|
I charge for the job (not for the hour) generally, but I try to do timesheets because it makes you more personally aware just how much time you're wasting doing silly non chargable crap, and makes you try to put in perspective (but not obliterate) this type of activity.
Pesonal efficiency is the main reason for filling out time sheets because you feel like a git if you have to fill in "I f***ed about all day" and it makes you improve. Result: You get to charge more hours.
Dave Carkeet.
|
|
|
|
|
I'd be interesting to see the link between technique and recommendation. Is it possible to present the data that way?
Sonorked as well: 100.13197 jorgen
FreeBSD is sexy.
|
|
|
|
|
What happened to the texfile where you write
Monday
1.5 hrs - Stupid support calls
2.5 hrs - Fighting the freakin' SQL sever
4.5 hrs - Reinstalling Windows with sp's
3 hrs - getting drunk to wind down
11.5 hrs of unproductive work this Monday. :-<
Tuesday
2.0 hrs - Phone call 5 mins, but since I decided to take this day off AND they woke me up I charge double...
2.0 hrs - They forgot to ask something. Hey, it's their money.
2.0 hrs - They apparently never learn. This is my day off!
6 hrs on a day off. Gee...
|
|
|
|
|
we use excel spreadsheets for that now. We even use macros so we only have to type in the day and it fills in the rest 
Michael
"Eureka" is Greek for "This bath is too hot"
|
|
|
|
|
.. Us too .. but I have to be really careful that I don't send them *next weeks* time sheet.
Al.
Alice thought that running very fast for a long time would get you to somewhere else. " A very slow kind of country!" said the queen. "Now, here , you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place".
|
|
|
|
|
At the end of my spring quarter at UW, I thought I was going to be dead because I procrastinated and worked on my English portfolio the day before and the day it was due. I turned it in right after I finished the cover letter and printing it out, and this was finishing two revisions. It also left me without time to study for my physics final that day!
I am happy to say that I escaped virtually unscathed =D My grades are lovely!
|
|
|
|
|
Although now that I look at the poll, I'm not sure it's totally on topic.
|
|
|
|
|
cheers,
Chris Maunder
Rub your belly and pat your head simultaneously. Sometimes that helps me make sense of things - Jon Sagara
|
|
|
|
|
All,
Should I also fill the time taken in filling the time sheet also into the time sheet.
Onkar
|
|
|
|
|
Depends on if it goes on a TPS report...
Christian
I am completely intolerant of stupidity. Stupidity is, of course, anything that doesn't conform to my way of thinking. - Jamie Hale - 29/05/2002
Half the reason people switch away from VB is to find out what actually goes on.. and then like me they find out that they weren't quite as good as they thought - they've been nannied. - Alex, 13 June 2002
|
|
|
|
|
Christian Graus wrote:
Depends on if it goes on a TPS report...
Ummm.... yeah.... great...
|
|
|
|
|
It falls under "Project Management" category.
|
|
|
|
|
Kudos to anyone that can guess what I voted for. 
____________________
David Wulff
Neil says:
The following message could not be delivered to all recipients:
dave i am a homosexual and i am in love with your father
|
|
|
|
|
I'm guessing it starts with 'A simple Access database...' and has 'goats rule!' in it somewhere...
cheers,
Chris Maunder
he was a VB programmer, but he got better - Christian Graus
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Maunder wrote:
I'm guessing it starts with 'A simple Access database...' and has 'goats rule!' in it somewhere...
Hmm... Well actually I voted I charge through the roof, not by the hour, but now that you mention it...
I should stop digging shouldn't I... 
____________________
David Wulff
Neil says:
dave i am a homosexual and i am in love with your father
Dave says:
That's okay son, eighteen years ago I was in love with your mother.
|
|
|
|
|
We use MS Project for that professional GANTT (or should that be gnat?) chart look
Hell, the clients like it and it looks good on the board.
But basically we get a tender or project requirements list from the client. We then do a brief discussion with them and from that generate a proposal document. The proposal document estimates broadly the total cost of the project. It also puts a fixed cost on the speccing period (we charge per day, so two weeks of speccing cost X no matter the project.)
We then spec the project at the agreed cost. Once the spec is finished I cost it up to a fixed price. Also per week of development plus management fees and a bit extra on a per project basis (some clients are willing to pay for a buffer to have our skills if things change or go fubar.)
Once they have signed the spec and agreed to the cost and paid 1/3 up front, we develop and deliver on agreed dates/milestones.
We also seperate licensing and hosting costs out of the project to be flexible once the product is delivered.
But key to it all is a planning stage right after speccing where we break each module up and figure out how long it takes to develop that piece.
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa
The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and to be loved in return - Moulin Rouge
Tim Smith wrote:
Over here in the third world of humor (a.k.a. BBC America),
peterchen wrote:
We should petition microsoft to a "target=_Paul" attribute.
|
|
|
|
|
Good post - I'll be using this later..
I'd appreciate it if you'd have a look at:
http://www.codeproject.com/lounge.asp?msg=213473#xx213473xx
Thanks.
Al.
Alice thought that running very fast for a long time would get you to somewhere else. " A very slow kind of country!" said the queen. "Now, here , you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place".
|
|
|
|
|
I work in an R&D area developing software which will be sold with hardware products when everything is fully matured. Although we work to a deadline, there is no "Billing" envolved.
Except when the customer buys the product.
Roger Allen
Sonork 100.10016
If I had a quote, it would be a very good one.
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Allen wrote:
In R&D it takes as long as it takes
It's amazing Roger but folk who have never been involved in R&D don't understand that.
I have been often asked how much stuff will cost or how long it will take. I think its like one of those fancy jewelry shops, "If you have to ask you can't afford it".
Regardz
Colin J Davies
Sonork ID 100.9197:Colin
More about me
|
|
|
|
|
I think they said D&D not R&D.....
|
|
|
|
|
Anonymous wrote:
I think they said D&D not R&D.....
Although I have played D&D in the past, it was R&D I was talking about.
R&D takes a long as it takes + the time spent playing counter-strike
Roger Allen
Sonork 100.10016
If I had a quote, it would be a very good one.
|
|
|
|
|
For my primary contract I have a fixed daily rate. For other smaller work that I take on I use the methods described in http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000245.html to estimate the time required and then produce a quote for the customer based on an hourly rate.
Using this method means I have to be very good at estimating otherwise I'll end up working for less profit  Of course this helps to ensure I produce a good functional specification to start with.
Michael
"Eureka" is Greek for "This bath is too hot"
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for the link. It was an interesting read and I am going to try it out for a while. If it works, I'll stick with it. Really, the concept is quite simple. And hopefully it will improve my estimation skills.
It has been a long time since reinstalling Windows just took 1 hour, but when people ask me to do it, I still think it does. If it wasn't for my wife letting me know that 3 hours have passed, I'd never know I had a problem. 
|
|
|
|
|
I find a lot of Joel's stuff to be very useful, his scheduling stuff has been a lifesaver as has his approach to functional specs. Well worth a browse of his site, he can talk a lot of rot sometimes but he's obviously speaking from experience when it comes to managing software development projects.
Michael
"Eureka" is Greek for "This bath is too hot"
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for the reference.
Alice thought that running very fast for a long time would get you to somewhere else. " A very slow kind of country!" said the queen. "Now, here , you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place".
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
