Methodology

Grounds Toolkit is a set of calculators, not an authority. This page explains how the calculations are built so you can judge how much to trust a given result, and where its limits are.

What the toolkit does

Every engine takes a small number of inputs you already know, crew size, wage, property size, and turns them into an operational or financial answer: crew-hours, labor cost, a minimum profitable price, route capacity. Where the math supports it, the engine also interprets the result, shows optimization levers, and makes a recommendation.

How assumptions are selected

Every default value used in a calculation is one of three things: a value backed by an authoritative or credible industry source, a value derived mathematically from other sourced values, or a clearly labeled internal product assumption with a documented range. Mystery constants are not used. Where a calculation depends on a qualitative choice, like terrain or obstacle level, that choice maps to a documented underlying value, and the mapping is stated on the engine's page.

How likely ranges are built

When a result depends on conditions that vary in the field (obstacle density, travel time, terrain), the engine shows a likely range alongside the central estimate rather than false precision. The range comes from real variation in the underlying assumptions, not an arbitrary padding, and the page explains the main factors driving it.

How recommendations are made

Recommendations come from deterministic business rules and arithmetic, not from an AI model guessing at an answer. A recommendation only appears when your stated objective, a target margin, for example, creates a mathematically defensible preference. The toolkit does not fabricate certainty it doesn't have. It won't tell you a customer will accept a price, only what the numbers you gave it indicate.

What recommendations do not account for

The engines work from the inputs you provide. They do not know your local market, your customer relationships, your crew's actual skill level, seasonality, or anything else you haven't entered. A recommendation about hiring, for example, quantifies what the labor economics require, it is not a statement that hiring is strategically correct for your business.

What this toolkit deliberately does not do

It does not store your business data on a server, require an account, or manage your customers, crews, invoices, or schedule. It is a decision layer, not business management software. See the Privacy page for how your inputs are handled.