From: bdowning@unixland.natick.ma.us (Bill Downing)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.contract
Subject: Re: Want good time/money accounting package for contractors
Date: 14 Aug 92 18:09:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: unixland.1992Aug14.180910.8299
Organization: Unixland Public Access Unix & Think_Tank BBS

In article <1992Aug12.022552.2164@klic.rain.com> keithl@klic.rain.com (Keith Lofstrom) writes:
>I'm looking for suggestions for a new accounting /time management package,
>tuned or tunable for a sole-proprietor engineering consulting firm (though
>with partners/employees in a year or two).  I have been using Quicken
>4.0 for DOS, more or less as a checkbook/accounts program, but Quicken
>doesn't keep track of hours, doesn't print invoices for time, doesn't
>talk directly to postscript printers, and so forth.  I have looked
>at Solomon Profitwise (my accountant likes this) and Peachtree; these are
>OK tools for accountants, or small retail businesses, but aren't geared
>for Compleate Accountinge DoDoes such as myself, whose stock in trade is
>ideas and hours.
>
>The most important weakness is in hours - I divide my time into 
>
>1) Customer Billable Hours  ( I want to maximize this )
>
>2) Customer Non-Billable Hours (I charge a lot for 1 - but don't include a
>      lot of things, such as unapproved, failed experiments)
>3) Drumming up new business
>4) Non-Customer Non-Billable Hours (for example, typing in this article)
>5) Repairing stuff that I use later
>6) Accounting and management busywork.
>7) Silly Wastes of Time (such as flamewars, or bringing up SVR4)
>8) etc...
>
>I also divide it by site - there are tax implications of where I do the work.
>I would also like to keep track of what phase of a project I'm in, what type
>of activity it is, etc., and have that information available for costing 
>estimates on the next project.  In other words, keeping track of my hours is
>as important as keeping track of my money - getting more money is hard, but 
>much easier than getting more than 168 hours in a week.  I need to account
>for my time in a very structured - but hopefully quick to use - way.  And I
>want to avoid "project numbers" if possible - number juggling is the machine's
>problem, not mine.  Gimme menus, gimme text!
>
>It would be cool if the program had a small DOS TSR that I could use as a 
>timeclock.  Or would help me keep track of things to do - or, or, or ???
>
>Enough said.  Okay, consultants, anything out there that is a positive joy
>to use?  And is as good at time accounting as it is in dollar accounting?
>
>Thanks,
>Keith
>-- 
>Keith Lofstrom         keithl@klic.rain.com       Voice (503)-520-1993
>KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
>Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Power ICs

Timeslips Corp., 239 Western Ave., Essex, MA 01929 sells a time
and expense tracking package that has gotten good press although I've
never used it myself. Both DOS and Mac versions are available. You'll
have to find out their phone number, since I seem to have misplaced
it...


-- 
Bill Downing, President		Email: bdowning@unixland.natick.ma.us		
DOWNING ASSOCIATES, INC.
8 Doyle Lane, Hopkinton, MA 01748
508-435-4567
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.contract