Managing FF&E deliveries worth $6 million for The University of Nebraska Health Center and UNMC College of Nursing
This blog is part of summer 2018 coursework requirement for Digital Insights and Analytics taught by Prof. Brandon Nutting at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
This blog post is the second of the five blog posts in the series.
Part 1: Getting a clear understanding of what you are expected to do.
In this blog post we will be discussing
Part 2 – Organize, Consult, Discuss and then Instruct.
While organizing this data I kept in mind only one thing - PEOPLE. I thought about all the people that may need to use this data and what type of data (in what form) they may need. This was not a research project. It was an ongoing construction project with a many teams involved. The intention of data organization was simple - To help anyone accessing the data set get the information they need.
In a research project one would first gather all information, clean it up and then organize for further evaluation. In an ongoing construction project, I had to create a framework on how to filter and organize while all the information (in full or in parts) kept coming in. I had to set rules for myself to make sure nothing gets missed.
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| Image captured by Sneha Bhoir |
I started with the pen and clip method. 😊
Every time a final quote reached my inbox the first question was - Is this for The University Health Center OR UNMC College of Nursing? (The project budget was split for both thus if one quote had items for both the organizations, we had to correctly account for the split)
Next, I printed the quote, created a purchase order (PO) on our project management software, and wrote down that PO process number on the quote. If there were multiple quotes on one PO then the print outs were all attached using a paperclip.
When all relevant information was entered on the spreadsheet (in a shared drive), I added a red dot on the top left corner. After the equipment or items were received on site, the packing slips were collected and attached to the quote using a binder clip. Once all items were received, a note was added in red just below the PO# on top right.
The pen and clip method worked great for two reasons. Firstly, it told me what I had to do next and helped me make sure ALL information was up to date. Secondly, I did not always have to depend on a computer to find the information needed.
For readers outside the construction industry - I want to make sure you are aware that construction project managers do not have only one project to work on at any given time. Especially project managers for facilities like Joe, Grant and myself will have anywhere between 5 to 20 projects at any given time.
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| Column Titles for the spreadsheet |
Before starting to work on the spreadsheet I consulted Craig from UNMC. Craig noticed my struggles with identifying what needs to be on the spreadsheet. He provided some good advice on what to pay attention to and what more information to look out for.
He shared a draft outline of how UNMC had tracked this kind of FF&E information on their previous projects. His input basically provided me a clear path on how to proceed. Discussing all information with Kris and Robin further helped improve it. The column titles for the spreadsheet we developed can be seen in the image. That was a good amount information needed to be filled in!
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| Screenshot of Pivot Table created |
After creating the spreadsheet I used pivot tables to help summarize the data. This was for my own personal interest. By the end of June 2018 we had 593 rows in the spreadsheet. I wanted a summary of what all goes into one room with additional information like - from which vendor the items are being purchased, when the items are scheduled to arrive, and whether or not the user manuals and warranties have been provided. The table also helped figure out what information was missing in the data. Pivot tables and charts are very useful tools for data visualization and summary.
The spreadsheet helped figure out what all instructions need to go out with the PO to the vendors.
For example, the second floor was going to be ready before the first floor thus is was OK to schedule deliveries for the second floor in May but not have any equipment for the first floor show up before June 1st. (Not everyone follows instructions but once the instructions are on the purchase order we reserve the right to return deliveries that show up at the wrong time.)
So far the key experiences and lessons learnt were as follows:
1) Data organization and management takes time and effort. Having a set of rules helps ensure the data is updated in a timely manner and is available for reference at any time. Be diligent.
2) Be concise. Reduce (as much as possible) the amount of information required to be updated.
3) Copy paste carefully. Try not to type too much. Excel filters are useful only if you have quality input. If you set a filter for "1-Medical", Microsoft Excel is not going to show you rows having "1-medical" OR "1-med". If someone selected a cell with "1Medical" and dragged it down to copy with the fill series option ON, the cells below will have "2Medical", "3Medical" and so on, screwing up the data.
Attention to small details helps save getting frustrated later.
4) Identify the necessary information to be updated. Documentation is very important but it is also boring at times. My schedule did not always allow me to update the spreadsheet immediately. I had to find out what columns HAD to have information. On this project, I needed the room number, item description, vendor name and scheduled time of arrival.
This would answer the key questions - What equipment is arriving? When it is arriving? Where will it be going? and Who to contact with questions?
I hope you found this blog helpful. The next blog posts in this series are as follows:
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