Specification

The Specification screen is used to capture product selection information from an appointment, such as a colour selection, and enter that information directly into Framework ECM, replacing manual record-keeping and handwritten paperwork. The client's selections can then be generated as a printed document for approval.

Specification covers two screens:

1. Specification: Used to view and edit a job's colour selection documents.
   
   
   
   
2. Specification History: Used to view a history of specification documents that have been created for a job. The information in each of the specification documents can be viewed here, along with their status and approval dates.
   
   

Specification Versus Colour Selection

Selections can be created as Specifications or as Colour Selections, or both. Specifications and Colour Selections operate in very similar ways. If the client selection process involves two different types of appointments, for example, a colour selection and an electrical selection, a colour selection document can be created as well as an electrical specification.

A button at the base of both the Specification and Specification History screens toggles the view. If the Specification screen is being viewed, the button is Colour. Alternately if the Colour Selection screen is being viewed, the button is Spec.. Selection of the button will change the screen.

Procedures

Switching To The Colours Screen

To open the Colours screen, click Colours.

Copying A Specification Item

The copy feature is used to duplicate selections for a section when the several items have the same profile. This is particularly useful for the paint selections where it is likely that all or most item selections will be identical. When applying the copy feature, all rows below the source row will be populated with the same information until it reaches the end of the section.

1. From the Specification list, select a specification item.
2. Click Copy. The Confirm Copy Selected Item confirmation prompt will appear.
3. Click Yes to copy the selected item to all items underneath with the same profile.

The Specification Screen 

The Specification screen is used to select or manually enter items for a job. Changing the selection for an item is done through a popup dialog.

The current specification document can be viewed or modified. A previous specification document may be selected for viewing only.

Items

The Specification screen is a list of individual items for which selection of materials and colours may be made. Each item on the Specification Screen belongs to a Specification group.

Profiles

Each Specification item included in the template has a profile, which identifies its properties such as manufacturer, colour, etc. As a number of common selection items share the same profile, drag and drop and copy can be used to quickly populate these items once an initial selection has been made. Each time a specification is chosen, the column headings will automatically update to display the item's properties.

Dependencies

A number of specification profiles include properties to which dependencies exist. An example of this is in Brick selection, where selection of the manufacturer will determine the groups of bricks available, which in turn determine the colours available for selection.

Filters, Flags and Icons

A tick appearing in these columns represents:

Viewing Specification Items

1. Open the Specification
2. Scroll through the list to view all items.

How to View a Specification Item

Select the item to be viewed then click the View button.

Editing Specification Items

1. Open the Specification screen.
2. Click the (Left) Edit button to change the screen to edit mode.
3. Select the required item, then click the Edit

The Specification Dialog

All specifications are made through the Specification dialog. The dialog has two modes:

The Standard Selection view is displayed by default but users may select the Custom Selection view by toggling the Standard Selection field from Yes to No.

Standard Selection

The Specification dialog in Standard Selection view is used to choose options that already exist in the item's profile. The Specification dialog has four columns that are used to make a selection. Where a column is not applicable for a particular selection item, N/A will be chosen as the group heading. This means that there is no selection to be made. Each column also includes a Search field and a Notes field.

Selecting a Standard Specification Option

1. Double-click the required selection item to open the Specification dialog.
2. Select the required item from each of the applicable columns.
3. Click the OK button.

Searching for a Standard Selection Item

A number of Specification Item lists contain a large number of items. A search can be performed on a list to quickly locate a known item. As each letter of a list item is typed into the search field, the list automatically moves to the first item that resembles the entered characters. This item is highlighted.

1. When in edit mode, double-click the required selection item to open the Specification
2. In the Search field for the appropriate column, begin typing the name of the required item. The first item on the list matching the characters typed into the search field will be highlighted.
3. Select the required item from the list.
4. Click the OK

Entering Notes for a Standard Selection Item

Additional notes may be manually entered for a selected standard specification item. These entered notes are displayed on the printed report.

1. When in edit mode, double-click the required selection item to open the Specification dialog.
2. Type additional information into the Notes field for the appropriate column.
3. Click the OK

Images, Price Review and Notes

Each Level Panel has a series of icons representing Images, Price Review, and Notes. 

When a selection item has content associated, icon will display in full colour.  If not content exists, the icons will be greyed out.

Clicking this group will launch the Specification Value dialog to display the relevant content.

Custom Selection

The Custom Selection mode of the dialog is used to enter non-standard options and related notes. The dialog has four columns that are used to manually type a selection. The Custom Selection mode of the dialog uses the same profile headings for an item as the Standard Selection mode. Where a column is not required for a particular item, N/A will be displayed in the group heading. This means that an entry is not required for that column. Each column has space for notes. When entering non-standard items, users may need to enter selection details for the item. If, at a later date, the client decides to change the custom selection for a standard one, all previously entered information will be overwritten.

Entering a Non-Standard Specification Option

1. When in Edit Mode, double-click the required selection item to open the Specification
2. Press the spacebar to toggle the dialog to Custom Selection mode from Yes to No.
3. Enter information for each of the applicable columns.
4. Enter notes for each of the non-standard items.
5. Click the OK

Drag And Drop Feature

Selections made for colour selection items that have a common profile as one that has been previously entered can be duplicated by using drag and drop functionality. This feature is designed to populate rows in which individual items use the same profile.

1. From the Specifications list, select a specification item.
2. Press and hold the left mouse button.
3. Keeping the left button depressed, move the mouse pointer to the destination row (ensure the drag icon has a green tick).
4. Release the mouse button. The item selection will be duplicated with the new item.