Estimating & Project Costing

This training plan will guide you through the steps to create and customize quotes for library products and custom items.

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Introduction

This training plan and series of videos were assembled to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively utilize Toolbox for estimating. It will demonstrate the process and features available to accurately measure, analyze, and evaluate the cost of a project from start to finish.

Objective

After completing this plan, you should be able to:

Understand how to add employees to your employee data, an option that will allow you to start limiting access to specific areas of Toolbox.
Understand how to add new vendors and contacts, details you can select from when creating new estimates.
Understand how to accurately fill out the Project Properties details.
Understand how to add products from the product library to your project.
Understand how to make sure you are using the right hardware and material pricing for your project.
Understand how to import material details from an Excel spreadsheet.
Understand how to make a work order, generate a quote, and make modifications.
Understand how to create estimates for custom products and items not in your product library.
Understand how to start tracking time for specific activities related to how you quote projects.

Prerequisites

Windows Operations:

Before starting this training, it is essential to have a basic understanding of using Windows operating system. This includes familiarity with tasks such as navigating through files and folders, managing applications, and basic system settings. This foundational knowledge will ensure a smoother learning experience throughout the training.

Installed Software

To get the most out of this training, ensure that you have an installed version of Toolbox (2022, 2023, or 2024) and the Foundation Product Library ready for use on your computer before proceeding with this training plan so you can follow along. If you need to install Toolbox, these videos will assist you:

Preparing Your ComputerInstalling Toolbox

Training Plan

Before you proceed, we recommend completing the Getting Started training plan, as it will provide you with the foundational knowledge required to understand and follow the instructions provided within this training plan.

Getting Started Training Plan

Training Environment

If you or your company already uses Microvellum software, it may be beneficial to create a new local training configuration in Toolbox to separate your projects and work from your production configuration. These videos will assist you in setting up this new configuration and downloading the Foundation Library.

Creating a new configurationManaging Configurations

Exercises

We recommend following along with each video, attempting to replicate the processes outlined to achieve the same results within your Toolbox project.

Repeat this a few times until you feel comfortable creating quotes for library products and custom items. This will solidify your understanding and ability to apply it independently.