DEVELOPER MESSAGE

Recently we conducted an extensive survey of our users to find out more about their needs and experiences using ArchiOffice. Even though I'm incredibly proud of what we have created and how we have grown, I understand that there is always room for improvement. One reason I love this business is that we are never done building. As an architect, I was so critical of all my projects that I found it frustrating not to be able to go back and change the design once it was constructed. With software, it's easy. Not only is it easy, but have you ever tried to have your client allow you to change something that's already built! Impossible. With software, it's not only appreciated - your clients demand it.

Thank you to all our customers who took the time to complete our survey. We also appreciate all the additional comments many of you provided since these are also extremely valuable. We are listening and striving for perfection.

As an enticement to complete our customer survey, we offered an iPod Shuffle drawing. Congratulations to Marsha Klawiter at Klawiter and Associates. Your iPod Shuffle is on it's way! As a recommendation, you might try using your iPod to listen to the AIA podcasts or use iTunes and search for AIA Architecture in the podcast zone.

Steven Burns, AIA

NEXT GENERATION SOFTWARE (v9 UPDATE)

BUILDING SOFTWARE IS SIMILAR TO CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS
As we all know so well, the first few months of any construction project are always exciting. The landscape changes swiftly, and as the framing goes up and things take shape, you feel like your project will be completed faster than planned. However, once the dramatic changes have been put in place, it appears that the project is slowing down. It's harder to see what has changed from site visit to site visit. As architects, we all know that there is plenty going on, it's just more "nuanced."

Software development isn't all that different. Our team was so excited after the first three months when we could see our next generation software taking shape. Six months into the development we gave a private preview for some of our customers at the AIA Convention in Boston. At that time, we all knew that we had made huge progress and saw light at the end of the tunnel.

Like most projects, nothing is more annoying than having the owner ask for changes once construction commences. As architects wanting to please our clients, we're aiding and abeting when we encourage this behavoir. Alas, that's one of our dilemmas at Orange Loft. We've been trying to incorporate many of your new feature requests within our first release of v9 that we've been continuing to move the target. We needed to get more disciplined, so we've stopped accepting new features for v9.0 and will move all incomplete requests to subsequent updates. Hopefully, we will now have a better chance of wrapping up the development and get v9 released to all of you who have been patiently waiting. 

TECHNICAL TIPS

PROFITABILITY
If you are an administrator of ArchiOffice, or have the privilege to see Profitability reports and open the QuickView tab in the Projects>General layout you will be familiar with how ArchiOffice handles profit. ArchiOffice tracks both the cost and bill rate for all time applied to your projects. An essential piece of information is required for this feature to function properly: Cost Rates. The default cost information can only be entered by an ArchiOffice Administrator in the Preferences>User Setup>Users>Prefs layout. Cost Rate is the field where you enter the actual cost of that employee to your firm on an hourly basis.

For some firms with many employees, it is often easier to just use a multiplier of the hourly salary to come up with the cost rate. You might want to contact your accountant to help you determine what the appropriate multiplier is for your firm. As an example, some firms use 3.0 (net multiplier), as this factor. To help you determine cost rates, we have developed an Excel spreadsheet where you insert your cost values and the sheet will determine each employee’s cost rate which can then be entered into ArchiOffice. To get a copy of this worksheet, please email support and request the ArchiOffice Cost Worksheet, and we will happy to forward it to you.

If you do not have cost values entered, when employees create their time cards, the cost of their time will not be calculated, making profitability reports meaningless. Don't worry, it's easy to correct. You will need to do a FIND in the Time/Expense module and select the employee (or employees), and the date range (i.e. 1/1/2008...12/31/2008). Once you have isolated this found set of records you can use the UPDATE pulldown menu and select COST RATE. This will allow you to apply a cost rate (like $62.50), to each of the slips in the found set. Keep doing this until you have properly updated all employee time entries.

Once you have successfully entered or updated cost rates, run a Project>Profitability report, which will now accurately calculate your profit based on the new cost rates. If you use the QuickView screen, you should regularly hit the UPDATE button so it runs the massive calculation and returns the result.

CONTACTING SUPPORT
We understand how important it is to have ArchiOffice running properly for your firm. So when something isn't right - your first response is to pick up the phone and call support. However, due to our support staff helping others, it's not always possible to get directly through, so your call goes to our voicemail system. I would like to encourage you to submit your issue through email rather than phone. This is the best way to ensure that your problem is properly explained and recorded into our database. Some of you might just leave a message to be called back - but not tell us what the problem is. If you write it in an email - our support staff can often reply much quicker than by playing phone tag. If it is necessary for you to phone support and you get voicemail, please leave a detailed message about your problem this way the support tech will be prepared to work with you when they return your call.

We encourage you to start support requests by sending an email to support@orangeloft.com. If you get a bounce-back from our mail server, simply hit the reply button. This will notify our mail server that you are indeed a human (you are - right?), and add you permanently to our "friends" list which will then forward your original mail to our staff for resolution.

STAFFING ISSUES? CONSIDER EDP RESOURCES:

Established in 1988 and with over 20 years of architectural and engineering recruiting/staffing experience, EDP Resources understands the importance of having highly skilled individuals to assist in project deadlines and project profitability.  EDP is specialized in searching, networking and advertising for the best Architects, Engineers, and CAD Drafters so that your firm can “sow and “reap” the benefits.  

On a daily basis, EDP interviews several candidates, retrieves a minimum of 100 resumes, conducts testing and criminal background checks on candidates for their architectural and engineering clients. EDP can give your company choices and save your firm time, money and frustration.  They can also work one-on-one with your HR staff and give them “free” advice on the pro’s and cons of each resume they submit.  Most importantly, they want to develop a “working relationship” with your firm…..they consider this a team effort and have to make three parties happy…..Your Firm, the Candidate and EDP….if any of the three are unhappy, the equation fails.

EDP is a 100% contingency based firm, and requires no deposit or obligation.

NEW CUSTOMERS

Since our last Newsletter, we would like to welcome the following new Customers who are dedicated to improving their firms efficiency and productivity with ArchiOffice or EngineerOffice: