Getting a project going for a small company often involves a visit to a potential client or a meeting. Your team inspect the problem, issues, or potential objectives and a discussion ensues.
How do you get started?
In larger companies they start with "top down" estimates that are then confirmed with "bottom up" estimates of the work to do. In a smaller company you may not have the skills or the breadth of team to do this.
Top down approaches are made from experience, intuition, and are broad brush in nature. Builders use rules of thumb to help them, as do many people in the construction field, yet in some way this is flawed in its approach.
To what extent do you solve problems on the broad brush approach?
My observation is that the problem identification is often done, however rather than solve the problem in the most effective way companies put in safety buffers - so that when they do the work - there is room to complete the job and still make profit.
Recently I have seen quotes from "the other side". It is interesting to consider why some companies quote despite being double the price of others.
In today's competitive world - how much of a skill in demand is it to be able to solve problems - and therefore to do the job required - and still make a profit?
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