Website Design Estimation Tool
Website Design Estimation Tool

How Four Kitchens creates realistic estimates for their clients

How Four Kitchens creates realistic estimates for their clients

Randy Dean Oest

Every agency needs to create estimates and Four Kitchens is no different. When I became Design Manager, one of my goals was to simplify estimation (so I could focus more on design).

What I inherited was an arcane Google Spreadsheet setup. There were too many tabs and cells and too little (i.e. no) documentation. I found myself jotting estimates down in emails rather than wade into that mess.

Hack Day Project—A Better Estimation Tool

At the next Four Kitchens "Hack Day"—where we all spend a day working on pet projects—my inspiration was to fix this problem. I spent part of the morning exploring the options available and I landed on Coda.io.

I've had a soft spot for Coda since I discovered them while they were in beta. We've been using it for a variety of other internal tools, so it made since to use it for my new estimation tool.

Solution

At the end of the Hack Day, I stood up in front of everyone and presented the brand new Design Estimation Tool. I showcased how it was fast, flexible, and finally something we would enjoy using. (You can have fun making estimates!)

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