Scoping & Estimates
AI-powered project scoping and estimation with self-learning capabilities
DarcyIQ's Scoping & Estimates feature transforms how consultants and solution architects create project scopes and Level of Effort (LOE) estimates. Build professional scoping documents faster with AI assistance that learns from your organization's approved work.
Self-Learning Intelligence: Every approved scope automatically enters your organization's custom knowledge engine, making future estimates more accurate and consistent over time.
Overview
Create detailed project scopes, LOE estimates, and pricing calculations with intelligent assistance from DarcyIQ. The platform learns from your approved scopes to provide contextual suggestions, historical data, and pricing guidance for future projects.
Key Benefits
⚡ Faster Creation
Build scopes in minutes instead of hours with AI-powered assistance
🧠 Self-Learning
Approved scopes automatically build your organization's custom knowledge engine
💰 Accurate Pricing
Automated calculations with ROM ranges, FTE metrics, and margin analysis
👥 Team Collaboration
Built-in review workflow with sharing and permissions
📊 Historical Insights
Leverage past successful projects for better estimates
🔄 CRM Integration
One-click export to Salesforce for seamless workflow
How It Works
DarcyIQ's Scoping & Estimates follows a three-phase approach to help you create better proposals faster:
1. Build & Capture 📝
Start with a scoping template tailored to your organization's needs. Use DarcyIQ's integrated AI chat to:
Generate task breakdowns from project descriptions
Search your knowledge engine for similar past projects
Get AI suggestions for scope items, dependencies, and risks
Fill in custom fields with contextual assistance
2. Review & Collaborate 🔍
Move scopes through your team's review process:
Draft → In Review → Approved status workflow
Drag-and-drop Kanban board for visual management
Share estimates with team members (Read, Write, Owner permissions)
Track complete history of all changes
Get peer feedback before client submission
3. Learn & Improve 🚀
When a scope is approved, the magic happens:
Scope automatically enters your organization's knowledge engine
Future scopes leverage this historical data for suggestions
DarcyIQ gets smarter with every project you complete
Build institutional knowledge that doesn't leave with team members
Core Features
AI-Powered Assistance
Get intelligent help at every step of the scoping process:
Contextual Chat: Ask Darcy to help fill out any section of your scope
Knowledge Engine: Find similar past projects with one click
Content Enhancement: Improve scope descriptions, requirements, and deliverables
Task Generation: Generate detailed task breakdowns from high-level descriptions
Smart Suggestions: Get recommendations based on your organization's historical data
Flexible Templates
Customize scoping templates to match your organization's methodology:
Custom Fields: Add metadata fields for any project information you track
Configurable LOE Tables: Define columns for hours/quantity, roles, task types
Rate Card Integration: Link pricing automatically to your rate cards
Multiple Templates: Create different templates for different service offerings
Default Templates: Set organization-wide defaults for consistency
Learn more: Templates Configuration
Smart Pricing & Calculations
Automated pricing calculations with professional presentation:
Rate Card Pricing: Automatic calculation based on roles and hours
ROM Ranges: Rough Order of Magnitude ranges with configurable buffers
FTE Calculations: Full-Time Equivalent metrics for resource planning
Margin Analysis: Built-in cost rate tracking for profitability
Calculated Fields: Support for percentage-based and step-function pricing
Timeline Visualization: See resource allocation over project duration
Collaboration & Workflow
Built for team-based work:
Kanban Workflow: Visual board with Draft, In Review, and Approved columns
Permission Levels: Owner, Write, and Read access control
Shared Estimates: Collaborate with team members in real-time
Change History: Complete audit trail of all modifications
Status Management: Track scope lifecycle from creation to approval
Historical Insights
Learn from your organization's past projects:
Pattern Recognition: AI identifies common themes across your scopes
Industry Analysis: Automatic categorization by industry and use case
Skill Demand: Track which skills are needed most in which industries
Use Case Trends: Understand project types and service offerings
Correlation Matrices: See relationships between skills, industries, and use cases
Time-Based Analysis: Filter by date range to identify trends
Learn more: Historical Insights
Integrations
Seamlessly connect with your existing workflow:
Salesforce Export: One-click export to Salesforce Opportunities
Knowledge Engine: Automatic indexing of approved scopes
CRM Mapping: Configure field mappings for your CRM objects
Document Export: Generate PDFs and Word documents
Use Cases
For Consultants
Challenge: Creating consistent, accurate client proposals under tight deadlines.
Solution: Use scoping templates with rate cards to quickly build professional estimates. Share with team leads for review, then export directly to Salesforce. Approved scopes automatically train the AI for future proposals.
Result: Reduce proposal time from days to hours while improving accuracy and win rates.
For Solution Architects
Challenge: Estimating complex technical implementations without repeating past research.
Solution: Search your knowledge engine for similar past projects while building new scopes. Use AI chat to break down technical requirements into detailed tasks. Leverage historical data for more accurate effort estimates.
Result: Better technical estimates backed by organizational knowledge, not just individual experience.
For Services Teams
Challenge: Maintaining consistency across multiple team members creating scopes.
Solution: Create standardized templates with required fields and rate cards. Use review workflow to ensure quality before client submission. Build shared knowledge of successful project patterns.
Result: Consistent quality regardless of who creates the scope, with institutional knowledge that grows over time.
For Leadership
Challenge: Understanding team capacity, pricing trends, and project complexity across the organization.
Solution: Use historical analysis to see patterns in project types, sizes, and resource allocation. Track scoping velocity and quality metrics. Identify which service offerings are most common.
Result: Data-driven insights for resource planning, pricing strategy, and service portfolio decisions.
Getting Started
Step 1: Set Up Your Rate Card
Configure your organization's pricing structure:
Navigate to Settings → Scoping Configuration → Rate Cards
Click Create Rate Card
Add rate items for your roles, products, or services
Set billing rates and optional cost rates for margin tracking
Mark as default for automatic use in new templates
Step 2: Create a Template
Build a reusable scoping template:
Navigate to Settings → Scoping Configuration → Templates
Click Create Template
Add custom fields for your overview section (customer, industry, etc.)
Configure LOE table columns (hours vs. quantity, role options, task types)
Link your rate card for automatic pricing
Set as default for easy access
Step 3: Create Your First Scope
Start building scoping estimates:
Navigate to Scoping & Estimates
Click New Estimate
Select your template
Fill in project overview and scope details
Add tasks and LOE estimates
Use AI chat for assistance at any step
Calculate pricing when ready
Step 4: Collaborate & Review
Get team input before finalizing:
Click Share to add team members
Set permission levels (Read, Write, Owner)
Move to In Review status when ready
Team members can view, edit, or comment
Track all changes in the History tab
Step 5: Approve & Learn
Complete the lifecycle:
Make final adjustments based on feedback
Move to Approved status
Scope automatically enters knowledge engine
Export to Salesforce or download as needed
Use historical analysis to see patterns
Best Practices
Template Design
Keep templates focused on specific service offerings
Use descriptive labels for custom fields
Link rate cards for consistent pricing
Set realistic default buffers (15-25% is common)
Scoping Process
Start with AI chat to generate initial task lists
Search knowledge engine before building from scratch
Break down complex tasks into measurable subtasks
Use Notes field for assumptions and dependencies
Review pricing before sharing with stakeholders
Team Collaboration
Use Draft status for work-in-progress estimates
Share with Write permission for collaborative editing
Move to In Review when ready for feedback
Only Owners should move to Approved status
Document decisions in custom fields
Knowledge Engine Growth
Approve scopes only when finalized and accurate
Use consistent naming for customers and projects
Fill in all custom fields for better AI learning
Regularly review historical analysis for insights
Update templates based on patterns you observe
Tips & Tricks
💡 Quick Task Generation: Type a high-level description in the chat and ask Darcy to "generate tasks for this scope" to get a starter task list.
💡 Find Similar Projects: Use the knowledge engine search with customer name, industry, or technology keywords to find relevant past scopes.
💡 ROM Confidence: Adjust buffer percentage based on project uncertainty. Use 15% for well-defined scopes, 25%+ for exploratory work.
💡 FTE Planning: Use the timeline visualization to ensure you're not over-allocating resources during any given week.
💡 Historical Insights: Review the historical analysis regularly to identify your most common project patterns and optimize your templates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happens when I approve a scope? A: The complete scope (overview, tasks, LOE, and all metadata) is automatically added to your organization's custom knowledge engine. Future scopes can reference this data for suggestions and historical comparisons.
Q: Can I have multiple templates? A: Yes! Create as many templates as you need for different service offerings. Set one as default for easy access.
Q: How does pricing work without a rate card? A: You can manually enter rates in templates or leave them blank for effort-only estimates. Rate cards are recommended for consistent pricing.
Q: Can I export scopes to other systems? A: Currently supports Salesforce export with configurable field mappings. Additional integrations are planned.
Q: Who can see my scoping estimates? A: By default, only you (as Owner). Use the Share feature to grant Read, Write, or Owner access to team members.
Q: What's the difference between Hours and Quantity mode? A: Hours is for time-based estimates (consulting, professional services). Quantity is for count-based estimates (licenses, products, units).
Related Documentation
Templates Configuration - Customize scoping templates
Rate Cards Management - Set up organizational pricing
Historical Insights - Analyze patterns and trends
Knowledge Bases - Understand the knowledge engine system
DarcyIQ Chat - Learn about AI assistance features
Ready to create your first scope? Navigate to Scoping & Estimates in DarcyIQ and click New Estimate to get started.
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