How to Use Work Assemblies

What This Feature Does

Work assemblies are reusable groups of line items that represent common work packages (e.g., "Standard Bathroom Electrical" with outlets, switches, fixtures). When you add an assembly to a quote, you specify how many units you need, and the system automatically scales all line item quantities proportionally. This saves time and ensures consistency when quoting similar work.

Initial Setup

First-Time Assembly Creation

1. Navigate to "Quotes" by clicking "Quotes" in the left sidebar
2. Click the "Work Assemblies" tab at the top of the quotes page
3. Click "New Assembly" button to create your first work assembly

Understanding Assembly Units

Work assemblies have three key concepts:

• Units Label: Describes what each unit represents (e.g., "per bathroom", "per 100 sq ft", "per kitchen")
• Quantity per Unit: The base scaling factor (default is 1.0). This defines what "1 unit" represents
• Base Quantity: The quantity of each line item per unit in the assembly definition

Scaling Formula: Scaled Quantity = Base Quantity × (Entered Units ÷ Quantity per Unit)

For example:

• A "Bathroom Electrical" assembly:
  • Units Label: "per bathroom"
  • Quantity per Unit: 1.0 (default)
  • Contains: 5 outlets (base quantity = 5), 3 switches (base = 3), 2 fixtures (base = 2)
• When you add this assembly to a quote with "2 units" (2 bathrooms):
  • Scaling: Base × (2 ÷ 1.0) = Base × 2
  • Result: 10 outlets (5 × 2), 6 switches (3 × 2), 4 fixtures (2 × 2)

Another Example (using quantity_per_unit):

• A "Flooring" assembly:
  • Units Label: "per 100 sq ft"
  • Quantity per Unit: 100.0
  • Contains: 110 sq ft material (base = 110), 8 hours labor (base = 8)
• When you enter "500" units (representing 500 sq ft):
  • Scaling: Base × (500 ÷ 100.0) = Base × 5
  • Result: 550 sq ft material (110 × 5), 40 hours labor (8 × 5)

Day-to-Day Usage

How to Create a Work Assembly

1. Go to "Quotes" in the left sidebar
2. Click the "Work Assemblies" tab
3. Click "New Assembly" button
4. Fill in assembly details:
   • Assembly Name: Enter descriptive name (e.g., "Standard Bathroom Electrical")
   • Description: Add notes about when to use this assembly (optional)
   • Units Label: Describe what one unit represents (e.g., "per bathroom", "per 100 sq ft")
   • Quantity per Unit: Set the scaling factor (default 1.0, typically leave as 1.0)
5. Add line items by clicking "Add Line Item":
   • Item Type: Select Material, Labor, Equipment, Other, or Text
   • Code: Enter cost code if applicable
   • Description: Enter item description (e.g., "Electrical outlet - standard")
   • Base Quantity: Enter quantity per unit (e.g., "5" for 5 outlets per bathroom)
   • Unit: Enter unit of measure (e.g., "each", "hours")
   • Unit Price: Enter price per unit
   • Margin %: Set margin percentage
6. Add all line items that make up this work package
7. Reorder items using drag-and-drop if needed
8. Click "Save Assembly"
9. Your assembly is now available when creating quotes

How to Add an Assembly to a Quote

1. While creating or editing a quote, scroll to the line items section
2. Click "Add from Assembly" button (or similar action)
3. A modal or selector opens showing available assemblies
4. Select the assembly you want to add (e.g., "Standard Bathroom Electrical")
5. Enter the Units quantity:
   • For "per bathroom" assembly, enter "2" for 2 bathrooms
   • For "per 100 sq ft" assembly, enter "5" for 500 sq ft
6. Click "Add to Quote" or "Confirm"
7. All assembly line items are added to the quote with scaled quantities:
   • Example: Base quantity of "5 outlets" × "2 units" = "10 outlets" in quote
8. The system automatically:
   • Calculates line item totals
   • Updates quote subtotal, tax, and total
   • Applies margins and pricing
9. Review the added items and adjust if needed

How to Edit a Work Assembly

1. Go to "Quotes" → "Work Assemblies" tab
2. Find the assembly you want to edit
3. Click on the assembly or click "Edit" action
4. Make your changes:
   • Update assembly name or description
   • Modify units label or quantity per unit
   • Add, edit, or remove line items
   • Adjust base quantities, prices, or margins
   • Reorder items using drag-and-drop
5. Click "Save Assembly"
6. Note: Changes to assemblies don't affect quotes that already include the assembly (each quote has an independent copy)

How to Duplicate a Work Assembly

1. Go to "Quotes" → "Work Assemblies" tab
2. Find the assembly you want to duplicate
3. Click "Duplicate" or "Copy Assembly" action
4. A new assembly form opens with all line items copied
5. Enter a new Assembly Name (e.g., "Premium Bathroom Electrical")
6. Make adjustments to create a variation:
   • Modify line items (e.g., upgrade to premium fixtures)
   • Adjust quantities or prices
   • Add or remove items
7. Click "Save Assembly"
8. You now have two similar assemblies for different scenarios

How to Delete a Work Assembly

1. Go to "Quotes" → "Work Assemblies" tab
2. Find the assembly you want to delete
3. Click "Delete" action
4. Confirm deletion in the dialog
5. Warning: This action cannot be undone. The assembly and all its line items will be permanently removed.
6. Note: Deleting an assembly does not affect quotes that were created using it

Common Tasks

Creating a Standard Electrical Assembly

1. Create a new assembly named "Standard Bathroom Electrical"
2. Set Units Label: "per bathroom"
3. Add line items:
   • Outlet Installation: Base quantity 5, Unit "each", Unit price from labor rates
   • Switch Installation: Base quantity 3, Unit "each"
   • Light Fixture Installation: Base quantity 2, Unit "each"
   • Wiring: Base quantity 50, Unit "linear ft"
   • Materials: Wire, boxes, fixtures with quantities
4. Set appropriate margins for each item
5. Save assembly
6. When quoting 3 bathrooms, add assembly with "3 units" to get 15 outlets, 9 switches, 6 fixtures

Creating a Per-Square-Foot Assembly

1. Create a new assembly named "Flooring Installation"
2. Set Units Label: "per 100 sq ft"
3. Set Quantity per Unit: 100.0 (if you want to enter units in actual sq ft, not hundreds)
4. Add line items:
   • Material: Base quantity 110 (allowing 10% waste), Unit "sq ft"
   • Labor: Base quantity 8, Unit "hours"
   • Prep Work: Base quantity 2, Unit "hours"
5. When quoting 500 sq ft:
   • Enter units as "5" (representing 5 × 100 sq ft)
   • Or if quantity per unit is 100, enter "500" for 500 sq ft
6. System scales: 550 sq ft material, 40 hours labor, 10 hours prep

Creating Trade-Specific Assemblies

1. Create assemblies for each trade:
   • Plumbing Assembly: Fixtures, pipes, connections per bathroom
   • HVAC Assembly: Ductwork, vents, unit installation per zone
   • Electrical Assembly: Outlets, switches, fixtures per room
2. Use consistent units labels (e.g., "per bathroom" for all bathroom-related assemblies)
3. This allows you to quickly build multi-trade quotes by adding multiple assemblies

Combining Assemblies with Templates

1. Create a template with placeholders for assemblies
2. When creating a quote from template:
   • Add the appropriate assemblies
   • Enter units for each assembly
   • Templates provide structure, assemblies provide detailed line items
3. This combines the speed of templates with the flexibility of assemblies

Common Tasks for Construction Teams

Building an Assembly Library

1. Start with your most common work packages:
   • Standard electrical per room/bathroom
   • Standard plumbing per bathroom
   • Standard flooring per area
   • Standard painting per room
2. Create assemblies by trade for easy organization
3. Use consistent naming conventions:
   • "Standard [Trade] - [Application]"
   • "Premium [Trade] - [Application]"
4. Document assemblies in descriptions for team reference

Using Assemblies for Different Project Scales

1. Create base assemblies with standard quantities
2. When quoting:
   • Small projects: Add assemblies with lower unit counts
   • Large projects: Add assemblies with higher unit counts
   • System automatically scales all quantities
3. Adjust prices in the quote if needed for volume discounts

Standardizing Work Packages Across Projects

1. Create assemblies for standard work packages
2. Use these assemblies consistently across all quotes
3. This ensures:
   • Consistent pricing
   • Complete work packages (nothing forgotten)
   • Accurate quantity scaling
   • Faster quote creation

Troubleshooting

If assemblies aren't appearing when adding to quotes

• Check that you're on the correct tab (Work Assemblies)
• Verify assemblies have been saved with line items
• Refresh the page
• Check that you have permission to use assemblies

If assembly quantities aren't scaling correctly

• Verify the "Units" entered is a positive number (greater than 0)
• Check the assembly's "Quantity per Unit" setting
• Review base quantities in assembly line items
• Formula: Scaled Quantity = Base Quantity × (Entered Units ÷ Quantity per Unit)
• Example: Base 5, Units 2, Quantity per Unit 1.0 = 5 × (2 ÷ 1.0) = 10
• Example: Base 110, Units 500, Quantity per Unit 100.0 = 110 × (500 ÷ 100.0) = 550

If you can't edit an assembly

• Verify you have permission to edit assemblies
• Check that the assembly exists and isn't deleted
• Try refreshing and editing again
• Contact your team administrator if permissions seem incorrect

If assembly line items are missing when added to quote

• Verify the assembly has saved line items before using
• Check that all line items were saved correctly
• Try adding the assembly again
• Review the assembly to ensure line items are complete

If calculations are incorrect after adding assembly

• Review each assembly line item's base quantity
• Verify unit prices are correct in the assembly
• Check margin percentages are appropriate
• Ensure "Units" entered is correct (not quantity per unit)
• Formula check: Line Total = (Base Qty × Units) × Unit Price × (1 + Margin%)

Tips for Construction Teams

• Create assemblies for common work packages to save time on every quote
• Use clear, descriptive unit labels (e.g., "per bathroom" not just "unit")
• Keep base quantities realistic based on actual work requirements
• Standardize assembly structure across similar assemblies for consistency
• Review assemblies periodically to update prices and quantities
• Document assembly usage in descriptions for team reference
• Create assembly variations (standard vs premium) for different quality levels
• Combine assemblies with templates for maximum efficiency
• Test assemblies by creating test quotes to verify scaling works correctly
• Organize assemblies by trade to make them easy to find when quoting

Understanding Assembly Scaling

How Scaling Works

When you add an assembly to a quote:

1. You enter the number of Units (e.g., "2" for 2 bathrooms, or "500" for 500 sq ft)
2. The system calculates: Scaled Quantity = Base Quantity × (Entered Units ÷ Quantity per Unit)
3. Each line item's quantity is scaled proportionally

Example Calculation

Assembly: "Standard Bathroom Electrical"

• Units Label: "per bathroom"
• Quantity per Unit: 1.0 (default)
• Line Items:
  • Outlets: Base Quantity 5, Unit "each", Price $50
  • Switches: Base Quantity 3, Unit "each", Price $40

Adding to Quote:

• Units Entered: 2 (representing 2 bathrooms)
• Scaling Factor: 2 ÷ 1.0 = 2.0
• Resulting Quantities:
  • Outlets: 5 × 2.0 = 10 outlets
  • Switches: 3 × 2.0 = 6 switches

Example with Quantity per Unit ≠ 1

Assembly: "Flooring Installation"

• Units Label: "per 100 sq ft"
• Quantity per Unit: 100.0
• Line Items:
  • Material: Base Quantity 110 sq ft, Unit "sq ft"
  • Labor: Base Quantity 8, Unit "hours"

Adding to Quote:

• Units Entered: 500 (representing 500 sq ft)
• Scaling Factor: 500 ÷ 100.0 = 5.0
• Resulting Quantities:
  • Material: 110 × 5.0 = 550 sq ft
  • Labor: 8 × 5.0 = 40 hours

Quantity per Unit Explanation

• Default (1.0): Enter units directly matching the units label (e.g., "2" bathrooms = 2 units)
• Non-1.0 values: Used when you want to enter different units than the label implies. For example:
  • Label: "per 100 sq ft", Quantity per Unit: 100.0
  • Enter actual sq ft (500) and system calculates: 500 ÷ 100 = 5 scaling factor

What's Next

After setting up work assemblies, you may want to:

• Create Quote Templates that use work assemblies
• Learn about Creating Quotes and adding assemblies
• Build a comprehensive assembly library for all your common work packages
• Combine assemblies with Cost Codes for better tracking