Budget without Resources

[UCLAjazz]

I'm trying to set up a budget without any association to resources or tasks.
We have a manual budget that I am trying to match to the workplan
(month-by-month). I figured out how to enter it (Using Task Usage/Cost
fields) but I can't figure out how to save it.
Any help would be appreciated

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

How can you possibly match the budget to the workplan without matching it to
resources and tasks????? The workplan IS the tasks to be done and the
resources who will do them. You're pretty well locked in to associating it
with tasks and resources simply by virture of matching it to the workplan
since "workplan" and "tasks and resources" are the same thing..

FYI, a project budget is not a top-down allowance of what you may be allowed
to spend over a period of time. Rather, it is a bottom-up estimate of what
it will cost you to get done what you need to do during that time period.
As such, it is properly computed from the costs of using the resources to
accomplish their specific tasks, whether you calculate it in software like
Project or calculate it by hand. Hopefully your computed budget will be
less than your allowed expenditures <smile>.

 

[UCLAjazz]

Steve,

Thanks for your response. I don't need resources for my workplan because my
timeline isn't based on one individual doing studies. I have tasks that are
associated with cost but not people. Most of the tasks, however, don't have
fixed cost and will change depending on the study design, duration, etc. I
wish I had a workplan like the ones in the samples.

A budget was made using summary tasks and there was money allocated to each
summary. Now, we will have actual costs associated with individual tasks. My
job is to track against the budgeted (summary) tasks and the actual
(individual) tasks. Does that make sense? I figured out how to enter in
actuals on a monthly basis (the task usage sheet is very handy)- can I enter
the budgeted monthly costs (is that a baseline thing)? I'm having a hard time
getting the details in the task usage sheet to add up in the left window of
the cost table.

Hope what I'm trying to do is making sense. I'm slowly getting frustrated
with the process so it might not make sense to me anymore.

Thanks again!!

 

[John]

Steve,

Thanks for your response. I don't need resources for my workplan because my
timeline isn't based on one individual doing studies. I have tasks that are
associated with cost but not people. Most of the tasks, however, don't have
fixed cost and will change depending on the study design, duration, etc. I
wish I had a workplan like the ones in the samples.

A budget was made using summary tasks and there was money allocated to each
summary. Now, we will have actual costs associated with individual tasks. My
job is to track against the budgeted (summary) tasks and the actual
(individual) tasks. Does that make sense? I figured out how to enter in
actuals on a monthly basis (the task usage sheet is very handy)- can I enter
the budgeted monthly costs (is that a baseline thing)? I'm having a hard time
getting the details in the task usage sheet to add up in the left window of
the cost table.

Hope what I'm trying to do is making sense. I'm slowly getting frustrated
with the process so it might not make sense to me anymore.

Thanks again!!

UCLAjazz,
I gotta agree with Steve 100%. Maybe you could clarify something for us.
If there are no resources (labor or material) then how are costs
generated? Something has to generate a cost whether it is an individual,
a group of people or procurement of material. If costs are being
generated with no work being performed and/or no tangible items being
procured, then your operation must be some branch of the Government
because you have a financial black hole.

You said that your "timeline isn't based on one individual doing
studies". I hope you are aware that Project can just as easily accrue
costs based on the effort of a group or team as it can for a single
person doing the task. My guess is you probably have groups or teams
expending effort. Those groups are resources and their effort is work
which, except for volunteer effort, generates labor cost.

How was the budget generated from summary tasks? In order to create a
Summary Line in Project, there must be one or more subtasks that define
the actual detail effort. I suspect someone laid out enough of the
detail tasks to get an idea of what they would cost, either by using
historical data or by current estimates. That "detail" cost was probably
then rolled up to what you call the summary budget. Nothing wrong with
that approach. It is exactly the bottoms up process Steve mentioned.
Although I have also been in organizations where management (or a
customer) decrees a budget. Not a good way to run a railroad, but it
does happen.

Before we can help you, you need to understand what you have and then
explain it to us so it makes sense. Right now it doesn't.

John
Project MVP

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I have to reiterate and I don't know how to express it strongly enough - the
budget IS NOT the money that has been allocated for the project, regardless
of how you came up with those numbers and those number ARE NOT the cost
figures that MS Project is tracking in its cost tables, baseline or
otherwise. For that reason, the answer to your question whether the
baseline can/should be used for your allocated funds is no. Because the
project exists in its own universe, in truth the moneys you've been
allocated to do it are *revenues*, not costs. Hopefully those revenues will
exceed the costs otherwise you'll run out of money before you finish the
project. If it's the other way around, update your resume.

How can you have costs without having resources?? How can you have tasks
without people? Someone has to do the work and 90% of the cost of any
project is what you have to pay them to do it. How can you possibly
schedule when a task will happen without considering if there's going to be
someone there at the time to do it? Even if your resources are already on
staff and salaried so you don't have to go out and hire them and your
project doesn't drive the payroll expenses up, there's an opportunity cost
associated with using them in your project and not on something else. Their
earnings for the portion of their time associated with the project are a
legitimate cost associated with the project budget. Then materials
purchased, expendables such as fuel or travel and per diem, facilities
costs, costs of capital, and so forth are added to those payroll costs to
come up with the overall budget. The budget is not just the incremental
cost of supplies etc to do the project, rather it is the portion of the
organization's total expenditures that flow into this particular activity
and not elswhere.

In MSP's cost tables the overall costs for a task are the sum of the
resource costs plus whatever you have in the fixed cost field. The cost of
summary tasks is the rolled up cost field from its subtasks plus any fixed
costs associated with the summary itself. The [Cost] field of a summary is
a read-only calculated field and you can't enter data into it directly BUT
the [Fixed Cost] field of a summary is not a roll-up and *will* accept
manual entries. So if you know what the projected, non-resource based,
costs are for each summary task you can enter them into that summary's
[Fixed Cost] field (Gantt chart and display the Cost table through the view
menu). Then when you look at the usage views you should see those total
costs apportioned out over the timescale.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

 

[UCLAjazz]

Thank you all for your response - it has been very helpful!

I should have clarified that I am not using MSP in its conventional form and
so it may be unrealistic to expect a software to do something it was not
intended to do. I will keep your suggestions in mind as I go forward with
other projects.

Thanks again.

I have to reiterate and I don't know how to express it strongly enough - the
budget IS NOT the money that has been allocated for the project, regardless
of how you came up with those numbers and those number ARE NOT the cost
figures that MS Project is tracking in its cost tables, baseline or
otherwise. For that reason, the answer to your question whether the
baseline can/should be used for your allocated funds is no. Because the
project exists in its own universe, in truth the moneys you've been
allocated to do it are *revenues*, not costs. Hopefully those revenues will
exceed the costs otherwise you'll run out of money before you finish the
project. If it's the other way around, update your resume.

How can you have costs without having resources?? How can you have tasks
without people? Someone has to do the work and 90% of the cost of any
project is what you have to pay them to do it. How can you possibly
schedule when a task will happen without considering if there's going to be
someone there at the time to do it? Even if your resources are already on
staff and salaried so you don't have to go out and hire them and your
project doesn't drive the payroll expenses up, there's an opportunity cost
associated with using them in your project and not on something else. Their
earnings for the portion of their time associated with the project are a
legitimate cost associated with the project budget. Then materials
purchased, expendables such as fuel or travel and per diem, facilities
costs, costs of capital, and so forth are added to those payroll costs to
come up with the overall budget. The budget is not just the incremental
cost of supplies etc to do the project, rather it is the portion of the
organization's total expenditures that flow into this particular activity
and not elswhere.

In MSP's cost tables the overall costs for a task are the sum of the
resource costs plus whatever you have in the fixed cost field. The cost of
summary tasks is the rolled up cost field from its subtasks plus any fixed
costs associated with the summary itself. The [Cost] field of a summary is
a read-only calculated field and you can't enter data into it directly BUT
the [Fixed Cost] field of a summary is not a roll-up and *will* accept
manual entries. So if you know what the projected, non-resource based,
costs are for each summary task you can enter them into that summary's
[Fixed Cost] field (Gantt chart and display the Cost table through the view
menu). Then when you look at the usage views you should see those total
costs apportioned out over the timescale.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Steve,

Thanks for your response. I don't need resources for my workplan because
my
timeline isn't based on one individual doing studies. I have tasks that
are
associated with cost but not people. Most of the tasks, however, don't
have
fixed cost and will change depending on the study design, duration, etc. I
wish I had a workplan like the ones in the samples.

A budget was made using summary tasks and there was money allocated to
each
summary. Now, we will have actual costs associated with individual tasks.
My
job is to track against the budgeted (summary) tasks and the actual
(individual) tasks. Does that make sense? I figured out how to enter in
actuals on a monthly basis (the task usage sheet is very handy)- can I
enter
the budgeted monthly costs (is that a baseline thing)? I'm having a hard
time
getting the details in the task usage sheet to add up in the left window
of
the cost table.

Hope what I'm trying to do is making sense. I'm slowly getting frustrated
with the process so it might not make sense to me anymore.

Thanks again!!

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

It's not a software issue at all, actually. It's a PM methodology issue and
MS Project is merely a calculator that mostly reflects proper PM methods in
its design. I tell my MS Project students that an invaluable desk reference
is the "Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (the "PMBOK")
from PMI (www.pmi.org). Even though it doesn't discuss MS Project
specifically at all, and PM software in general is discussed only as a
footnote, I tell them it's the closest thing you can find publically to a
design specification for how MSP works and more importantly why it works the
way it does. The PMBOK is the ANSI accepted standards documentation of
professional project management practices in North America and I strongly
suggest anyone in the field to read it cover to cover. There's nothing to
compel you to follow it, and sometimes there may be very good reasons not to
do so, but I feel if you're going to get creative with the established
practices, it's best to understand the what's and why's behind them first so
the implications of breaking them don't sneak up later to bite you on the
bum <grin>. It's the best $35 you can spend.


--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Thank you all for your response - it has been very helpful!

I should have clarified that I am not using MSP in its conventional form
and
so it may be unrealistic to expect a software to do something it was not
intended to do. I will keep your suggestions in mind as I go forward with
other projects.

Thanks again.

I have to reiterate and I don't know how to express it strongly enough -
the
budget IS NOT the money that has been allocated for the project,
regardless
of how you came up with those numbers and those number ARE NOT the cost
figures that MS Project is tracking in its cost tables, baseline or
otherwise. For that reason, the answer to your question whether the
baseline can/should be used for your allocated funds is no. Because the
project exists in its own universe, in truth the moneys you've been
allocated to do it are *revenues*, not costs. Hopefully those revenues
will
exceed the costs otherwise you'll run out of money before you finish the
project. If it's the other way around, update your resume.

How can you have costs without having resources?? How can you have tasks
without people? Someone has to do the work and 90% of the cost of any
project is what you have to pay them to do it. How can you possibly
schedule when a task will happen without considering if there's going to
be
someone there at the time to do it? Even if your resources are already
on
staff and salaried so you don't have to go out and hire them and your
project doesn't drive the payroll expenses up, there's an opportunity
cost
associated with using them in your project and not on something else.
Their
earnings for the portion of their time associated with the project are a
legitimate cost associated with the project budget. Then materials
purchased, expendables such as fuel or travel and per diem, facilities
costs, costs of capital, and so forth are added to those payroll costs to
come up with the overall budget. The budget is not just the incremental
cost of supplies etc to do the project, rather it is the portion of the
organization's total expenditures that flow into this particular activity
and not elswhere.

In MSP's cost tables the overall costs for a task are the sum of the
resource costs plus whatever you have in the fixed cost field. The cost
of
summary tasks is the rolled up cost field from its subtasks plus any
fixed
costs associated with the summary itself. The [Cost] field of a summary
is
a read-only calculated field and you can't enter data into it directly
BUT
the [Fixed Cost] field of a summary is not a roll-up and *will* accept
manual entries. So if you know what the projected, non-resource based,
costs are for each summary task you can enter them into that summary's
[Fixed Cost] field (Gantt chart and display the Cost table through the
view
menu). Then when you look at the usage views you should see those total
costs apportioned out over the timescale.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Steve,

Thanks for your response. I don't need resources for my workplan
because
my
timeline isn't based on one individual doing studies. I have tasks that
are
associated with cost but not people. Most of the tasks, however, don't
have
fixed cost and will change depending on the study design, duration,
etc. I
wish I had a workplan like the ones in the samples.

A budget was made using summary tasks and there was money allocated to
each
summary. Now, we will have actual costs associated with individual
tasks.
My
job is to track against the budgeted (summary) tasks and the actual
(individual) tasks. Does that make sense? I figured out how to enter in
actuals on a monthly basis (the task usage sheet is very handy)- can I
enter
the budgeted monthly costs (is that a baseline thing)? I'm having a
hard
time
getting the details in the task usage sheet to add up in the left
window
of
the cost table.

Hope what I'm trying to do is making sense. I'm slowly getting
frustrated
with the process so it might not make sense to me anymore.

Thanks again!!

:

How can you possibly match the budget to the workplan without matching
it
to
resources and tasks????? The workplan IS the tasks to be done and the
resources who will do them. You're pretty well locked in to
associating
it
with tasks and resources simply by virture of matching it to the
workplan
since "workplan" and "tasks and resources" are the same thing..

FYI, a project budget is not a top-down allowance of what you may be
allowed
to spend over a period of time. Rather, it is a bottom-up estimate of
what
it will cost you to get done what you need to do during that time
period.
As such, it is properly computed from the costs of using the resources
to
accomplish their specific tasks, whether you calculate it in software
like
Project or calculate it by hand. Hopefully your computed budget will
be
less than your allowed expenditures <smile>.


--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs



I'm trying to set up a budget without any association to resources
or
tasks.
We have a manual budget that I am trying to match to the workplan
(month-by-month). I figured out how to enter it (Using Task
Usage/Cost
fields) but I can't figure out how to save it.
Any help would be appreciated

 

[USCEXTi]

You have got to be kidding me Steve... I have been browsing the site looking
for some assistance because I am new to MS Project - although not new to
Project Management. I am wondering why the best you can do after companies
spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on software it is your task to
support is belittle the folks who are using it?

I love the fact that you have told this person to go update their resume if
they don't follow your line of thinking, correct of not. I will no longer be
searching this site for assistance because I do not care to be ridiculed and
flamed the way you so unabashedly do to others. I hope that these posts are
reviewed by your superiors and they decide that the sarcastic tone and
blatant disrespect for those using your program needs adjustment.

Sadly enough it hurts me inside to come to the defense of anyone who would
associate themselves with UCLA - but my dislike of your attitude has
surpassed my contempt for the other school in LA!

Could you please notify me of how I would contact your supervisor... Smile!

I have to reiterate and I don't know how to express it strongly enough - the
budget IS NOT the money that has been allocated for the project, regardless
of how you came up with those numbers and those number ARE NOT the cost
figures that MS Project is tracking in its cost tables, baseline or
otherwise. For that reason, the answer to your question whether the
baseline can/should be used for your allocated funds is no. Because the
project exists in its own universe, in truth the moneys you've been
allocated to do it are *revenues*, not costs. Hopefully those revenues will
exceed the costs otherwise you'll run out of money before you finish the
project. If it's the other way around, update your resume.

How can you have costs without having resources?? How can you have tasks
without people? Someone has to do the work and 90% of the cost of any
project is what you have to pay them to do it. How can you possibly
schedule when a task will happen without considering if there's going to be
someone there at the time to do it? Even if your resources are already on
staff and salaried so you don't have to go out and hire them and your
project doesn't drive the payroll expenses up, there's an opportunity cost
associated with using them in your project and not on something else. Their
earnings for the portion of their time associated with the project are a
legitimate cost associated with the project budget. Then materials
purchased, expendables such as fuel or travel and per diem, facilities
costs, costs of capital, and so forth are added to those payroll costs to
come up with the overall budget. The budget is not just the incremental
cost of supplies etc to do the project, rather it is the portion of the
organization's total expenditures that flow into this particular activity
and not elswhere.

In MSP's cost tables the overall costs for a task are the sum of the
resource costs plus whatever you have in the fixed cost field. The cost of
summary tasks is the rolled up cost field from its subtasks plus any fixed
costs associated with the summary itself. The [Cost] field of a summary is
a read-only calculated field and you can't enter data into it directly BUT
the [Fixed Cost] field of a summary is not a roll-up and *will* accept
manual entries. So if you know what the projected, non-resource based,
costs are for each summary task you can enter them into that summary's
[Fixed Cost] field (Gantt chart and display the Cost table through the view
menu). Then when you look at the usage views you should see those total
costs apportioned out over the timescale.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Steve,

Thanks for your response. I don't need resources for my workplan because
my
timeline isn't based on one individual doing studies. I have tasks that
are
associated with cost but not people. Most of the tasks, however, don't
have
fixed cost and will change depending on the study design, duration, etc. I
wish I had a workplan like the ones in the samples.

A budget was made using summary tasks and there was money allocated to
each
summary. Now, we will have actual costs associated with individual tasks.
My
job is to track against the budgeted (summary) tasks and the actual
(individual) tasks. Does that make sense? I figured out how to enter in
actuals on a monthly basis (the task usage sheet is very handy)- can I
enter
the budgeted monthly costs (is that a baseline thing)? I'm having a hard
time
getting the details in the task usage sheet to add up in the left window
of
the cost table.

Hope what I'm trying to do is making sense. I'm slowly getting frustrated
with the process so it might not make sense to me anymore.

Thanks again!!

 

[Mike Glen]

Hey USCEXTi, lighten up Steve, like me, is an MVP who gives voluntarily
and freely of his time. We are not employees of Microsoft but have a deep
interest in Project and a desire to help people get the best out of it. In
my opinion, Steve has more than done that, indeed he has bent over backwards
to help by trying to persuade UCLAjazz to use Project as it is designed to
be used to get the best out of it. Indeed, UCLSjazz admitted as much as he
said:
=============
"Thank you all for your response - it has been very helpful!

I should have clarified that I am not using MSP in its conventional form and
so it may be unrealistic to expect a software to do something it was not
intended to do. I will keep your suggestions in mind as I go forward with
other projects.

Thanks again.
==============
He understood and valued the help Steve has given, and that should be good
enough for us all

If you want to know more about the MVP program, see here:
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;MVPINTRO&style=flat

Regards,

Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

I don't think I belittled anyone. I didn't tell them to update their resume
if they didn't follow my "line" - I said to update their resume if it turns
out the true costs of completing the project exceeded the funds they have
been given to do it with. That's called "humour" - would you have been
happier if I'd added "nudge nudge wink wink" after it? I also said their
present method of budgeting, at least as it was presented, does not allow
them to estimate what the project is likely to truly cost them, making it
probable that the risk of going overbudget will occur. Finally I strongly
suggested they revise their approach before they find themselves in a
situation where they've run out of money before completing the project. I
fail to see how that is being either sarcastic or disrespectful.

Gartner Group has estimated that depending on the industry, upwards of 60%
or more of all projects fail, in that they are abandoned before completing
their deliverables, produce deliverables that don't meet the required
quality or product scope specifications, or substantially exceed their
original time and cost estimates. One study of the IT industry over 1998,
also by Gartner, found that 30% of IT projects were abandoned before
completion at a total loss for that one year of over $75 billion. Issues
such as I was raising with UCLAjazz are part of the reason that sort of
thing occurs with such alarming regularity.

Project is not "my program" nor is it a task set to me by anyone to support
it in any way, shape, or form. Those of those of us offering assistance on
this discussion group are unpaid volunteers and are not employed by or
supervised by Microsoft in any capacity whatsoever. We're all here purely
out of enthusiasm for the product and interest in the subject. The MVP
designation is recognition of our continued active participation and freely
shared expertise. My "position," as you put it, is based on over 10 years
experience both teaching and consulting on both MS Project and project
management principles. I have seen students and users make the same
mistakes over and over again, the vast majority of which are conceptual
misunderstandings rather than software problems per se, and after repeatedly
seeing people painting themselves into the same corners I have a some
insights to offer as to what works and what does not.

MS Project is somewhat unique among desktop applications in that it does
almost no user handholding. There are some things people want it to do that
it refuses to do (such as allowing entry of arbitrarily set work, duration,
and assignment units completely independently of each other) and that's
because they're asking it to do things that are the equivalent of demanding
Excel to calculate 2+2 as being equal to 5. Unfortunately it also will
allow users to do other things that can result in equally bogus project
plans having no relationship to the real world whatsoever and yet not emit a
single error message or squeak of protest in the process. It will also
allow users to do things that are technically valid but can send the project
risk soaring into the stratosphere completely out of control if they do
them. Are you suggesting that one should not discuss such issues when they
arise, instead restricting one's answer to the technical how-to question
regardless of whether the questioner's hoped for result makes sense or not?
And by the way, you'll notice that the last paragraph of my 2nd post to
UCLAjazz does in fact give him a way of doing exactly what he asked about,
with the implied caveat to be really really sure that's what he wants to do
before proceeding. Why not just answer him directly and let it go at that?
Because there's a very good chance what he's doing will eventually lead him
into problems if he's not very careful and it would be a disservice not to
try to steer him away from the trap he may be walking into while the plan is
young enough to fix without requiring a major overhaul. And even if he knows
what he's getting into without my saying it, any number of others eventually
reading the thread probably don't.

I've been accused from time to time of being overly polemic. So be it.
Years ago I worked in talk radio for a time. It was axiomatic that only
about 1% of regular listeners ever called in to the show and the same holds
true here. For each person that posts a question there likely as not are
several tens of visitors who have similar questions or problems and are here
looking for answers but haven't posted. When I answer the one post I try to
address the response to all of those visitors who also may be reading the
thread but not actively participating in the discussion. The poster may be
well aware of the business principles sometimes discussed in my answers but
I'll guarantee you that there are many readers of that thread who are not
and I'm talking to them as well as the person who actually posted the
question. Someone else today took offense at my reply suggesting that what
he wanted to do was unwise but his offense doesn't make my comments any less
valid and I will be extremely surprised if what he wants to do works as he
hopes it will and doesn't create vastly more problems than it solves.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

You have got to be kidding me Steve... I have been browsing the site
looking
for some assistance because I am new to MS Project - although not new to
Project Management. I am wondering why the best you can do after
companies
spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on software it is your task
to
support is belittle the folks who are using it?

I love the fact that you have told this person to go update their resume
if
they don't follow your line of thinking, correct of not. I will no longer
be
searching this site for assistance because I do not care to be ridiculed
and
flamed the way you so unabashedly do to others. I hope that these posts
are
reviewed by your superiors and they decide that the sarcastic tone and
blatant disrespect for those using your program needs adjustment.

Sadly enough it hurts me inside to come to the defense of anyone who would
associate themselves with UCLA - but my dislike of your attitude has
surpassed my contempt for the other school in LA!

Could you please notify me of how I would contact your supervisor...
Smile!

I have to reiterate and I don't know how to express it strongly enough -
the
budget IS NOT the money that has been allocated for the project,
regardless
of how you came up with those numbers and those number ARE NOT the cost
figures that MS Project is tracking in its cost tables, baseline or
otherwise. For that reason, the answer to your question whether the
baseline can/should be used for your allocated funds is no. Because the
project exists in its own universe, in truth the moneys you've been
allocated to do it are *revenues*, not costs. Hopefully those revenues
will
exceed the costs otherwise you'll run out of money before you finish the
project. If it's the other way around, update your resume.

How can you have costs without having resources?? How can you have tasks
without people? Someone has to do the work and 90% of the cost of any
project is what you have to pay them to do it. How can you possibly
schedule when a task will happen without considering if there's going to
be
someone there at the time to do it? Even if your resources are already
on
staff and salaried so you don't have to go out and hire them and your
project doesn't drive the payroll expenses up, there's an opportunity
cost
associated with using them in your project and not on something else.
Their
earnings for the portion of their time associated with the project are a
legitimate cost associated with the project budget. Then materials
purchased, expendables such as fuel or travel and per diem, facilities
costs, costs of capital, and so forth are added to those payroll costs to
come up with the overall budget. The budget is not just the incremental
cost of supplies etc to do the project, rather it is the portion of the
organization's total expenditures that flow into this particular activity
and not elswhere.

In MSP's cost tables the overall costs for a task are the sum of the
resource costs plus whatever you have in the fixed cost field. The cost
of
summary tasks is the rolled up cost field from its subtasks plus any
fixed
costs associated with the summary itself. The [Cost] field of a summary
is
a read-only calculated field and you can't enter data into it directly
BUT
the [Fixed Cost] field of a summary is not a roll-up and *will* accept
manual entries. So if you know what the projected, non-resource based,
costs are for each summary task you can enter them into that summary's
[Fixed Cost] field (Gantt chart and display the Cost table through the
view
menu). Then when you look at the usage views you should see those total
costs apportioned out over the timescale.

--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

Steve,

Thanks for your response. I don't need resources for my workplan
because
my
timeline isn't based on one individual doing studies. I have tasks that
are
associated with cost but not people. Most of the tasks, however, don't
have
fixed cost and will change depending on the study design, duration,
etc. I
wish I had a workplan like the ones in the samples.

A budget was made using summary tasks and there was money allocated to
each
summary. Now, we will have actual costs associated with individual
tasks.
My
job is to track against the budgeted (summary) tasks and the actual
(individual) tasks. Does that make sense? I figured out how to enter in
actuals on a monthly basis (the task usage sheet is very handy)- can I
enter
the budgeted monthly costs (is that a baseline thing)? I'm having a
hard
time
getting the details in the task usage sheet to add up in the left
window
of
the cost table.

Hope what I'm trying to do is making sense. I'm slowly getting
frustrated
with the process so it might not make sense to me anymore.

Thanks again!!

:

How can you possibly match the budget to the workplan without matching
it
to
resources and tasks????? The workplan IS the tasks to be done and the
resources who will do them. You're pretty well locked in to
associating
it
with tasks and resources simply by virture of matching it to the
workplan
since "workplan" and "tasks and resources" are the same thing..

FYI, a project budget is not a top-down allowance of what you may be
allowed
to spend over a period of time. Rather, it is a bottom-up estimate of
what
it will cost you to get done what you need to do during that time
period.
As such, it is properly computed from the costs of using the resources
to
accomplish their specific tasks, whether you calculate it in software
like
Project or calculate it by hand. Hopefully your computed budget will
be
less than your allowed expenditures <smile>.


--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs



I'm trying to set up a budget without any association to resources
or
tasks.
We have a manual budget that I am trying to match to the workplan
(month-by-month). I figured out how to enter it (Using Task
Usage/Cost
fields) but I can't figure out how to save it.
Any help would be appreciated