Far to many organizations and professionals call construction cost estimating an art.
It simply isn’t true. Is surgery an art? Is engineering an art?
The simple fact is that all these professions require a great deal of technical knowledge, business knowledge, people skills, and real life EXPERIENCE. … arguably a decade or more of experience!
With respect to construction cost estimating, I have yet to see a good construction cost estimator that doesn’t have field experience running wire, putting up wall board, driving heavy equipment… whatever…. not to mention being a project manager. Having a solid appreciation of means and methods,, roles, responsibilities, needs… is critical.
Experience in detailed line item construction cost estimating and using data organization schemes, such as CSI Masterformat is also required in order to drive best value and truly be part of LEAN construction delivery teams.
Sure… a lot of estimators themselves talk about estimating as an “art”, and only they have the “magic formula” and their way is the best…. but in reality, there is no secret sauce…. there is simply experience, best practice, and experience, experience, experience.