Calculating two costs in Project 2003

[markc]

I have set up a project in Project Pro 2003 with the chargeable rates
for each resource in rate table A.

As well as the total costs using these rates, I have also 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.

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, or somewhere else that will give me the
discounted rate?

So, as well as calculating the total project 'price', 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 have also entered the discounted rates in Rate B. But what I'd like
to avoid is manually changing every resource to rate B when I want to
do my calculations.

Any suggestions?

 

[John]

I have set up a project in Project Pro 2003 with the chargeable rates
for each resource in rate table A.

As well as the total costs using these rates, I have also 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.

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, or somewhere else that will give me the
discounted rate?

So, as well as calculating the total project 'price', 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 have also entered the discounted rates in Rate B. But what I'd like
to avoid is manually changing every resource to rate B when I want to
do my calculations.

Any suggestions?

markc,
The most convenient way to get what you want is with a macro. It could
automatically dump the cost data for each rate into spare fields.
Otherwise you will need to do it manually for each cost type. However
you do not need to manually change each and every resource to get cost
for alternate cost rates - you can do it in more or less one fell swoop.

For the manual approach, I'd use the Task Usage view and make sure it's
exploded to show all assignment rows. Display the Cost Rate Table field.
Toggle the cost rate table designator for the first assignment row. Then
do a fill down for all rows. The cost values calculated on the Gantt
Chart will be for that rate table and you can then "dump" it into a
spare cost field. Repeat the above process for the alternate cost rate
and dump it into another spare cost field. You will then have what you
want.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[Steve House]

I'd suggest caution with this approach as Project is first and foremost a
work scheduling and cost estimating (what you are referring to as "internal
cost") program. It is emphatically not an accounting application and IMHO
should not be kludged to try to make it into one. As an example of where at
least all the "creative" ways of trying to get it to do what you're seeking
that I've seen break down, consider a consulting firm that bills by the day.
I send you to a client and you do 8 hours work and we bill the client 1 day.
Next day I send you to a client where you do 6 hours work, and we still bill
them for a full day. Next day I send you to a client where you do 1 hour
work - I STILL bill that client for 1 full day. If you get paid $10/hour,
our internal cost of the first day is $80, the second day is $60, and the
third day is $10. Project will accurately tell me what my internal cost is
for the hours of work performed but there is no way it can tell me what my
billing to the client should be - it only understands work by the hour and
can't accomodate a business rule that says billing is to be in whole day
increments rounded up to the nearest day. It's not because of any
limitation on the number of rates that can be active, etc, it's that Project
is simply not designed to replace purpose-built time-and-billing programs.
It's designed as a cost estimating, not cost accounting, tool - it tells you
how much money you'll need to make available in order to get all the work
done but completely ignores where the money is coming from, how much you
have of it, or how much you need to bill the client in order to make a
profit on it. And if you think about it, the consideration of the
profitability of projects is something well above the paygrade of a project
manager - his job is to bring in the work within budget, senior management
is responsible for figuring out how much to charge to make a profit for the
firm off of that work.