Yes this would be very helpful to have multiple bill rates per displine/resource.
This is brilliant and highly sought after!
Thank you Kristina for starting this, let´s vote this up: Having this will allow anyone to track margin between "billed to client" and "cost of service".
Yes, that´s what we need, fully agree.
Case description, community members: Please comment if you see room for improvement! There is always room for it.
Summary:
The current issue for Project Managers is the lack of a comprehensive system to track both external bill-rates and internal cost-rates for resources in projects, making it difficult to assess profitability and align strategies with margin goals. Currently, data for these two factors is tracked separately, complicating analysis and limiting the ability to adapt strategies. The ideal solution would be a system that allows for tracking both the external bill-rate and internal cost rate, providing a comprehensive understanding of the profitability of each clocked hour within the project. This could be achieved with a centralized "Cost Rate Table" storing all necessary data, and the inclusion of bill-rates within the project details. This would enable better project management and decision-making processes.
Key Points:
1. Current issue: Lack of comprehensive tracking system for both external bill-rates and internal cost-rates in projects.
2. Consequence: Difficulty in assessing profitability and aligning strategies with margin goals.
3. Ideal solution: A tracking system that allows both the external bill-rate and internal cost rate to be tracked.
4. Proposed method: Use of a centralized "Cost Rate Table" and inclusion of bill-rates within project details.
5. Benefit: Enhanced project management and decision-making processes.
I want to gain a comprehensive understanding of two aspects: Firstly, whether the project is considered "good" in terms of meeting deadlines and staying within budget. Secondly, whether the project aligns with my company's profitability goals, taking into account factors such as margins and competition. This applies to both established businesses that constantly face margin pressures while competing with other companies, as well as growing companies that aim to enhance their future margins. Both scenarios require access to data for thorough analysis.
However, the current challenge lies in the fact that data needs to be tracked simultaneously in two separate systems, which complicates the understanding process. Resource Management provides insights on the bill-rate side, while a separate Excel spreadsheet is needed to determine and match the cost-rate side. Assessing profitability based on this fragmented information often happens retrospectively, due to the significant effort required. As a result, project managers have limited or no opportunity to adapt and align their strategies with the given margin goals.