Data collection systems work. However, they mean an investment in technology. Before we can justify that investment, we need to understand why we may want to utilize a data collection system in place of people with clipboards.

In accounting 101, we all learned that costs consist of three components – labor, material and overhead. The definition of labor and materials are not difficult, but what is the definition of overhead? Its definition is “everything else”.

The more you know, the better your decisions. The more you know, the more targeted your attention. In any organization, it is always about the money so knowing more means understanding the money. That means costing. Costing can be your friend or your enemy. Poor costing means decisions based upon something other than the truth, poor costing can actually result in poor decisions.