Coming from another spec system

Coming from a tabbed spec system

From a web-based spec system with tabbed item pages: the same records, arranged differently — and the Tabbed layout, which keeps the words you know.

Watch the video · 1:42Workspace styles

Coming from a tabbed spec system is a page of its own, with a picture of each screen: what you did before, where it is here, and a button to it in your portal. It is for staff; also under ☰ → Help in the Tabbed layout, and found by searching tabbed.

The records are the same kind of thing — projects, items, products, vendors. With the Tabbed layout on (the firm's choice, or yours under Workspace style on your profile), the portal uses the words you know (Items, Item Name, Products, Address Book, Attachments, Distribution, OFOI/OFCI, Issue Date, Revision #) and that arrangement: the modules in two rows on one bar with the picked project under it, Active Projects as the start page, the item page in tabs, Products as a table.

Your old screen → here

• Active Projects → Projects: starred projects in a Priority Projects band, each with status, items and (if you see project money) value; a line above says what needs you today. Home is PortSpace's Home.
• The tabs across the top → the same modules in two rows; pick a project once and Items, Accounting and Communications open it. Switched-off modules are not there.
• The menu at the top right → ☰ for everything else (System Settings is Settings, for owners and administrators); your name for your profile (Personal Settings); User Guide is this manual.
• Project Detail View → the Overview: Edit project for the details, Team for contacts and staff, Files (Attachments); Rooms/Areas is under Items.
• Item List View → Items (Specify): one grid by Item #, the usual columns. View has its eight views — List View, List View w/ Images, Split View, Status View, Lite View, Accounting View, Approvals View, Pricing View — as your modules and access allow (prices only for those who see them; with Pricing off, the budget), plus Group by area (with links and subtotals) and Picture cards. Sort by, Financial Summary and Columns sit beside it. The Area cell opens the area. Select All and Actions → check items, use the bar at the foot. Advanced Filters → Filters.
• Reports → Preview Spec and Generate Specs → Preview Spec… and Issue Specifications…, kept under Generated Specifications.
• Items Detail View → the item page in its tabs, opening on Details; Item 12 of 200 arrows (or [ and ]) keep the tab. Item Notes, Product Notes, Distribution too.
• Products tab → Products, the usual columns and how many projects use each; Show products for: Active Project | All Products, with or without images, Most projects under Sort by; Add to a project makes an item.
• Item Templates and Specification Templates → Templates, side by side.
• Address Book → the Address Book.
• Accounting (Proposals, Purchase Orders, Invoices, Deposits, Process Transactions) → Accounting: the five screens as you know them, each with Show … for: Active Project | All Projects as modules and access allow, and Full list →; then the other money pages.
• Timesheets → Timesheets. Tasks → Tasks. Pick Lists → Pick lists. Pricing (Vendor Bookshelf) → Price lists to review. Communications → the project's.

Coming from a desktop spec database

A desktop spec database's screens and habits, and its purchasing screens, and where each is here.

Watch the video · 1:42Workspace styles

Coming from a desktop spec database is a page of its own, with a picture of each screen: what you did before (and in its purchasing program), where it is here, and a button to it in your portal. It is for staff; also under ☰ → Help in the Project-first layout, and found by searching project first, furnishing list or source.

The records are the same kind of thing — projects, specs, manufacturers, sources, purchase orders.

With the Project-first layout on (the firm's choice, or your own under Workspace style on your profile), the portal uses the words and arrangement you know. The words: Spec, Item Description, Manufacturer and Source — never Vendor —, Categ for OFCI / CFCI / CFOI / OFOI / SPSI, Item Type, Item Qty, Unit Cost, Ext. Cost, Issue Date, Δ, Room Qty, Follow-up, References.

Getting around

• Login (Select Project #) and the Main Menu → the Main Menu, the start page. Pick the Active Project there (Change Project brings the list back), then the same four columns — Reference Info, Specifications, Finish Schedule, Reports — and, with Procurement on, the purchasing columns Spec Items and Purchasing. Every project page you open becomes the Active Project too. Home (what needs you today) is at the foot of the menu and under the firm's name.
• RETURN on every screen → RETURN, first on the bar at the top of every page. Beside it MAIN MENU and each column, opening its buttons, with the Active Project under the bar. Search, alerts and your name stay at the right; ☰ holds everything else (System Info & Utilities is Settings; the Solution Center is this manual and the guide).

Specs and their lists

• Furnishing Specification Listing → Specifications (the Furnishing List): one flat grid sorted Area → Item # → Item Type, the same columns in the same order (Image, Issue Date, Area, Item #, Item Type, Item Description, Item Qty, Unit Cost, Ext. Cost, Manufacturer / Source, Status, Categ, then your own fields as User Fields), the total at the foot, filters for Area, Item Type, Status and Categ. Sort by and Columns change it; OFCI Spec List is the list filtered to OFCI.
• The report menus (Spec Reports, Project Summary, Reference) → Spec Reports above the list: the spec book, Spec Index by Area and by Item Type, Issue Specs, the Revision / Addendum Index, Follow-up Items, Request for Quote, the Budget, the FF&E Qty Matrix (room quantities) and the project's reports.
• Specs (the spec screen) → the spec as one dense form, no tabs. The header band holds Project, Manufacturer, Issued, Spec Type, Revision/Addend as Δ, Status, Categ, Item Description, Item Qty @ Unit Cost = Ext. Cost, Area, Item Type, Drwg #, Item #. Then Description, the Item Template's fields in the same order, Notes, User Fields, Instructions, Required for Designer Approval (each kind checked where an approval of that kind was asked, with its answer), Lead Time, Ship To, Source, Prepared By, Updated By.
• On the spec, Spec, Full Spec, Spec w/ Image (and with pricing, for those who see it) down the right open the spec sheet as a PDF, with the pictures under them. PortSpace's own parts (references, cut sheets, revisions, status notes, orders) follow below.

Reference, revisions and the library

• Manufacturers and Sources → Manufacturers and Sources. Item Types, Item Templates and Spec Instructions → Item Types, the product templates and Spec Instructions (the instruction library; the specification templates keep their own name, under Specification Templates).
• Room Qty Entry → the project's room quantities (Room Qty on each spec too). Revisions / Addenda → Issues & Revisions and each spec's Issue revision. Follow-up Tracking → the project's approvals.
• Image Gallery and Copy Specs → the Product Library, PortSpace's biggest new idea if you come from a desktop spec database: every product the firm has specified, ready for any project.

The purchasing program

The separate purchasing program → no transfer file: a spec is ordered where it is specified. P.O. List, P.O. Detail (its tabs: Purchase Order, Item Costs, PO Costs/Deposit, Vendor Invoices, Expediting Items, Communications), P.O. Items List, Receiving and Vendor Invoices are under Purchasing — the project-first purchasing screens, over PortSpace's orders. VIEW / SUBMIT P.O. opens PortSpace's own page to edit, send and receive an order.

Habits kept in every style

• The Flag kept on each spec: the first column of the Furnishing List, the Flag menu (Flag the items shown, Clear every flag), Show → Flagged, and flagged-only spec books, issue sets and orders — see The Flag. SPSI is one of the Categ codes.
• Instruction lines by Item Type and project category — the master list as the instruction library, each spec's lines on its form, printed in the spec book.
• Area codes, headings, Public / Guest and room numbers, and the printed number by the firm's rule (Area-Item#, ItemType-Item# or the project-first way) — see Areas and rooms.
• Δ revisions: numbered Specs, Budget and Finish schedule revisions, each item's revision tied to one with its reason and Revision or Addendum, the revised fields shaded in the spec book, and the Revision / Addendum index — see Revisions and history.
• Budget add-on charges and Budget vs Actual — see Add-on charges and budget against actual.
• The room-by-surface Finish Schedule and OFCI quantities by area — see The finish schedule.
• Client fund requests, the P.O. approval chain and the Yardi / P3 exports — see Client fund requests, the approval chain and the accounting exports.