Tools & Building Materials Quiz

A quiz based on the prior post:

https://optimise-performance.blogspot.com/2021/08/tools-building-materials.html

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A few interesting examples, it can be blurry sometimes ~ test yourself 

- cover the answer up before looking! 

Tools or Building Material Quiz

Q: Scissors

A: Tools 

Q: Garbage Bags (Disposable)

A: Building Material
Note: This is a fairly common situation, other non - disposable bags may count as Tools  

Q: Chemicals

A: Building Material especially if they are in disposable containers

Q: Spray Bottle (non-disposable)
A: Tool

Q: Screws & their containers

A: Building Material

Q: Nails & their containers

A: Building Material

Q: Wood Biscuits

A: Building Material

Q: Scaffolding
A: Tools

Q: Sprinklers & Sprinkler Systems
A: Could be either!

Q: Bollards & Witches Hats
A: Tools

Q: Bunting
A: Tools
Note: Depreciates (Write-off) quite quickly

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(Many) Implications:

 

• (Importantly) - both Tools & Building Materials could be either Personal or Organisation owned
• If they are Personal record in your personal Financials 
• You don't want to dig through a whole bunch of plastic bags before looking for scissors etc ...
  
• Don't waste precious space in your tool box holding screws, nails etc as well astheir packaging!
• Generally Building Materials take up much, much more space etc ... and hence their storage cost needs to be accounted for

Tools & Building Materials

An important distinction to make on any building site - rather than throwing everything in the car, van or ute!

As can be seen by the below Classification:

As general rules:

1. Tools are subject to Depreciation - generally used multiple times ~ more than once 
2. Building Materials are consumables 'used up' as building progresses - used once or at most a few times 

Values subject to huge variation - tools are usually more expensive, especially power tools but this can depend ...

Australian Local Workers

 
If you are looking at jobs where local Australian people will NOT disappear - over the Internet or even markets where they have trouble finding skilled workers ~

Certainly:

• Call Centres
• Information Technology

have been hit pretty hard by cheaper international flights and the Internet!

Australian Blue Collar jobs tend to have a fundamental problem - which (I don't think) are properly addressed by 457 Visas, Migrant Guest Worker Schemes etc ...

And the Australian Constituents will be up in arms ~ rightly so!

Using SharePoint Online for Trade Assistants / Labourers

The start of a fairly extensive topic in Building - Training of Trade Assistants is a key issue in when you need repetitive jobs done here and there.

This prevents Trade Assistants from (by no means an exhaustive list)

1. hurting themselves (e.g. twisting their back when lifting)
2. hurting themselves with power tools
3. taking too much time away from other staff whilst they are being trained
4. destroying equipment
5. hurting themselves in some other way
6. and of course, in many ways being unproductive! 

As a starting point:

• PowerPoint slides inside SharePoint Online Document Management so the company (& staff) can share information on how to perform the core business of the company (see list below) in particular when there are many new staff joining

• Induction
• WHS and Safe Work Statements
• Company PPE
• Company Tools
• Company Power Tools 
• Building Materials the Company uses
• Basics of Cleaning
• Basics of Lifting 
• Basic Work Procedures

 

Unlikely that Trade Assistants would have a login to the Microsoft Online domain - if so there are more (Microsoft) products that can be added! :

• E-mail out to a gmail, free e-mail account etc ...
• Message out to facebook, whatsApp
• Print out a physical copy

 

The Trades Company could then pay a BYOD allowance for them to read through on their Smartphone, laptop etc ... 

DIY - Cooking Help - Classification of Current Assets

Also refer to the other posts on using Dynamics AX to help organise your kitchen!

Common Scenarios in Trades for Office 365 & Skype for Business

 

A list of business problems:

1. List of Contacts (Trade Assistants) that need to be backed up centrally off a ruggerised iPhone, forklift operator driving around with heavy loads if the Phone gets smashed the Contacts are gone!
2. Use of Exchange to stop using personal SMS to send company information! - reserve SMS for urgent personal messages
3. Use of Skype for Business to stop using (personal) mobile calls to send company information! - again reserve this for urgent personal messages - company information and personal information are getting mixed up on the one smartphone
4. Using a gmail, outlook.com etc ... not having a domain for business e-mail!

Also see:
https://optimise-performance.blogspot.com/2019/03/using-sharepoint-online-for-trade.html

IT Recruiters in Construction

For all you lovely IT Recruiters are out there, you know who you are ;)

Many of the disciplines from Commerce are very applicable to the Construction - you need to learn the basics first however:

• Accounting
• Finance
• Economics
• Information Systems
• Business Law

And as we all know there is certainly a gap to be filled in:

1. Marketing
2. Human Resources

Also refer to:

https://optimise-performance.blogspot.com/2019/03/human-resources-in-construction.html

DIY - Cooking Help ~ Classification of Fixed Assets for Cooking

Not only does it help you your Dynamics AX but also helps you think about how you organise your kitchen!

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Don't forget to combine Classifications and Taxonomies from the Cooking domain with Management Accounting Principles especially where Management Accounting has not much to say! 

This has been written from a Management Accounting perspective ~ but ask yourself:
Is your Cooking improving?

Physics and Chemistry have been very useful in Construction!

And Mathematics as well as this is underpins all the Sciences!

Some direct & interesting examples I have come across:

• Torque formula in using a larger knife to cut
• Chemistry of soap in making sure you have all 3 present (not 2 or 1) - water, soap and agitation when you are cleaning! 
• The Statics of leaning a pole or beam against an object such that it is stationary e.g. wet mop
• ...

The Scientific Method is great as well - your customers, partners and investors can't argue with that!

Decisions in Business (particularly Trades) are made based on Legal Reasoning but Scientific Reasoning and a well presented case will always resolve arguments!