amount allowed for those items in the allowance schedule. Smart Contractor automatically picks up on this and invoices the correct amounts (based on the actual product costs that you enter in the job progress entry form). When this happens, the customer will want to know why they are being asked to pay more than the job bid amount.

The Allowance Variance report clearly lists the amounts allowed, the actual costs paid, and the difference, for each allowance item. The Allowance Variance Document lists this information in a change order merge document. This provides a clear documentation of exactly where every penny of the customer's money is being spent. A happy customer is a good customer.

As work progress, it is necessary to receive periodic payments from your customers in order to maintain your cash flow. Click the Invoice button to create invoices from items that have been updated to "completed" status in the Job Progress entry form.

When you receive payments from customers (for invoices), you will want to make a record of those payments received. Click the Payments button to enter Payments. Deposits are handled differently. See the How Do I... Enter Deposits topic for more information.

Smart Contractor allows you to post updated customer job information to private web pages on your website automatically. Use the Website Publishing setup form to set up Smart Contractor to make updated customer job information available to your customers on your website.

It is important to keep tabs on your cash flow: when you can expect to receive how much, from whom, and who is late with their payments. The Job Summary report lists all of the invoices (entered in the Invoice entry form), and all of the payments (entered in the Payment entry form) that have been entered. It also displays the amount remaining to be invoiced.

This report can be run for one job, or for all jobs. Running the report for one job allows you to view the amounts invoiced, received, and yet to be invoiced for that job. Running the report for all jobs allows you to view amounts invoiced, received, and yet to be invoiced for all jobs. This provides you with a complete picture of your present and future cash flow.

When a job is completed, you need to provide your customer with a full accounting of the job in order to get a final payment. While this is normally a lengthy and time consuming task, the Job Recap report makes it a snap. This report pulls together information from the entire job to provide a complete job accounting summary and final balance due.

It is very important in the operation of a construction contracting business to know what your profit is on jobs completed, and ideally, on which parts of jobs you are making or losing money. The Estimated vs Actual Job Cost report, available in the Reports Menu, shows the estimated and actual costs for completed work so that you can see exactly how much you made or lost - on a particular job, or for all past jobs. This report can be run to show estimated vs actual costs by individual job item, or summarized by item type. And it can be run for a particular job, or for all past jobs.

This information allows you to see exactly where you are making or losing money - within a particular job, or over all jobs over time - so you can improve the accuracy of your job estimating, and profitability of your business.