Adding Costs to Tasks

[MLS]

Hi There - I am trying to add costs to different tasks and for some reason
they are not adding up. My column is fixed cost; any suggestions?

 

[Andrew Lavinsky]

Add the Cost field. That captures both the Fixed and Variable Costs, then
rolls them up to the summary level.

- Andrew Lavinsky
Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm

 

[BartH]

Today I noticed this same problem - in column Fixed Cost, the value
don't add up.
I understand the explanation, but can't we do some scripting here to fi
this

 

[Andrew Lavinsky]

But there's no problem. Fixed Costs are entered in the Fixed Cost field.
Variable Costs are entered in the Resource Sheet. Cost sums them all up.

If you'd like to sum up Fixed Cost on it's own, just create a new custom
field and set it to equal "Fixed Cost." Then make sure it's rolling up the
sum to the Summary level.

- Andrew Lavinsky
Blog: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/epm

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

BartH --

Fixed Cost is any extra cost incurred on a task that is not based on the
resource's work multiplied by the resource's Standard rate. For example,
you assign a resource to a task called Acquire Building Permit. You assign
the resource to work full-time for 4 hours and the resource's Standard rate
is $50/hour. Microsoft Project calculates the cost of this task as $200,
which is 4 hours x $50/hour. Beyond the $200 cost, you also have the cost
of the building permit. Let's say the cost is $1,000. You would enter the
$1,000 in the Fixed Cost column for this task, so now the Cost value for the
task is $1,200.

The behavior you are seeing in the Fixed Cost column, which is that the
Fixed Cost values do not roll up to summary tasks, is NOT a bug. It is by
design. Microsoft knows that Fixed Costs may not only occur on regular
tasks. Fixed Cost can be assessed against a regular task, a summary task
representing a Phase or Deliverable section of the project, or even on the
Project Summary Task (Row 0). When you assign a Fixed Cost on the Project
Summary Task, you are assessing the Fixed Cost on the project as a whole.
So, because you need to be able to assess a Fixed Cost at any level of the
project, Microsoft engineered this feature so that the Fixed Cost values do
not roll up.

 

[BartH]

OK Dale and Andrew,

Thanks for your good suggestion and explanation; it's all clear this wa
and I am happy with them.

Grtz,
Bart

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

BartH --

You are more than welcome for the help, my friend!

 

[BartH]

@Dale

Thanks for the friendly reply.

By the way - are there more oddities like this that one is likely t
encounter in MSProject?

[Excuse me MLS, it looks like I've taken over your thread...]

Grtz. Bart

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

BartH --

What's an oddity to one user is normal to another user. My advice? Keep
asking your good questions in this newsgroup whenever you encounter
something you don't understand or do not know how to do. There are many
wise users who participate in this newsgroup who can guide you. Thanks for
asking!

 

[BartH]

@ Dale

OK Thanx - I'll do that.

Grtz,
Bart