Project plan spreadsheet

[Tremel]

Does anyone know of any new construction project management software.  Prefer freeware or better yet, something like a Microsoft spreadsheet macro.  Also, specifically for Timberframing.

[Warren]

Depends on how detailed ya wanna get....  In a previous life, we used MS Excel for most simple project plans and for all mgmt status updates on more complex projects.  For more detailed work, I would bet that there are generic construction mgmt templates out there for MS Project.  But as you alluded, MS Project is pricey.  Unless you are student, in which case you can download a legal copy for not so many dollars....

Warren

[Jim_Rogers]

Are you looking to keep track of costs or are you looking for a template that tells you what order to do things?

[Tremel]

Actually, both.  Order of proccess first and cost is a bonus. 

[Roger Nair]

I don't know of any tf specific solutions available in the public domain.  TF companies do invest serious effort and expense in their management tools.  A packaged solution maybe out there but likely for a heavy fee.

Based on my own misadventures with spreadsheets, I would suggest not to use ms excel but rather ms access to build your records, because after much work on a complicated excel speadsheet I disassociated my records by sorting columns.

The ms office  web site has many generic business templates available for free download.  Some maybe could be usefull.










there are

[Jim_Rogers]

Are you looking to keep track of costs or are you looking for a template that tells you what order to do things?

The reason I asked this question originally is that I have a spread sheet of figuring and tracking costs.
It was writen by a friend and I reworked it to include contacting links so that when you enter an estimated amount it moves the total to a summary page.
It also tracks the actual costs and shows the difference between the actual and estimated.

The order in which these pages are arranged are based on this timber framers order in which he constructs the building, and/or the order in which he has to deal with the client or subs....

So this order may not be the same order in which you would deal with your building's construction.

This would/could be used to help you understand everything that you may need in order to construct a building whether it is a house or barn.

Of course if it is a barn there are some sections that you would just leave blank.

Right now, I'm in Quebec at the Eastern Conference of the Timber Framers Guild and won't be home to my office and computer until Monday.
So I can't post or email this spread sheet out to anyone.

You'll have to wait to next week......

If you're interested I could email it to you then.

Just let me know.....

Jim Rogers