Two cost calculations in Project

[markc]

In my project I have chargeable rates for each resource in rate table
A. As well as the total costs using these rates, I also have to
calculate task and total costs using a discounted rate for each
resource. If you like, this is a 'retail' rate and an 'internal' rate,
or the difference between a price and a cost. (The reason for this is
that it is a project where we contribute part of the total price for
the project, and the client contributes the rest.)

I can get the Resource Sheet to calculate a total cost for each
resource, by entering a discount in a custom field, and calculating
the discounted price in another custom field. But how to do it in the
GANTT chart Cost sheet?

So, the rates I have entered calculate the total project 'price'
correctly, but what I would like to do - as well - is to calculate the
task 'cost' using the 'price' discounted resource rates (from the
custom resource fields), show them in the GANTT chart Cost sheet, and
then report on them.

I would like to avoid entering rates in the Rate B for each resource,
and then manually changing every resource to rate B when I want to do
my calculations. Another workaround might be to save a Baseline cost,
and then change the resource prices to the discounted rate, but that
seems to me the wrong way to do it.

Any suggestions?

 

[Jim Aksel]

Mark - As I read your post, I immediately was thinking "Just use Rate Table
B" ... but you do not want to do that. It is not as hard as you may think.
After you key all the information into Rate B (I know it is tedious), you
can insert a Rate Table Column in the Task Usage View (or the Resource Usage
View). You can then set the cost to "Rate Table B" and then drag the "B"
down the column.

If copying all the data from Rate A to Rate B is burdensome, I think if you
search the developer site or even this site, you can probably find some hints
on a macro that will write the data over for you. There is a form I made to
do it easily, sorry not freeware but I may be able to give you some guidance
on how to create it.


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If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for FAQs and more information
about Microsoft Project

 

[markc]

Thanks Jim. In the intervening hours I've made Rate Bs for all the
resources - not too painful in the end, just tedious. I think what's
getting me stuck is how to show both the 'price' total, calculated on
Rate A and the 'cost' total calculated on Rate B, on a Task sheet
which will let me roll up the tasks into the summaries (which are my
stages), without affecting the original task cost calculated on Rate
A.

Then, I want to be able easily to switch between the two, preferably
without having to continually change the Cost Rate Table from A to B
and back again. Ideally I'd see them both on the same sheet but I
could deal with that.

Mark

 

[Jim Aksel]

How about a custom number field on the Gantt view? Insert something like
Cost1. Assign a formula to Cost1=(1.25)*Cost
You now have a cost1 column marked up 25%.

If you want to do it with more granularity, it can also be done on the task
usage or resource usage views.

To move things over to the Gantt view, you can only do this at the task
level... notice how all the resources are assigned to on detail task.
Information such as Cost1 needs to be tranfered between the two views. MS
Project stores information in three places .... Task Info, Resource Info, and
Assignment Info. So, Cost1 for a task is not the same as Cost1 for a
Resource.

Try reading FAQ#37 and #51; a short macro will help you. In the link below,
click FAQ, then scroll. G'day!
--
If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for FAQs and more information
about Microsoft Project