SERVICE
Richard Renouf
Accuracy matters
Demand for estimating training is growing
Enrico Fermi was a nuclear physicist and was, in part, responsible for developing and testing the first nuclear explosions. If you read his bio on Wikipedia you’ll find that he was known for ‘his ability to make good approximate calculations with little or no actual data’. Isn’t that just another way of saying ‘guess’? And isn’t that a bit scary when you think what he was dealing with? In 1945, Fermi was present at the ‘Trinity Test’ in New Mexico where the first atomic bomb was tested. He was in a bunker about six miles from the explosion and when the wind from the explosion reached the spot he stood up with a handful of confetti and let it go. He then measured how far it travelled and from this calculated an estimate of the strength of the explosion by working out the wind speed, the force needed to move the air, the shape of the shockwave and how much power would be required to do this. His answer – 10 megatons wasn’t spot-on, but it was good enough to give his fellow scientists a better understanding of the forces they were dealing with. And it (with a few other
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Interiors Monthly September 2020
bits and pieces, no doubt) earned him a Nobel Prize for Physics. Estimating in our trade is easy in comparison. We have, or can easily access, all the data we need. Whether we’re planning a fitted furniture installation, curtains, blinds or new flooring, the tools we need are readily available and accurate as long as we use them correctly. So why would there be a flurry of people wanting to be taught estimating on a two-day course, and what is there to teach? Estimating is not just about length, width and height. It’s about gathering all the information necessary to plan the job correctly and to avoid potential problems. Whether it’s moisture levels for flooring or the accessibility of existing water and electrical supplies for a kitchen, knowing these factors at the earliest opportunity helps to ensure the job is priced correctly, runs smoothly, and won’t have any hidden surprises popping up later. Estimating can get very complicated. There could be lots of measurements, lots of different products and a variety
of ways for ordering them. By the square metre? By cut length off a standard width of roll? As tiles or standard width of unit? At retail price or a multiple of cost price? A robust method of gathering, recording and processing the information ensures clarity as well as accuracy and completeness. (Be honest, have you ever had a customer say you missed a cupboard, or even a whole room, from the proposal?) Estimating is not just about you getting things right. It’s rare that only one person is involved in the processing of an order from start to finish. Do you have the details in a format that’s easy to communicate? Could anyone else pick up your paperwork and be able to carry on if you were not there to explain it? Accurate estimating may not have such an impact as the work of Mr Fermi, but the benefits are very real. A training course may seem extravagant, but the cost will be repaid many times over. Visit: www.richard-renouf.com Richard Renouf is an independent furnishings consultant
