Abstract:
A method for managing fees and profitability is provided by calculating the number of hours that employees should be assigned to a specific project and stay within the available fees. The method derives the direct labor from fees, profitability, direct expenses, and overhead. The direct labor is then used to determine staff hours that can be spent on a project within the available fees for the project. The process also assigns hours per day for individual staff members to work on a project. The program reschedules labor when there is a change in any of the variables that comprise project fees. The program also evaluates working days available for each staff member, and considers holidays and individual leaves or vacation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to software systems for managing fees and profitability, and specifically to a software system that manages fees and profitability by calculating the number of hours that employees should be assigned to a specific project and stay within the available fees. 
     2. Background Information 
     The inventors have spent most of a long career managing a large staff of professionals, constantly trying to assure that the time spent on projects fits within the fee negotiated with client. During that period the inventor was constantly looking for available software that would improve the ability to control the hours assigned to projects. Unfortunately the available software all have short comings in that the user is required to predict the hours to be assigned, rather than the system defining appropriate hours. These conventional methods of scheduling employees have no direct control on the projects profitability. Their attempts to achieve the projected profit in this way have several disadvantages, including reliability and accuracy. The prior art method of assigning staff to a project requires estimating and inputting the amount of time that the assigned staff would need to complete the project. These were based on such factors as previous experience with similar projects, or tables that would estimate the labor for similar types of projects. Once again, this inputted data does not allow for a dynamic management of fees and/or profitability. 
     For example, these prior art systems can result in the over-scheduling of hours such that the project does not stay within the fees, and, subsequently, is not profitable. Under-scheduling leads to similar problems and affects profitability as well. In addition, these methods require a user to monitor time variations (e.g. variations due to vacations, leave or holidays) and manually adjust the schedule accordingly. Keeping track of time variations for each employee and manually entering these changes is not only time intensive but also unreliable since they depend on formulas or procedures that may or may not be responsive to the actual fees available. This is why prior art project management programs cannot automatically adjust employee hours when there is a change in one of the other variables (profitability, direct expenses, or overhead) that make up fees. If one of these variables changes, the user must manually re-input employee hours in order to maintain net fees. These prior art systems do not dynamically modify the assigned hours when any of these variables change. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The problems of the prior art are solved by this invention, which is a method of scheduling labor (staff) based on available fees. With this invention the hours assigned to individuals are calculated based on actual fees and actual individual billing rates. The fees are converted to direct labor dollars. Direct labor rates are determined from the formula: fees=profitability+direct expenses+overhead+direct labor. The direct labor rate is used by the program to derive a schedule for each staff member assigned to a project. The resulting schedule allows the project to be carried out while remaining within available fees, managing profitability. If any of the other variables (profitability, direct expenses, overhead) change during the course of the project, the program can dynamically reschedule staff to allow the project to be completed within the available fees. 
     In particular, the program monitors the profit being generated from a project and ensures that it remains constant by re-scheduling the labor assigned to the project to remain within available fees. In addition, the program provides for variability of profit goals, allowing a user to increase or decrease a project&#39;s profit goals at any time after the start of the project. This is done by the proposed invention dynamically re-scheduling not only the labor, but also any of the other parameters like overhead and direct expenses. 
     The program also accounts for each individual staff member&#39;s working schedule. For instance, the inventions scheduling of a staff member to work on a phase of a project accounts for any planned utilization, vacations, leave, holidays or other contingencies planned by the staff member. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a project management system that derives the amount of time an employee can work on a phase of a project within available fees. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a project management system that manages fees and profitability by calculating the number of hours employees can spend on a specific task and stay within available fees. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a scheduling program that can quickly adjust for any change in fees, overhead, expenses, or profitability. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a scheduling program that automatically accounts for any variations in an individual staff member&#39;s schedule (i.e. due to vacations, leave, or holidays). 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following specification, drawings, and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a general flow chart depicting the overall operation of the scheduling method. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart depicting the determination of working days. 
         FIG. 3  is a chart depicting the calculation of the direct labor amount available for each phase, as used in flow path A of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a chart depicting the assignment of staff members and their percentage participation to each phase, as used in flow path B of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a chart depicting the calculation of the total labor rate per hour for all staff members assigned to a phase, as used in flow path C of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a chart depicting the total number of hours per phase, as used in flow path D of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a chart depicting the calculation of hours per phase assigned to each staff member, as used in flow path F of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a chart depicting the calculation of working days in a phase, as used in flow path E of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is a chart depicting the calculation of hours per day assigned to each staff member, as used in flow path F of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In general terms, the present invention is a project management system for calculating the number of hours that a particular employee can spend on a specific project and stay within available fees. 
     The traditional method of scheduling labor involves estimating and inputting the amount of direct labor that will be used to complete a particular project. Direct labor is estimated by using a variety of tools, including previous experience with similar projects, and tables of data regarding labor rates for similar projects or tasks. Such data maybe available in the public domain for different industries and services. All such methods of predicting hours are approximate at best. 
     The present invention uses a different approach for scheduling labor, as it determines the direct labor that will be required to complete a project while staying within fees and then schedules labor accordingly. In other words, this direct labor is used to schedule staff members assigned to a project so that the amount spent on labor stays within the available fees. 
     In particular,  FIG. 1  shows a flow chart depicting the overall operation of the program that converts net fees to time  10 . There are three main flow paths A ( 12 ), B ( 14 ), C ( 16 ) carried out by the program. 
     Flow path A ( 12 ) determines the labor amount  24  for a particular phase of a project. Calculation of the labor amount  24  begins with retrieval of direct labor  20 . Direct labor  20  is determined from the following formula: Fees=Overhead+Expenses+Profits+Direct Labor. Each project is divided into separate phases (e.g. planning, design, and implementation), and each phase is assigned a percentage of the project  22 , such that all phases together are 100% of the project. The labor amount  24  for a phase is calculated by multiplying direct labor amount  20  by the percent breakdown of the phase  22 . 
     In flow path B ( 14 ), individual staff members are assigned  30  to the phase and staff percentages are assigned  32  to each staff member of the phase. These assignments are validated  34  such that the aggregate staff percentage for a project phase is 100%. 
     Flow path C ( 16 ) calculates the total labor rate per hour. First, the rate per hour  40  is retrieved for each staff member assigned to the phase. Generally, hourly billing rates are determined by dividing the total salary of a staff member by the total number of working hours in a year. Then, the labor rate  42  for each staff member of the phase is calculated by multiplying the staff member&#39;s rate per hour  40  by the staff member&#39;s percentage of the phase  32 . Next, the total labor rate per hour  44  for all staff members of the phase is determined by adding all of the labor rates  42 . 
     Flow paths A ( 12 ) and C ( 16 ) converge to determine the total hours per phase  50 . Total hours per phase is determined by dividing the labor amount  24  by the total labor rate per hour  44 . 
     To determine the hours per phase for each staff member  60 , the total hours per phase  50  is multiplied by the percentage than the individual staff member is assigned to the phase  32 . 
     To determine the hours per day for each staff member  70 , the number of working days  82  must be determined.  FIG. 2  is a flow chart demonstrating the calculation of the number of working days  82 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the number of days between the start date and the end date of a project phase is evaluated  70  (both start and end date are inclusive). The number of days  70  is split into months  72 . Each month is then tested for holidays  74 . Next, it is determined whether any of the holidays fall on weekends  76 . Non-weekend holidays are stripped  78 , as are weekends  80 . The resulting number is the working days for the project phase  82 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 1 , the working days  82  is used to determine the hours per day for each staff member  90 . The hours per phase for the staff member  60  is divided by the working days  82 . 
       FIGS. 3-9  show an example of the calculations described above. In this example, the program determines the number of hours assigned to employee Fleming during phase  053   a  (construction administration) of the Allendale County Courthouse project.  FIGS. 3-9  include screen shots generated by the program. 
       FIG. 3  demonstrates how the labor amount  24  is determined in flow path A ( 12 ) of  FIG. 1 . The direct labor  20  for all the phases is retrieved, and, in this example, is $39,230.73. Next, the phase percentage breakdown  22  is retrieved. The percentage of fees assigned to this particular phase  05   a  is fifty-three percent. The labor amount  24  for phase  05   a  is calculated is $20,792.28 ($39,230.73*53%). 
       FIG. 4  is an example of how staff members are assigned  30  and their percentage participation  32  is assigned to each phase, as shown in flow path B ( 14 ) of  FIG. 1 . In this example, Fleming, Henry, Moore and Williams are selected for phase  05   a . The percentage of participation for each selected staff member is defined (Fleming=41%, Henry=41%, Moore=3%, Williams=15%). Finally, a quality check validates  34  that the sum of all the percentages assigned totals 100%. 
       FIG. 5  is an example of the determination of the total labor rate/hour  44  for all staff members of the phase, as shown in flow path C ( 16 ) of  FIG. 1 . First, the hourly rate  40  for each selected staff member is retrieved. In this example, Fleming&#39;s hourly rate is $22.02. For each selected staff member, their hourly rate is multiplied by their percentage  32  to determine the labor rate  42 . In  FIG. 5 , Fleming&#39;s labor rate  42  is $9.03 ($22.02*41%=$9.03). Finally, the hourly rate for the phase  44  is determined by adding the labor rates of all the staff members assigned to the phase. In this example the hourly rate for the phase  44  is $20.63. 
       FIG. 6  provides an example of the calculation of the total hours per phase  50 . The labor amount  24  from flow path A ($20,792.28) is divided by the total labor rate per hour  44  of flow path C ($20.63). In this example, the total hours for phase  05   a  is $20,792.28/$20.63, or 1,008.07 hours. 
       FIG. 7  is an example of how the hours per phase  60  for each staff member is determined. The total hours for the phase  05   a  (1,008.07 hours) is multiplied by the individual staff member&#39;s percentage  32  assigned to the phase. In this example, Fleming&#39;s percentage is 41%. Accordingly, the total hours in phase  05   a  that Fleming is assigned is 413.31 (1,0087.07*41%). 
       FIG. 8  is an example of the calculation of working days, as shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 9  is an example of the calculation of the hours per day for each staff member using the working days determination from  FIGS. 2 and 8 . The hours per phase for each staff member  60  is divided by the total working days  82 . In this example, Fleming is assigned to work on phase  053   a  for 4.35 hours per day (413.21/95). 
     The following tables illustrate the practical application of the data created by this invention. The example reports shown in Tables 1-5, created by the invention, are based on the determination of hours assigned to staff members for a particular project phase. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Phase and Finance Details 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Allendale County - Courthouse SD-CA (E) 
                 Est. Constr. Cost 
                 $0.00 
               
               
                   
                 (23225.01/BG-001/E) 
                 Gross Fee 
                 $127,500.00 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Project Manager 
                 Williams, Theodore 
                 Less Consult Fees 
                 $0.00 
               
               
                   
                 Quality Review 
                 Williams, Theodore 
                 Less Unusual Exp. 
                 $0.00 
               
               
                   
                 Start Date 
                 Oct. 14, 2003 
                 Net Fees 
                 $127,500.00 
               
               
                   
                 Summary Date 
                 Dec. 1, 2004 
                 Overall % Complete 
                 0% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Heading 
                 Projected 
                 Actual (14-Oct-03) 
                 Diff 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Direct Expense 
                  $2,550 
                  $2,550 
                 $0 
               
               
                   
                 Direct Labor 
                 $39,231 
                 $39,231 
                 $0 
               
               
                   
                 Overhead 
                 $60,219 
                 $60,219 
                 $0 
               
               
                   
                 Profit 
                 $25,500 
                 $25,500 
                 $0 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Dec 
                 Jan 
                 Feb 
                 Mar 
                 Apr 
                 May 
                 Jun 
                 Jul 
                 Aug 
                 Sep 
                 Oct 
                 Nov 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Available Work Days 
                 22 
                 21 
                 20 
                 23 
                 21 
                 21 
                 22 
                 20 
                 23 
                 21 
                 21 
                 21 
               
               
                 Available Work Hours 
                 185  
                 176 
                 168 
                 193 
                 176 
                 176 
                 185 
                 168 
                 193 
                 176 
                 176 
                 176 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Emp. No. 
                 Emp. Name 
                 Staff % 
                 Rem. Hrs. 
                 Hrs/Day 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 03: Schematic Design Ph %: 4.50 25-Oct-03 15-Dec-03 Wk C %: 0 Ph Fee: $1,765 Rem. Fee: $1,765 
               
             
          
           
               
                 672 
                 Fleming, Daryl 
                 12.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 999 
                 Moore, Ray 
                 3.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 430 
                 Williams, Theodore 
                 85.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                 Total 
                 100.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
             
          
           
               
                 04: Design Development Ph %: 18 16-Dec-03-13-Feb-04 Wk C %: 0 Ph Fee: $7,062 rem. Fee: $7,062 
               
             
          
           
               
                 672 
                 Fleming, Daryl 
                 72.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 999 
                 Moore, Ray 
                 3.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 430 
                 Williams, Theodore 
                 25.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                 Total 
                 100.00 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
             
          
           
               
                 05a Construction Documents Ph %: 53 01-Dec-03-13-Apr-05 Wk C %: 0 PhFee: $20,792 Rem.Fee: $20,792 1   
               
             
          
           
               
                 672 
                 Fleming, Daryl 
                 41.00 2   
                     413 3   
                     4:35 4   
                     96 5   
                 91 
                 87 
                 100 
                 39 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
             
          
           
               
                 717 
                 Henry, Silvans 
                 41.00 
                 413 
                 4:21 
                 96 
                 91 
                 87 
                 100 
                 39 
                 — 
                 Remaining Fee $150,792 
                 — 
                 — 
               
             
          
           
               
                 999 
                 Moore, Ray 
                 3.00 
                  30 
                 0:19 
                  7 
                 7 
                 6 
                 7 
                 3 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 430 
                 Williams, Theodore 
                 15.00 
                 151 
                 1:35 
                 35 
                 33 
                 32 
                 37 
                 14 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                 Total 
                 100.00 
                 1007  
                 10:36  
                 234  
                 222 
                 212 
                 244 
                 95 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
             
          
           
               
                 05b Quality Review Ph %: 2 14-Apr-05-24-Apr-05 WkC %: 0 Ph Fee: $785 Rem. Fee: $785 
               
             
          
           
               
                 999 
                 Moore, Ray 
                 3.00 
                  1 
                 0:05 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   1 Based on the remaining fees, and the percentage assigned to Construction Administration 
               
               
                   2 The hours that Daryl Fleming can apply to this phase of the project is calculated 
               
               
                   3 Daryl can apply a total of 413 hours to this phase 
               
               
                   4 Using the calculated days available this results in 4.35 hours per day 
               
               
                   5 This is then applied to the actual days available in each month to show the hour per month that Daryl can apply (example: 96 hours in December) 
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 1 shows the hours assigned each month for each phase and for each individual for a typical project. With complete flexibility, project managers evaluate the number and distribution of hours based on the work required while ensuring profitability 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Staff Detail Report 
               
               
                 Fleming, Daryl: (672) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Project 
                 Project 
                 Billing 
                   
                   
                 Phase 
                 Rem. 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 
                 Name 
                 Group 
                 Department 
                 Manager 
                 No. 
                 Hrs. 
                 Hrs./Day 
                 Dec 
                 Jan 
                 Feb 
                 Mar 
                 Apr 
                 May 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Scheduled Vacation Hours 
                  0 
                  0 
                  0 
                  0 
                  0 
                  0 
               
             
          
           
               
                 23225.01 
                 Allendale County - 
                 BG-001 
                 Engineering 
                 Williams, 
                 05a 
                 413 
                     4:35 2   
                     96 3   
                     91 3   
                     87 3   
                 100 
                 39 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                 Courthouse SD-CA (E) 
                   
                   
                 Theodore 
                 6 
                  51 
                 2:02 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 10 
                 41 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 07a 
                  68 
                 0:29 
                   
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 07b 
                 136 
                 0:20 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                 24208.00 
                 Columbia Airport - Expansion 
                 G-001 
                 Engineering 
                 Williams, 
                 05a 
                 928 
                 4:33 
                 100  
                 96 
                 91 
                 105 
                 96 
                 96 
               
               
                   
                 PhA (E) 
                   
                   
                 Theodore 
               
               
                 24252.00 
                 Lexingon Performing Arts - 
                 BG-001 
                 Engineering 
                 Williams, 
                 05a 
                  62 
                 1:28 
                 32 
                 30 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                 PH 2 Int Rehab (E) 
                   
                   
                 Theodore 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Total Hours 
                   
                   
                 1,658 1    
                   
                 228  
                 217  
                 178  
                 205 
                 145  
                 137  
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Average Hrs. Per Day 
                 10:21 
                 10:20 
                 8:54 
                 8:54 4   
                 6:54 4   
                 6:31 4   
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   1 Over the next six months Daryl Fleming needs to put in 1,658 hours 
               
               
                   
                   2 The precise hours per day required for each phase assigned to him is shown 
               
               
                   
                   3 The hours per month spread over the next six months is calculated and shown 
               
               
                   
                   4 The total hours per day taking into consideration all the pahses assigned to him are shown with complete precision 
               
               
                   
                 5. Tasks assigned based on such reports over the last 10 years have been completed with almost 100% accuracy. 
               
               
                   
                 * The report shows that from the month of January onwards Daryl Fleming is underutilized 
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 2 is a report that summarizes employee Fleming&#39;s schedule for six months. The Allendale County Courthouse project information is included in this report, along with two other projects that employee Fleming is scheduled to work on in the six month time period. With this report adjustments can be made to specific projects to balance staff commitments. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Staffing Over/Under Report 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Emp. 
                 Emp. 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 No. 
                 Name 
                 Dec 
                 Jan 
                 Feb 
                 Mar 
                 Apr 
                 May 
                 Jun 
                 Jul 
                 Aug 
                 Sep 
                 Oct 
                 Nov 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Available Work Days 
                   22 
                   21 
                   20 
                   23 
                   21 
                   21 
                   22 
                   20 
                   23 
                   21 
                   21 
                   21 
               
               
                 Available Work Hours 
                  185 
                  176 
                  168 
                  193 
                  176 
                  176 
                  185 
                  168 
                  193 
                  176 
                  176 
                  176 
               
             
          
           
               
                 423 
                 Clifford, lan 
                   8 
                  (20) 
                  (20) 
                   21 
                   20 
                   20 
                  (63) 
                 (121) 
                 (121) 
                 (153) 
                 (153) 
                 (153) 
               
               
                 958 
                 Collins, Jeffrey 
                  (29) 
                 (156) 
                 (149) 
                 (171) 
                 (156) 
                 (156) 
                 (164) 
                 (149) 
                 (171) 
                 (156) 
                 (156) 
                 (156) 
               
               
                 447 
                 Cook, Thomas 
                   21 
                   13 
                   86 
                   98 
                   87 
                   21 
                   22 
                   20 
                   23 
                  (40) 
                  (64) 
                  (64) 
               
               
                 698 
                 Couch, Laura 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
                   0 
               
               
                 434 
                 Cunningham, Issac 
                   62 
                   41 
                   39 
                   44 
                   41 
                   17 
                 (129) 
                 (117) 
                 (135) 
                 (123) 
                 (123) 
                 (123) 
               
               
                 105 
                 Dwayne, Julio 
                   25 
                 (27) 
                  (25) 
                  (30) 
                  (27) 
                  (27) 
                 (139) 
                 (156) 
                 (180) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
               
               
                 426 
                 Edge, Nicole 
                   71 
                   43 
                   99 
                  (34) 
                  (46) 
                  (55) 
                 (118) 
                 (134) 
                 (154) 
                 (141) 
                 (146) 
                 (159) 
               
               
                 439 
                 Edwards, Denny 
                 (125) 
                 (152) 
                 (148) 
                 (170) 
                 (162) 
                 (162) 
                 (170) 
                 (154) 
                 (178) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
               
               
                 671 
                 Edwards, Larry 
                   0 
                  (36) 
                   51 
                   39 
                  (61) 
                 (115) 
                 (154) 
                 (149) 
                 (171) 
                 (156) 
                 (156) 
                 (156) 
               
               
                 420 
                 Faith, Amanda 
                   34 
                  (95) 
                 (123) 
                 (146) 
                 (140) 
                 (140) 
                 (147) 
                 (138) 
                 (153) 
                 (131) 
                 (131) 
                 (131) 
               
               
                 106 
                 Fenderson, Geneva 
                   77 
                   13 
                   13 
                   11 
                   10 
                  (15) 
                 (172) 
                 (156) 
                 (180) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
               
               
                 450 
                 Ferguson, Cynthia 
                   62 
                   16 
                   4 
                 (130) 
                   46 
                   86 
                 (165) 
                 (150) 
                 (177) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
                 (164) 
               
               
                 699 
                 Fitzgerald, Jackie 
                   0 
                   2 
                   33 
                   37 
                   34 
                   34 
                   36 
                   17 
                   4 
                   75 
                   75 
                   75 
               
               
                 672 
                 Fleming, Daryl 1   
                   58 1   
                   60 1   
                   29 1   
                   34 
                  (11) 2   
                  (19) 
                  (53) 
                  (48) 
                  (55) 
                  (96) 
                 (146) 
                 (146) 
               
               
                 438 
                 Freeman, Kenneth 
                  (79) 
                  (95) 
                  (91) 
                 (131) 
                 (117) 
                 (119) 
                 (124) 
                 (114) 
                 (131) 
                 (119) 
                 (129) 
                 (131) 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   1 Example: Fleming Daryl, shown as over scheduled for the months of Dec, Jan and March 
               
               
                   2 Starting in April, he has hours available for work on other projects 
               
               
                 * Based on parameters established by the user, each employee&#39;s assigned hours are compared to his actual available 
               
               
                 * (Action maybe required to re-apportion the workload) 
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 3 is a report that summarizes staff availability. Each staff member&#39;s workload appears on the report. The report shows at a glance whether each employee is overscheduled or under scheduled and therefore who is available for potential projects. This information is critical in preventing employee burnouts. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Revenue Projections Report 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Billing 
                   
                 Net Architectural Fees In Billing Dollars ($) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Sr. 
                 Project 
                 Project 
                 Dept. 
                 Focus 
                 Total 
                 Dec 2004 
                 2004 Rev. 
                 2005 Rev. 
                 2006 Rev. 
               
               
                 No. 
                 Name 
                 Number 
                 Group 
                 Market 
                 Net Fee 
                 Rev 
                 Dec-Dec 1   
                 Jan-Dec 1   
                 Jan-Dec 1   
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Department: Architecture 2   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Allendale County - Courthouse 
                 23225.01 
                 1 A 
                 GV 
                 640,104.00 
                 14,973.52 
                 14,973.52 
                 80,463.74 
                 45,567.34 
               
               
                   
                 SD-CA (A) 
               
               
                 2 
                 Andrews - Neurosciences (A) 
                 24226.00 
                 1 A 
                 M 
                 41,000.00 
                 2,164.81 
                 2,164.81 
                 9,151.23 
                 0.00 
               
               
                 3 
                 Andrews - OR Addition and 
                 24239.00 
                 1 A 
                 M 
                 30,000.00 
                 1,320.00 
                 1,320.00 
                 3,360.01 
                 0.00 
               
               
                   
                 Remodel (A) 
               
               
                 4 
                 Andrews - Ramp Entrance (A) 
                 24260.00 
                 1 A 
                 M 
                 10,000.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
               
               
                 5 
                 Bakersfield - 4th St E (2A)(A) 
                 23229.00 
                 4 A 
                 C 
                 45,202.00 
                 6,429.61 
                 6429.61 
                 17,016.26 
                 994.45 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 766,306.00 
                 24,887.94 
                 24,887.94 
                 109,991.24 
                 46,561.79 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Department: Engineering 2   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Allendale County - Courthouse 
                 23225.01 
                 1 E 
                 GV 
                 127,500.00 
                 15,648.93 
                 15,648.93 
                 68,325.90 
                 9,904.53 
               
               
                   
                 SD-CA (E) 
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 127,500.00 
                 15,648.93 
                 15,648.93 
                 68,325.90 
                 9,904.53 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Department: Interior 2   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1 
                 Asheville Veterans Home - 
                 98243.03 
                 1 I 
                 M 
                 15,340.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
               
               
                   
                 Medical Clinic (I) 
               
               
                 2 
                 Auburn Center - Executive Room 
                 24213.00 
                 1 I 
                 C 
                 15,000.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
               
               
                   
                 Renov (I) 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 30,340.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
                 0.00 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Total 
                 [181] 
                   
                 21,531,427.94 
                 712,456.63 
                 712,456.63 3   
                 4,375,144.54 3   
                 426,267.76 3   
               
               
                   
               
               
                 The immediate availability of accurate revenue projections 
               
               
                   1 Projections for current and subsequent years 
               
               
                   2 Sub-totals by user defined departments 
               
               
                   3 Summary projections for all departments 
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 4 is a report that summarizes revenue projections. Revenues for the Allendale County Courthouse and all other projects appear on this report. An accurate projection of revenues for current and subsequent years is dynamically available. Decision enabling sub-totals are provided. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 5 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Workload Summary Report 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Header 
                 Dec 
                 Jan 
                 Feb 
                 Mar 
                 Apr 
                 May 
                 Jun 
                 Jul 
                 Aug 
                 Sep 
                 Oct 
                 Nov 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 (A) 
                 Scheduled Hours 
                 11,564 1   
                 11,423 1   
                 10,241 1   
                 10,336 
                 8,716 
                 7,348 
                 4,595 
                 3,180 
                 3,409 
                 2,121 
                 1,326 
                 1,276 
               
               
                 (B) 
                 Budgeted Billing Hours 
                  9,893 
                  9,981 
                  9,506 
                 10,931 
                 9,981 
                 9,981 
                 10,456 
                 9,506 
                 10,931 
                 9,981 
                 9,981 
                 9,981 
               
               
                 (C) 
                 Vacation Hours 
                    80 2   
                   164 2   
                    12 2   
                 62 
                 39 
                 62 
                 23 
                 66 
                 55 
                 46 
                 39 
                 73 
               
               
                   
                 (Adjusted for BUR) 
               
               
                 (D) 
                 Available work hours (B-C) 
                  9,814 
                  9,817 
                  9,493 
                 10,869 
                 9,942 
                 9,918 
                 10,433 
                 9,440 
                 10,877 
                 9,935 
                 9,942 
                 9,907 
               
               
                 (E) 
                 Variance (A-D) 
                  1,750 3   
                  1,606 3   
                   748 3   
                 (5,33) 4   
                 (1,226) 4   
                 (2,570) 4   
                 (5,838) 4   
                 (6260) 4   
                 (7,468) 4   
                 (7,814) 4   
                 (8,616) 4   
                 (8,631) 4   
               
               
                 (F) 
                 Additional Hours Requird 
                    1 
                    1 
                    1 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
               
               
                   
                 (Per Staff Per Day 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   1 For the months of Dec, Jan &amp; Feb the scheduled hours exceed the available hours 
               
               
                   2 Further, accounting for the staff members scheduled vacation . . . 
               
               
                   3 The hours over scheduled for these 3 months is shown as variance 
               
               
                   4 From March onwards the workload is under scheduled 
               
               
                 * In this report the scheduled and the Budgeted (available) Billing hours are compared 
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 5 is a report that accurately summarizes projected workloads. This report dynamically compares scheduled with the budgeted available hours. Decisions regarding future staff requirements, increases or decreases, can be made 
     The foregoing description and drawings comprise illustrative embodiments of the present inventions. The foregoing embodiments and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability, experience, and preference of those skilled in the art. Merely listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited. Those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.