Actual time vs dedicated time

J

jsmall

Hi,

As a company that often does many simultaneous projects, we like to
look at an typical example step in a project like this:

Allocated time = 8 hours (one day)
Actual billing time = 2 hours

This represents a standard scenario. A system might run for a day, and
require a technician to be present. But since we can start a process
and just let it run, we can work on other jobs, and would like to be
able to implement "billable time" in the project.

I have tried setting up "man hours" as a resource, but it just doesn't
seem to work very well having to define a task as having a resource
being a percentage of the task,

Ideally how I'd like to enter a task is:

Start Date: 13/11/06
End Date: 20/11/06
Duration: 6 hours

Or something similar. But Project seems to automatically adjust the end
date or the duration, based on a change to the other. Any
recommendations appreciated.
 
J

jsmall

I suppose I could amend this in a much easier way by saying..

How can I setup a work resource, that works in hours, since "81%" or
similar is a useless figure for a client.
 
G

Gérard Ducouret

Hello,
You are confusing Duration and Work.
If the task starts on 13/11/06 and finishes on 20/11/06, Project calculates
a Duration of 6 days (with the Standard calendar where week ends are non
working time)
If you say that the resource is working on that task for 6 hours, that means
that the Work is 6h. Insert the Work column besides the Duration column.
In the Task Information dialog (Advanced tab) set the task type at Fixed
duration and Effort Driven. Assign a resource. Project says that the
resources has to work at 14% (with a French calendar : 7h/day)

Hope this helps

Gérard Ducouret
 
S

Steve House

In addition to Gerard's discussion, another fundamental error is attepmting
to use Project as a time and billing program. While it can give you some
information to use for that, it's fundamental purpose is organizing the work
so you meet or come in ahead of your deliverable's dues dates. The duration
of a task is the number of working time units between when the task begins
and when it's complete, regardless of whether those intervening moments are
all filled with work. In addition, there are many many times where billable
hours is quite different from the time a task takes - for example, my own
basic billing is on a day rate, for classroom training nominally based on a
6.5 hour day. But in fact, the same rate will apply for anything the client
needs between 6 and 8 hours or so, I just don't break it down by hours
except for very short or very long situations. From a Project scheduling
standpoint, so I'd know when an evening class could arrive without
disturbing the day class for example, I need to know what time the first
class finishes and that's what Project calculates for me in the duration.
From the standpoint of paying a relief instructor by the hour to cover for
me if I'm ill, Project calculates the work effort involved. But in terms of
how many hours to bill the client, Project doesn't have a clue because
billings are the job of an accounting program, not a scheduling program.
 
J

jsmall

Hi Steve,

I understand what you and Gerard have said. It just seems to be so
close to being suitable, if you know what I mean.

If, in Gerard's example, if only the "14%" effort would simply stay as
"6 hours" the product would do exactly as needed.

It's not about producing bills or tracking specific hours, but just
being able to say "I need to make sure I have two free hours that day".


Steve said:
In addition to Gerard's discussion, another fundamental error is attepmting
to use Project as a time and billing program. While it can give you some
information to use for that, it's fundamental purpose is organizing the work
so you meet or come in ahead of your deliverable's dues dates. The duration
of a task is the number of working time units between when the task begins
and when it's complete, regardless of whether those intervening moments are
all filled with work. In addition, there are many many times where billable
hours is quite different from the time a task takes - for example, my own
basic billing is on a day rate, for classroom training nominally based on a
6.5 hour day. But in fact, the same rate will apply for anything the client
needs between 6 and 8 hours or so, I just don't break it down by hours
except for very short or very long situations. From a Project scheduling
standpoint, so I'd know when an evening class could arrive without
disturbing the day class for example, I need to know what time the first
class finishes and that's what Project calculates for me in the duration.
From the standpoint of paying a relief instructor by the hour to cover for
me if I'm ill, Project calculates the work effort involved. But in terms of
how many hours to bill the client, Project doesn't have a clue because
billings are the job of an accounting program, not a scheduling program.
--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs


Hi,

As a company that often does many simultaneous projects, we like to
look at an typical example step in a project like this:

Allocated time = 8 hours (one day)
Actual billing time = 2 hours

This represents a standard scenario. A system might run for a day, and
require a technician to be present. But since we can start a process
and just let it run, we can work on other jobs, and would like to be
able to implement "billable time" in the project.

I have tried setting up "man hours" as a resource, but it just doesn't
seem to work very well having to define a task as having a resource
being a percentage of the task,

Ideally how I'd like to enter a task is:

Start Date: 13/11/06
End Date: 20/11/06
Duration: 6 hours

Or something similar. But Project seems to automatically adjust the end
date or the duration, based on a change to the other. Any
recommendations appreciated.
 

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