This is a really big time for me. In 1993, I started an Architectural firm in Chicago with my friend, Gary Beyerl. Over the last 14 years we’ve grown the firm to 14 employees and have established ourselves as one of the leading high-end, single-family residential Architects in our area. Business has never been better. So what do I do? As of May 1st, I will leave Burns + Beyerl Architects and focus my attention to the full-time development of ArchiOffice. Crazy you say?
As some of you know, I began the ArchiOffice project back in 1997 as a direct need I had in my own firm. After three years, the buzz was out (Chicago is a town full of Architects). In January 2001, a bunch of us (all Principals in Chicago area Architecture firms), pooled our money together and hired some brilliant professional software developers to take my prototype and build a commercial product. By April of 2003, we started selling ArchiOffice to firms like yours.
After 4 years, we’ve learned so much from our growing list of customers. Actually, with more than 2,500 licenses of ArchiOffice in use in over 500 firms, we get a lot of feedback. It’s another thing that makes us special: we provide a means for our users to tell us what they want. Go to the “Help” pull-down menu and select “Submit Feature Request.” Within minutes, I’m reading your idea, figuring out the best way to integrate it and putting them in the queue for our developers to implement.
There is so much more ArchiOffice can be that up to now, we’ve only been able to imagine. In order to ensure that our momentum continues, we engaged Henniker River Group to help provide a road map and guidance on growing our software company. After three months of careful examination, one of their conclusions was that someone needed to champion the cause. Guess who was elected (volunteered)?
One of my tasks during the next 12 months will be to travel around the country and visit firms who are using ArchiOffice as well as those that should. I want to learn more about you, how you think and work. So, don’t be surprised if you get a call from me asking if I can come for a visit. Conversely, if you want me to stop in – send me an email burns@orangeloft.com and I’ll make every attempt to visit you.
In closing, some of you may remember our original tag line; the one we used with the lonely goldfish leaping out of a fish bowl into a beautiful and populated aquarium: "Changing your World." Well, now in a strange symmetrical twist. ArchiOffice is Changing MY world!
ArchiOffice 8.5 unveiling at AIA 2007 Expo in San Antonio
On May 3rd, we are releasing our latest update of ArchiOffice. It took us a little longer to complete because we took on some large, interesting tasks. Some at Orange Loft believe it merits being called an Upgrade. However, I believe this is just a hint of what we’re going to be doing next – so it’s a free update for all who are on our maintenance program. I expect that once you see it – you’re going to inundate us with suggestions for changes and other cool new features based on the new technology.
For the past month, the Architects in my own firm have been enjoying these new features. Here’s what they consider the top 5 new features (click thumbnail to view a larger image):
Submittal Tracking: We now have the ability to log submittals on projects. So when we’re expecting a shop drawing or sample to come in on May 5th, it appears in the Calendar and is linked to the project, the General Contractor, and the employee at our office who is responsible. Once it arrives, it’s logged in and scheduled for the date it should be completed and returned. There is a field on the submittal record to comment on the action taken.
QuickView: We now have a series of QuickViews. These are reports or charts that give a quick snapshot of critical profit centers. For example, in the Projects>General layout, the new QuickView tab will give a snapshot with a bar chart of each phase and how much time and money was budgeted compared to the actual time spent (and remaining). There is also a pie chart here which shows how much each phase takes up of the total work.
WebViewer: In the Contacts detail – if you select the Map button or Directions buttons, you will have the map opened up within ArchiOffice in our own web viewer – instead of launching your browser. You can navigate fully inside the website while still located in ArchiOffice – even print the page. This requires FileMaker 8.5 to function. We’re even giving each user the option of using Mapquest or Google Maps as their preference.
Employee Efficiency Report: We’ve added a report in the Time/Expense area where you can see how efficient each employee has been during the last full week and compared to the last 52 weeks. We even give you the top 10 most efficient employees. Just watch them compete to be at the top of that list! On a similar topic, we’ve now added a checkbox for each employee to denote if they are considered “overhead.” If this is selected, they will not appear in reports and charts that look for efficiency.
Standard Form 330 Section: We’ve added a section in the Project module for those of you who track Standard Form 330 to select which Disciplines and Experience Categories are applicable to the project. This way, when looking for a project you’ve done which meets certain criteria – you can perform a search and include these projects in your RFQ.
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From time to time we receive support calls from clients on how they should handle outside consultants on their projects. Consultants can be an integral part of your project. They can also impact profitability if not planned and managed properly.
Choosing the proper method for your project(s) will ensure accurate billing and reporting for your project.
Here are some methods for you to consider:
1. As a reimbursable expense – passed through to client (with or without markup). These fees will be visible to the client and represented on the invoice as an expense. This method would not affect the budget and would be tracked by running an Expense Report.
Example: You receive a $5,000 invoice for DD from the consultant; you would then create an expense slip leaving the slip as a reimbursable expense. This will show on the invoice as an expense to project (with all other reimbursable expenses) which the client will see. As a reimbursable expense, it will not be reflected as part of any phases or codes, but can be tracked when running expense reports for the project
2. As a non reimbursable expense – fee entered and reflected as part of budgeted phase and job code. This method can or cannot be budgeted as a separate phase which would be visible to the client and represented on the invoice as either it’s own phase or can be buried in other appropriate phase budgets.
Example: Put the $10,000 fee inside your fixed fee. You would now have $5,000 in Design Development and $5,000 in Contract Documents built inside that fixed fee. Then – when you receive their $5,000 invoice for DD, create an expense slip marked non-reimbursable. This way – it doesn’t show up on the invoice – but it is applied to the costs of the project in my Project>Billing>Summary window.
3. As an employee – time listed as if work was actually done by consultant as part of your team at your office. Would be just like time entered by employees.
Example: Put the $10,000 fee inside your fixed fee. You would now have $5,000 in Design Development and $5,000 in Contract Documents built inside that fixed fee. Then – when you receive their $5,000 invoice for DD, create an expense slip marked non-reimbursable. This way – it doesn’t show up on the invoice – but it is applied to the costs of the project in my Project>Billing>Summary window.
4. As a separate phase in the project - It can be budgeted for and tracked as such. The client see’s the budget for consultants and is aware of the progress as part of the whole project budget. This method allows for both you and the client to track the phase as part of the overall project budget.
Example:
5. As a job code which can be either billed as part of the contract fee (cap) or outside of contract fees (no cap) and then itemized on the invoice as line item(s) separate from contract fees. Be aware that in this manner there is no budget for ‘consultants’ per se. But you will be able to use job codes to see how much you have billed the client for consultants to date.
Example:
Please feel free to contact support at (847) 719-2600 if you would like to discuss these option.
Thank you to all our new clients dedicated to improving your efficiency and productivity with ArchiOffice v8!
- Nodus LLC
- 818 Studio
- ACLA:works
- Adest Architecture
- Andrew Fredman Architect
- Appleton & Associates
- Architectual Workshop
- Architecture Cubed
- Arkiplan AS
- Blue Sky Collaborative
- BRU Architects
- Buller George Engineers
- Cadway Design
- Chris Larsen, Architect
- Collaborative Solutions
- Coy + Yiontis Architects
- CPG Architects
- Create Limited
- Crockett Achitects Inc.
- Cynthia Zahoruk Architects
- Design Perspectives
- Donald Friedman
- Dovetail Workers In Wood
- Dwell Arch. + Design Ltd.
- Elliott, Elliott, Norelius
- ethos three architecture
- Farr Associates
- Freebox Computing Limited
- Fuster + Partners PSC
- Gene Dane & Associates
- gh2 Gralla
- GRA+D Architects
- Hemprich Tophof Architekten
- Henriquez Partners Arch.
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- Hepworth Design
- High Impression Pools
- jb|rs architecture design planning
- L7 Architects
- Lava Corp
- Lawson Willard Arch.
- Levi Architecture
- LTC Associates
- Lubowicki Architecture
- Lundberg Designs
- Maddox Group, Inc.
- Manual Zeitlin
- McCleary German Arch.
- McNaughton Associates
- Ocain Design Group
- One World Architecture
- Orens-Van Grimbergen Architecten BVBA
- Orient Design
- Paul Arnold Architects
- Pfaffmann + Associates
- Puflett Associates
- Quattrocchi and Kwok
- Resolve Designs
- RGLA
- SAA Architects
- SAA Architects
- SE-ARCH
- Solar Solutions Pty Ltd
- Solid Structures Limited
- Stacy Norman Architects
- Stephen Shadley Design
- Studio 951
- Voelker Blackburn Niehoff
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Changes to our Maintenance Program
Change is never an easy thing. It’s often hard to get people to realize how change is going to make things better. Only after time has passed do they realize the benefits. So, in order to provide the same level of technical support and product enhancements our customers have come to expect, we’re about to make a change to our support and maintenance program that took us many months of debate to finally agree upon. This change will become effective for all support/maintenance renewals after May 1, 2007. So if you are current with your payments, there is no immediate change. However, when your next license comes up for maintenance renewal, we would encourage you to enroll in the new program.
THE BEST PART: The increased maintenance prices now include free upgrades of ArchiOffice during the effective maintenance period!
Here are the plan highlights:
Annual Support/Maintenance Subscription:
The cost of an annual support/maintenance subscription is $95.00 per year per license, and includes the following:
- Support coverage Monday through Friday 9:00AM – 5:00PM (CST), excluding major holidays.
- Unlimited telephone, email and online technical support.
- Free maintenance releases (bug fixes).
- Free ArchiOffice version upgrades (enhancements, improvements and new features) will be available for download at no additional cost. FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server software not included
- Unrestricted knowledgebase and user forum access.
One-Time Support:
Should you decide not to purchase the annual support/maintenance subscriptions for your licenses, our support staff is available on a per-call basis. This service is provided in 15-minute increments at the rate of $25.00 per 15 minute increment. Maintenance releases are provided to all users at no additional cost.
The Annual Support/Maintenance Subscription is required for the first year with the purchase of new or additional ArchiOffice software licenses. This protects your investment by providing you with technical support and all product upgrades for a full year. After the initial year, you have the option of declining to renew your Annual Support/Maintenance Subscription. Should you need support you would then need to access support using the One-Time Support option.
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