Unit Specs

Previously in Ediphi, unit specs had no correlation to Use Groups. They were fixed, meaning that regardless of whether you were viewing a Parking Garage Use Group or an Apartment Use Group, the same fields would always be displayed in the Units tool.

We've enhanced Unit Specs in Ediphi, where admins can now configure Unit Specs that are contextual to the Use Group that they correlate to. This means that for a Hotel Use Group, users can capture Keys, or for an Apartment Use Group, they can capture Beds, and so forth. This feature allows uses to capture the necessary contextual information for each Use Group, so that they can view costs per the metrics that matter most to them.

What problems do these new Unit Specs solve?

• It will allow users to collect the correct data that’s contextual to their use groups. ✅
• It will allow users to pivot cost within key areas of the product (coming soon), in order to view cost-per the metrics that matter most for that specific Use Group. ✅
• It will allow users to customize the associations they think are most important on the Admin level so that they are collecting the data that matters most to them. ✅

In this article

• Setting up Unit Specs in a Use Group
• How it Works
• Unit Specs in Units Database
• FAQ

Setting up Unit Specs in a Use Group

If you have Use Groups already created, you’ll be able to assign Unit Specs to them. Alternatively, you can add Unit Specs to a new Use Group when creating it.

1. Within the Admin dropdown on the top right of your screen, click on Use Groups.

2. It will take you to a page where you can create and/or edit your Use Groups. Click New Use Group to create a new one, or click on the ellipsis of the specific Use Group you want to add Unit Specs to, and select Edit.

2. Click on Manage Unit Specs. You’ll be able to create, edit, or delete a Unit Spec.

1. Creating a Unit Spec
   1. Click on Create Unit Spec.
   2. You'll be able to set a Label for the Unit Spec (required). Once done, click Save.
      1. Avoid creating "test" Unit Specs, as once there’s data attached to them, they will be very difficult to delete.
2. Editing a Unit Spec
   1. Click on the pencil icon next to the specific Unit Spec you’d like to edit.
   2. You'll be able to edit the Label for the Unit Spec. Once done, click Save.
      1. You can always rename the Unit Spec at any time, even if data is already attached to it.
3. Deleting a Unit Spec
   1. Click on the pencil icon next to the specific Unit Spec you’d like to delete.
   2. Click on Delete Unit Spec, and the spec will be removed from the Use Group.
      1. You cannot delete a Unit Spec that already has data attached to it. 

4. Select the specific Unit Specs you want to be shown for that Use Group, and click Save.
   1. You’ll be taken back to the Edit Use Group page, so let’s click Save one more time so that all changes take place.

How it Works

In the app, when a Use Group is selected, we will automatically filter all of the Unit Spec data you’ve set for that Use Group in the following places:

• Unit Mix
  • Unit Count, Cost/Unit, and Total Cost per unit will always be standard on the Unit Total section, but you can always re-label them in the admin section by editing the Use Group, and adding a Unit Label. See how to Edit Use Groups.
  • Unit Area will always appear for users across all Use Groups.
  • There will always be a corresponding Total field with each Unit Spec field added to a Use Group. For example, if a user adds “Key” as a field, we will show a corresponding field for “Keys Total”
    • Users can’t change the name of this totals label 
• Quantity Take-off
  • Unit Count, Cost/Unit, and Total Cost per unit will always be standard on the Unit Total section, but you can always re-label them in the admin section by editing the Use Group, and adding a Unit Label. See how to Edit Use Groups.
  • Unit Area will always appear for users across all Use Groups.
  • There will always be a corresponding Total field with each Unit Spec field added to a Use Group. For example, if a user adds “Key” as a field, we will show a corresponding field for “Keys Total”
    • Users can’t change the name of this totals label 
• Formula Editor
  • Unit Specs will be available under the Current Unit value in the formula editor.

• Unit Area will always appear for users across all Use Groups. It will show as "Unit Area".
• Add Units Modal
  • We will filter the add units modal to only display the units correlated to the Use Group the user has selected in the drop-down on the Unit Mix.
  • Unit Area will always appear for users across all Use Groups. 

Unit Specs in Units Database

With the new Unit Specs feature, the way you view your company's Units Database as an admin will change. Moving forward, we will display the Unit Specs associated per Use Group in the table and allow you to add values to these Unit Specs cells just like you previously could; the exception here is that now, we will filter the table per Use Group, meaning you will first need to select the respective Use Group you want to edit units for. This will allow the platform to properly load all the Unit Specs applicable to that Use Group.

Please note that the only field that will not appear in this table is the “Unit” field (since that’s contextual to each project); but any Unit Spec you’ve added will appear on this table per Use Group. Another thing to note, is that the Unit Area field for the units will always show as a column, regardless of the Use Group selected.

FAQ

• Can project owners and/or members create/edit Unit Specs on Use Groups?

They cannot. They will need to contact their Admin in order to get these created/edited in the app.

• Can the Unit Spec data be reflected in my Schedule of Values?

We are actively working on giving users the ability to see the Unit Spec data within their Schedule of Values. Stay tuned for an update coming soon!

• Do I have to create a Unit Spec for every single Use Group our company has?

You do not! Once you create a Unit Spec, it will become available to all Use Groups under your company. All you need to do is go to the specific Use Group(s) you want this Unit Spec to display, and enable it.

• I’m trying to delete a Unit Spec, but the platform won’t let me. Why?

If this Unit Spec has already been used in a project and has values assigned to it, you will not be able to remove it (given that this can cause errors when trying to present data). You can go to the specific projects the Unit Spec has been used and remove the data attached to them if you really need to delete them. Please note this also applies if the Unit Spec is saved to a unit in a template and that template has values in it for that specific Unit Spec.

• I have Unit Specs added to a Use Group, however when going to the Units tab in my estimate, I don’t see these Unit Specs. Why?

Ensure that you have selected the correct Use Group under the Units tab (top right of the page), so that the correct Unit Specs show on your end.

• Why can’t I edit/remove the Unit Area field?

This field is required on all Use Groups and is not editable nor removable. 

• Will my new unit associations show up in formula editors? 

Yes, the Unit Specs you have configured for a given use group will replace the existing Unit Spec options in the formula editor.

• What is “Unit Label”?

This field allows you to define what “Unit Count” should be called, contextual to the Use Group in which it lives. (i.e. for Apartments, it may be "Apartment Room". For Parking Garage, it may be Parking Spot).

• Where did my units from other Use Groups go when adding a new unit?

When adding a unit in the unit mix, these units are now displayed per Use Group. This was done to ensure the correct Unit Spec associations are tied with the correct Use Group. If you don’t see a unit in the Add Units modal that you saw previously, try viewing other Use Groups to find that unit. Users can still create new units per Use Group, but they cannot add units that are associated with Apartments on the Hotels Use Group. To do that, please create a new unit for that Use Group.

• Why can’t I duplicate units to different Use Groups?

Users can still duplicate units to different Use Groups, but they can only duplicate units into identical Use Groups. This means that if you have two Apartment Use Groups, called "Tower 1" and "Tower 2", you can duplicate a unit from Tower 1 to Tower 2. However, you will not be able to duplicate a unit from an Apartment to a Hotel Use Group. This was done to maintain Unit Spec fidelity per Use Group. 

• Why can’t I find the unit spec I’m looking for in the estimate formula editor? 

Unit Specs are now contextual to the Use Groups in which they’re associated. Users can select only the Unit Specs that correlate with the Use Group that is selected on the estimate line item.

• Can I take these unit specs and view costs on my SOV by them? 

(COMING SOON) Yes, users will be able to pivot cost by the Unit Spec metrics that matter most to them. For example, view the cost of a hotel by cost/key, a parking garage by cost/spot, etc.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!