Solutions : : BIPHORA

Biphora® is REGOLA's solution for the complete management of project orders, from drafting of the offer to executive completion.
The system enables the limits of applications based on analytical accounting to be overcome, creating a real Workflow Management System allowing monitoring of the financial trend, costs, and state of progress of a project at any time during its lifecycle.

System and Operational Model

REGOLA has created a management system formed of several software applications, each of which is destined to a specific group of connected functions: Biphora® can therefore be easily used on a corporate Intranet, requesting a specific planning input from each department, or even from individual workstations. In addition, thanks to the benefits introduced by the Web Applications, Biphora® can also be used remotely by sites which are geographically separate from the office dealing with the order.

Biphora® is based on a rigorous but versatile management of order stages: in this way, production management is ordered and correct, avoiding production which is not planned by administration staff. An exact definition of the resources to be used for each stage of production also ensures the most efficient use of the team, therefore giving effective overall management of personnel.
One of the main benefits introduced by Biphora® is the efficient monitoring of the state of progress, which enables corrective measures to be taken in good time, also thanks to complete, timely analysis tools.

Features

Planning
Excellent management of orders and work sites first of all requires sound planning definition. This is why REGOLA has equipped Biphora® with powerful functions designed to be used in the field of planning...
[details...] Each job can be divided into sites, each of which is supplied by a specific "activity tree" ("Distinta Base" or Di.Ba). The material to be installed or worked on, and the professional skills requested, are associated to each activity, along with the scheduled installation or production time; in addition, each activity may be associated with a specific difficulty coefficient for the type of work.

Finally, the use of predefined, customised cost values allows the planners to provide the commercial information for estimates directly, while also keeping their attention on matters strictly related to planning. [hide...]

Estimates
After the planning stage, Biphora® includes a detailed stage of cost analysis and estimation.
[details...] Drafting the financial offer for the client starts with referring to the pure costs of the works and materials: the commercial staff dealing with estimates can therefore define the desired net profit starting with the individual cost items.

Biphora® features two ways of preparing the offer. The first works on the detail of installations (estimates in terms of quantity and labour) starting with the information relating to labour costs and materials used; this means it is possible to define quantities of material sold different from those which are actually necessary for the job, and to establish the price for each cost item individually.

The second is based on division of the order including planning sections or types of similar work, sold separately. This type of estimate is particularly suitable for drawing up modular financial offers, allowing commercial staff to set the costs for each part of the order separately.

Biphora® offers price management which is completely adaptable to specific demands, using items for risk, unexpected items and fixed costs, for which parameters may be set according to the characteristics of each company and the type of order involved. The system also gives a high degree of flexibility in managing offer variations (following client feedback) and additions during the works. [hide...]

Warehouse Management
Biphora® includes warehouse management functions, coordinated with the planning and order progress functions.
[details...] For each work site, the application automatically keeps a record of the required quantities and allows movements to be handled simply and practically. Use of the warehouse is perfectly integrated with the context of the order. For example, Biphora® allows loading of the works to be linked to the presence of the required material in the warehouse. [hide...]

Progress Analysis
The stage of inputting completed works is certainly one of the most important of the whole system, especially concerning the resulting possibilities for analysis.
[details...] Biphora® features the option of loading the completed jobs even remotely (via Web), in terms of hours worked and quantities of material installed. The data resulting from uploads helps, along with the planning data, with evaluation of progress of the works.

Biphora® offers powerful analysis tools for the order, both on completion and during work in progress: one of the main advantages offered by REGOLA's solution is the option of evaluating the job during the entire duration of the project. There are many functions available: from those dedicated to the various progress analyses in terms of time taken for the job and those for material installed, via monitoring of materials in the warehouse and tools for evaluation as a whole or for sections of the order. The system also allows individual job details or groups of activities to be analysed, highlighting the remaining time for the end of the job and the real costs in relation to the planned costs for each item.

Biphora® distinguishes between the order activities based on their effective state, differentiating between jobs showing a profit, jobs showing a loss and jobs in line with estimates. It also guarantees correct management of all situations deriving from variations during work in progress, additional offers and guarantees on works in accordance with existing legislation.

The option of visualising the information, both in numeric and graphic form, also by printing customised reports, guarantees maximum efficiency in the management of order progress in an integrated and coherent and can also be used remotely on a wide geographical scale. [hide...]

Information Archives
As well as tools which are closely linked to the job and the order, Biphora® offers other highly useful management functions. These include the management of archives and personal data, such as those for employees, clients, suppliers and articles.