BPLC - ch 8 software applications

what has the implementation of computer software done for the landscape industry

enabled companies to access their current financial status & proactively manage production operations in real time to increase their profitability

what is the role of accounting systems

efficiently integrates financial information from various input sources for generating financial reports

what should the common goal for all accounting systems be

integration

what is the value of an integrated accounting system

its ability to interface with estimating, budgeting, & job cost management

what is the role of reporting programs

format accounting information to assist management with day-to-day operations and enable them to generate reports for any desired financial analysis

sales reports

weekly update reports of sales booked versus sales goals

how are sales reports broken down

into contract renewals, pending, & hot leads with probability

estimating software

generates job estimates by interfacing with databases of production standards, labor rates, material costs, overhead markups, & profit margins

what does interfacing estimating system with reporting system enable

tracking of the job cost status & its projected cost at completion

bar-coding systems

used for work orders, enabling scanning into the production database without the need for manual data entry

examples of what smartphone apps can help do

- maintain communication

- track real-time job costs

- transmit client information

- access accounting files

- download from the Internet

- submit digital images of plants for diseases diagnostics

what does design software enable

a company to generate scale multidimensional color renderings of its landscape concepts

what is an advantage of design software regarding flexibility

renderings can be readily altered based upon changes requested by clients

mobile resource management (MRM) systems

enable real-time tracking through the integration of GPS technology with business management systems

what can MRM system do for managers

provides them with the opportunity to view a job in progress and assess its productivity based on budgeted labor hours

global positioning system (GPS) role in landscaping

enables companies to maximize crew efficiency in routing & scheduling clients

advantages of using GPS on jobs

- downtime is reduced by utilizing the most direct routes & scheduling clients in close proximity to each other

- managers can track how long a crew has been on a job site as well as the location of vehicles & their travel times to the site

what facilitates excellent communication between managers & crews regarding GPS

managers can transmit messages & scheduling update instantaneously from their office computers

global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver

establishes geospatial position of the vehicle

inertial measurement unit (IMU)

tracks the vehicle attitude/pose (how an object is placed in the space it occupies)

long-range light detection and ranging (LiDAR)

captures high-resolution, high density point clouds that are time stamped using special software

water conservation application of the GNSS system

was used to determine plant density in existing & new plantings to determine how much water is needed for an area

general use of GNSS system

use information generated to maintain the health status of plant inventory & schedule maintenance procedures

which is the most important of the various computing tools available

an accounting system

what are the benefits of investing in computer technology

greatly improved operation efficiency & reduction of overhead costs, which positively affect the bottom line profit