Variation Control: The System That Removes Discretion
A builder can price a job accurately, manage trades well, and still finish in the red. In most cases, the cause is the same: variations that were completed but never properly controlled.
A builder can price a job accurately, manage trades well, and still finish in the red. In most cases, the cause is the same: variations that were completed but never properly controlled.
The system removes the discretion. That is precisely why it works.
— BuildHawk
Written by
Nathan Holloway
Founder · BuildHawk and Hawktress
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