So Im scrolling through HomeBrewTalk the other day, and of course Im in my favorite section of the forums, the DIY Projects area
I came across a thread started by LandoLincoln called, How to prioritize projects for your brewery. The light bulb finally clicked on! Ive been spending years just picking this or that to do, and there hasnt been any real rhyme or reason as to why I went with this choice or that choice.
There have been a few projects that I did where the result was great, the item is great, Im totally glad to have this item for the brewery, but in the back of my head I wished that I picked something else to add instead. Why did I choose to build this instead of that?
Well, now thanks to LandoLincolns idea, I now am able to answer why I should build this, and not that. I now have a way to quantify my brewery projects, instead of just running with the wild hairs that decide to tickle every now and then.
I approached this task in the same way that Lando did I made a list of all the things I have been logging into the brain-housing-group as cool projects:
I created this spreadsheet using Google Docs, that way all I need is an internet connection and I can update this spreadsheet with new projects as needed. I laid it out in the same fashion that LandoLincoln did list the project, and the criteria that I believe should be deciding factors:
I have more factors involved here, but I just wanted to list a few so you get the idea. A lot of the criteria I used I stole straight from Landos post. (hope you dont mind, brother)
Once I laid it all out, it started to look like this:
Heres where I started to make this project a little different from Landos. Lando went through and xd out the boxes he thought this project should be categorized:
After he xd out the boxes, he replaced the xs with a value he thought that column deserved. Im lazy, once I x out the box, I dont want to have to go back and replace it how do I get this spreadsheet to recognize the x, and assign a value to it automatically? Time to send an email to my co-workers husband who is a database guy.
I explained to Joe what I was wanting to accomplish, and he told me to do this:
The first column, the score, has several "if" statements wrapped up in a sum.
=SUM((IF(C2="x",8,0))+(IF(D2="x",7,0))+(IF(E2="x",6,0))+(IF(F2="x",5,0))+(IF(G2="x",4,0))+(IF(M2="x",-3,0))
It evaluates like this...
Take the sum of the following:
if cell C2 has an x, then assign 8 points, else assign 0 points
then add that to
if cell D2 has an x, then assign 7 points, else assign 0 points
then add that to
...
etc...
...
then add that to
if cell G2 has an x, then assign -3 points, else assign 0 points
(IF(G2="x",-3,0))
(IF(CELL="string",true,false)
You can add any number of columns and have any number of rows simply by modifying the top formula, then using the "Fill Down" functionality of Excel.
After that, I formatted the Priority column to take any score below Zero and turn that text Red, any score above 15 and turn that text Green. I havent filled it all out yet, so these scores arent final, but hopefully you get the gist as to what is going on:
Once I have the scores for the projects, I can evaluate which ones I should do first, and hopefully get rid of that feeling of I should have maybe done a different project first.
Hopefully this makes sense, if theres anything I can help out with, please let me know.
There have been a few projects that I did where the result was great, the item is great, Im totally glad to have this item for the brewery, but in the back of my head I wished that I picked something else to add instead. Why did I choose to build this instead of that?
Well, now thanks to LandoLincolns idea, I now am able to answer why I should build this, and not that. I now have a way to quantify my brewery projects, instead of just running with the wild hairs that decide to tickle every now and then.
I approached this task in the same way that Lando did I made a list of all the things I have been logging into the brain-housing-group as cool projects:
- Filter my own water
- Get a grain mill
- Get a keg washer
- Rebuild my stirplate (doesnt work as well as Id like it to)
- Install better lighting in my garage
- Add a thermometer to the Keggle
- Add a sightglass to the Keggle
- Get a chest freezer to make a Keezer
- Add taps in the Keezer (versus just opening it and using the picnic tap)
- Add a temperature controller to the fridge
- BrewNanny Pro
- GrowlerWerks uKeg
I created this spreadsheet using Google Docs, that way all I need is an internet connection and I can update this spreadsheet with new projects as needed. I laid it out in the same fashion that LandoLincoln did list the project, and the criteria that I believe should be deciding factors:
- Do I already have the equipment needed for this build?
- Does this make better beer?
- Is this just for brewing purposes, or does this project benefit the garage also?
- Save time
- Save money
- How much does this cost?
I have more factors involved here, but I just wanted to list a few so you get the idea. A lot of the criteria I used I stole straight from Landos post. (hope you dont mind, brother)
Once I laid it all out, it started to look like this:
Heres where I started to make this project a little different from Landos. Lando went through and xd out the boxes he thought this project should be categorized:
After he xd out the boxes, he replaced the xs with a value he thought that column deserved. Im lazy, once I x out the box, I dont want to have to go back and replace it how do I get this spreadsheet to recognize the x, and assign a value to it automatically? Time to send an email to my co-workers husband who is a database guy.
I explained to Joe what I was wanting to accomplish, and he told me to do this:
The first column, the score, has several "if" statements wrapped up in a sum.
=SUM((IF(C2="x",8,0))+(IF(D2="x",7,0))+(IF(E2="x",6,0))+(IF(F2="x",5,0))+(IF(G2="x",4,0))+(IF(M2="x",-3,0))
It evaluates like this...
Take the sum of the following:
if cell C2 has an x, then assign 8 points, else assign 0 points
then add that to
if cell D2 has an x, then assign 7 points, else assign 0 points
then add that to
...
etc...
...
then add that to
if cell G2 has an x, then assign -3 points, else assign 0 points
(IF(G2="x",-3,0))
(IF(CELL="string",true,false)
You can add any number of columns and have any number of rows simply by modifying the top formula, then using the "Fill Down" functionality of Excel.
After that, I formatted the Priority column to take any score below Zero and turn that text Red, any score above 15 and turn that text Green. I havent filled it all out yet, so these scores arent final, but hopefully you get the gist as to what is going on:
Once I have the scores for the projects, I can evaluate which ones I should do first, and hopefully get rid of that feeling of I should have maybe done a different project first.
Hopefully this makes sense, if theres anything I can help out with, please let me know.
