After more than 10 years as a Crestron Authorized Independent Programming (CAIP) company we’ve developed advanced processes that allow us to successfully manage and deliver numerous projects at the same time. But receiving a reasonable project timeline continues to be a challenge.
As an independent programming company, projects come to us either through Crestron dealers, end-users, or directly from Crestron. As such, we very seldom have control over the due date of a project. Completion dates are usually set before we are called to even quote on the programming portion of the job. That in and of itself isn’t a problem. But we need adequate time to complete in-house programming, develop user interfaces, and obtain sign-off, prior to going onsite to load and test the software.
We deliver high quality Crestron programming. We’ve built a solid reputation with over a decade of successful projects; nearly 1,000 in fact. As such, we have repeat customers in Southern California and around the United States that use us exclusively. Our turn-around time fluctuates and we are often booked a month or so ahead. But when reasonable project timelines are established, a short delay in turn-around isn’t a problem.
The importance of establishing a reasonable timeline can’t be overstated. In many cases, we are asked to deliver Crestron programming with very short notice, and struggle to receive timely information throughout the process. In addition, dealers will often push for fast turn-around but then the system installation is not complete when we arrive to begin loading and testing the software.
We recently completed a project where we were originally given a 3 week deadline. We factored the timeline into the quote and quickly worked the project into our calendar. However, we were later given only a 3 day warning that we needed to be onsite to complete the job. We worked as quickly as possible to meet the truncated schedule and prepare to go onsite. We arrived on the requested day to find the system installation was nowhere near complete. Several of the devices had not been installed, and several more had not been tested or even powered on for the first time. Although we are frustrated, we worked with our customer to complete the project and test everything thoroughly before handing it off to the end-user.
For small projects with fixed budgets, managing onsite time is especially critical, and having the install ready is paramount to avoiding extra trips onsite and additional costs.
Please remember that due dates are everyone’s responsibility. We’ll agree to a desired due date, but delays in decision-making, delayed installation and delays in receiving information back can easily push the timeline. It’s important to budget a reasonable amount of time for us to complete in-house programming and development, and allow you time to ensure the installation is complete and ready to receive programming. Like most custom-built things, quality Crestron programming requires a reasonable schedule.
