Workeffort guidance required

[Ted Byers]

OK, I have made little headway using the interface to figure out how to use
the support for work effort to either estimate how much material and
manpower would be required for a given 'job'.  I have therefore taken a
look at some of the tables, and it seems like there is enough there to
support such a functional requirement.

Please consider this workflow.  A contractor (let's preend he is a roofer)
received a call from a prospective client.  He measures the roof, and
enters the measurements into the application.  He presses a button and is
presented with an estimate of the number of packages of shingles, the
weight of nails, the amount of tar paper, &c., that he'd need to finish the
job, along with the number of manhours that would be needed (given the
records in the database regarding the actual amount of product and manpower
actually used in past jobs).  He then, after showing the customer samples
of shingles), enters the specific product ID for the shingles the client
has chosen, and presses another button and gets a formal quote for the
job.  Then, when the client accepts the quote, and he can start, he
allocates resources and manpower as required.  On the day the work starts,
he shows up with the hired help, and takes an inventory of the materials
delivered to the site to support the work, and he shows up at the end of
the workday to take another inventory, so he knows what has been used and
what, therefore, may need to be delivered for continuing work the following
day.  Then, when the job is done, he takes a final inventory of what is
remaining, and thus goes back into his inventory and what was used on the
job (so that, if the work actually took less material tha estimated, he
comes in under budget, and if more then he knows how much his profit was
reduced, assuming a policy of not invoicing for more than the original
estimate).

Later, in providing customer service, he needs to be able to statistically
relate warranty service to the brands of products used and which staff
worked on the job.  (So he can upgrade employee skills or refrain from
using a particular anufacturer's products).

I have some questions.

1) How much of this is supported OOTB, and how much will I have to code?
(I have plenty of experience in CRUD apps, including web CRUD apps, in
everything from Perl and C/C++/C# and Java/JSP/JSF, along with, of course,
SQL).  I am just not looking forward to modifying such a HUGE product with
so much code, so I am hoping I won't have to.  My worry is that, without
proper design documentation, changes I may make may break something else
that I didn't intend to touch.
2) If I have to code it, what files should I examine first?
3) Is there decent documentation anywhere on the work effort modules in
particular?  What about design documentation?  Or would I have to reverse
engineer it all before I can make progress in using this as the folk I know
who need it would have to use it?

any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ted

[Adrian Crum-3]

OFBiz will do most of what you describe. It would be best to start off
with The Data Model Resource Book:

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Resource-Book-Vol/dp/0471380237/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346222487&sr=8-2&keywords=The+data+model+resource+book

-Adrian

On 8/29/2012 4:36 AM, Ted Byers wrote:

> OK, I have made little headway using the interface to figure out how to use
> the support for work effort to either estimate how much material and
> manpower would be required for a given 'job'.  I have therefore taken a
> look at some of the tables, and it seems like there is enough there to
> support such a functional requirement.
>
> Please consider this workflow.  A contractor (let's preend he is a roofer)
> received a call from a prospective client.  He measures the roof, and
> enters the measurements into the application.  He presses a button and is
> presented with an estimate of the number of packages of shingles, the
> weight of nails, the amount of tar paper, &c., that he'd need to finish the
> job, along with the number of manhours that would be needed (given the
> records in the database regarding the actual amount of product and manpower
> actually used in past jobs).  He then, after showing the customer samples
> of shingles), enters the specific product ID for the shingles the client
> has chosen, and presses another button and gets a formal quote for the
> job.  Then, when the client accepts the quote, and he can start, he
> allocates resources and manpower as required.  On the day the work starts,
> he shows up with the hired help, and takes an inventory of the materials
> delivered to the site to support the work, and he shows up at the end of
> the workday to take another inventory, so he knows what has been used and
> what, therefore, may need to be delivered for continuing work the following
> day.  Then, when the job is done, he takes a final inventory of what is
> remaining, and thus goes back into his inventory and what was used on the
> job (so that, if the work actually took less material tha estimated, he
> comes in under budget, and if more then he knows how much his profit was
> reduced, assuming a policy of not invoicing for more than the original
> estimate).
>
> Later, in providing customer service, he needs to be able to statistically
> relate warranty service to the brands of products used and which staff
> worked on the job.  (So he can upgrade employee skills or refrain from
> using a particular anufacturer's products).
>
> I have some questions.
>
> 1) How much of this is supported OOTB, and how much will I have to code?
> (I have plenty of experience in CRUD apps, including web CRUD apps, in
> everything from Perl and C/C++/C# and Java/JSP/JSF, along with, of course,
> SQL).  I am just not looking forward to modifying such a HUGE product with
> so much code, so I am hoping I won't have to.  My worry is that, without
> proper design documentation, changes I may make may break something else
> that I didn't intend to touch.
> 2) If I have to code it, what files should I examine first?
> 3) Is there decent documentation anywhere on the work effort modules in
> particular?  What about design documentation?  Or would I have to reverse
> engineer it all before I can make progress in using this as the folk I know
> who need it would have to use it?
>
> any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Ted
>

[Ted Byers]

On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 2:42 AM, Adrian Crum <
[hidden email]> wrote:

> OFBiz will do most of what you describe. It would be best to start off
> with The Data Model Resource Book:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Data-**Model-Resource-Book-Vol/dp/**
> 0471380237/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&**qid=1346222487&sr=8-2&**
> keywords=The+data+model+**resource+book<http://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Resource-Book-Vol/dp/0471380237/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346222487&sr=8-2&keywords=The+data+model+resource+book>
>
> -Adrian
>

Hi Adrian.

Thanks for this.

I have placed an order for the book.  It might arrive after Labour day.

Now, how about a little guidance for the impatient?  ;-)

Cheers

Ted