Multiple Reource Rates and Billing data extract

[Michael]

I am new to Project Server and am facing problems which it seems are
common to a lot of IT service organisations:

1) we have to deal with different rates for the same resourece across
multiple projects (more than the 5 available through the rate tables).

2) We need to extract billing data (i.e. time by rate)

I have searched and found several posts on this topic. Most oof them
though were back in 2002/3 timeframe. None of them had a good solution
for these things.

I am posting this in the hope that something has been done to address
these (or at least make the hacks that you need to use with PS) a
little easier.

Grateful for any help


Cheers

MM

 

[Chak]

Hi Michael,

As I know, there will be only one rate you can associate with
enterprise resource. But If the resource not working on multiple
projects at same time (i.e only one project at a time), so you can
specify different rates for each period.

If not, resource working on multiple projects at same time, may be you
need to define multiple resource names for each resource like
Michael-Proj1, Michael-Proj2 and assign different rates.

Thanks
Chak

 

[Chak]

Hi Michael,

As I know, there will be only one rate you can associate with
enterprise resource. But If the resource not working on multiple
projects at same time (i.e only one project at a time), so you can
specify different rates for each period.


Solution 1: If resources are not working on multiple projects at same
time, may be you
need to define multiple resource names for each resource like
Michael-Proj1, Michael-Proj2 and assign different rates.

OR

Solution 2:
a)Define Custom Enterprise Number Field called Resource ProjRate on
Enterprise Global

b)Create local Custom View in project plans to Show the resource info
including Resource projRate (You can use existing resource sheet view
and add extra colum ProjRate)

c) Let Project managers enter the project specfic rate for each
resource on new custom view

d) There will be no help from default PWA views, so you need to create
the cost report from msp tables (Project Server Database to show the
efforts (Resource Name, Project Name, Task Name, Start Date, End
Date, Resource projRate, actual Hours, Cost)



Thanks
Chak

 

[Chak]

Hi Michael,

As I know, there will be only one rate you can associate with
enterprise resource. But If the resource not working on multiple
projects at same time (i.e only one project at a time), so you can
specify different rates for each period.


Solution 1: If not, resource working on multiple projects at same time,
may be you
need to define multiple resource names for each resource like
Michael-Proj1, Michael-Proj2 and assign different rates.

OR

Solution 2:

a)Define Custom Enterprise Number Field called Resource ProjRate on
Enterprise Global

b)Create local Custom View in project plans to Show the resource info
including Resource projRate

c) Let Project managers enter the project specfic rate on new custom
view

d) There will be no help from default PWA views, so you need to create
the cost report from msp tables to see the cost
(Resource Name, Resource projRate, Hours, Cost)

Thanks
Chak

 

[Chak]

Hi Michael,

As I know, there will be only one rate you can associate with
enterprise resource. But If the resource not working on multiple
projects at same time (i.e only one project at a time), so you can
specify different rates for each period.


Solution 1: If not, resource working on multiple projects at same time,
may be you
need to define multiple resource names for each resource like
Michael-Proj1, Michael-Proj2 and assign different rates.

OR

Solution 2:
a)Define Custom Enterprise Number Field called Resource ProjRate on
Enterprise Global

b)Create local Custom View in project plans to Show the resource info
including Resource projRate

c) Let Project managers enter the project specfic rate on new custom
view

d) There will be no help from default PWA views, so you need to create
the cost report from msp tables to see the cost
(Resource Name, Project Name, Task Name, Resource projRate,
ActualHours, Cost)



Thanks
Chak

 

[Michael]

Thanks for your help Chak.

Each of those solutions will work but they have downsides that I would
like to avoid.

1) Using multiple "resources" for the same person would undermine the
resource planning capabilities which was one of the main reason we are
interested in the server version.

2) Rolling you own costing solution seems a large and complex
development exercise, which is scary in itself and seems a shameful
waste when it already done for you if you could only get some
flexibility in the ability to specify rates

What I am curious about is why this limitation exists. On these boards
alone people have been looking for this feature since Project 2000.
There have been two releases since then, why wasnt' it included . The
resource rates tables seems to be set up to support rates by resource
by project (i.e. Proj_ID is part of the record) so it would seem
trivial to implement. can anyone shed light on why it hasn't been done ?

 

[Chak]

Michael,

May be you can try this way:

Specify the different rates for resource using cost tables. (On
resource pool, right click on resource name to view the resource
information. On Cost tab, enter different rates).

Save and exist.

Open the Project Plan

Choose required rate on project plan for each task/assignment ( task
usage view -> Task Name -> Asignment Information -> General Tab _>
Choose required Rate)

Save the plan.

Now you can see the info on MSP_Resource_Rates table as (Proj_Id,
Res_Uid, Rate)

With this info, you can do the effort reporting from project server DB.

Thanks
Chak

 

[Chak]

Michael,


May be you can try this way:


Specify the different rates for resource using cost tables. (On
resource pool, right click on resource name to view the resource
information. On Cost tab, enter different rates).

Save and exist.

Open the Project Plan

Choose required rate on project plan for each task/assignment ( task
usage view -> Task Name -> Asignment Information -> General Tab _>
Choose required Rate)

Save the plan.

Here you need to do observer data, I am not completely sure about this:

Now you can see the info on MSP_Resource_Rates table as (Proj_Id,
Res_Uid, Rate) and MSP_ASSIGNMENTS table (ASSN_ACT_COST,
ASSN_REM_COS)


With this info, you can do the effort reporting from project server DB.



Thanks
Chak

 

[Chak]

4. Chak
Jan 11, 10:40 am hide options

Newsgroups: microsoft.public.project.server
From: "Chak" <[email protected]> - Find messages by this author
Date: 11 Jan 2006 10:40:27 -0800
Local: Wed, Jan 11 2006 10:40 am
Subject: Re: Multiple Reource Rates and Billing data extract
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Michael,


May be you can try this way:


Specify the different rates for resource using cost tables. (On
resource pool, right click on resource name to view the resource
information. On Cost tab, enter different rates).


Save and exit.


Open the Project Plan


Choose required rate on project plan for each task/assignment ( task
usage view -> Task Name -> Asignment Information -> General Tab _>
Choose required Rate)


Save the plan.


Here you need to do observer data, I am not completely sure about this:



Now you can see the info on MSP_Resource_Rates table as (Proj_Id,
Res_Uid, Rate) and MSP_ASSIGNMENTS table (ASSN_ACT_COST,
ASSN_REM_COS)


With this info, you can do the effort reporting from project server DB.



Thanks
Chak

 

[Chak]

Michael,


May be you can try this way:


Specify the different rates for resource using cost tables. (On
resource pool, right click on resource name to view the resource
information. On Cost tab, enter different rates).


Save and exit.

Open the Project Plan (repeat for each project plan where resource is
working)

Choose required rate on project plan for each task/assignment ( task
usage view -> Task Name -> Asignment Information -> General Tab _>
Choose required Rate)

Save the plan.

Here you need to do verify the data in follwing tables: I am not
completely sure about this:


MSP_Resource_Rates table (Proj_Id,
Res_Uid, Rate) and MSP_ASSIGNMENTS table (ASSN_ACT_COST,
ASSN_REM_COS)


With this info, you can do the effort reporting from project server DB.



Thanks
Chak

 

[Matt Steele]

Michael, contact QuantumPM (at www.quantumpm.com). They have an add-in for
project that allows a custom rate table for each project. With it you can
compare cost versus billing for each project. Each resource can have it's own
rate for each project. Real cool.
Matt

 

[Michael]

Thanks for your help everybody

 

[ScottC55]

Hi Matt,

Any chance you can publish the url to the add on? I couldn't find it on
quantumpm.com. Thanks.