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Billing types

Target effort or billing types define how a work package's effort is planned, tracked, and billed to the customer, from effort-based types to fixed price, contingent, and free of charge. In simple mode, the target effort or billing type is selected automatically, depending on whether hours are specified or not.

Types of targets for effort or billing types

"No target for effort"

  • Resource planning: Work packages of this type are not taken into account in resource planning.
  • Billing to customers: The actual effort incurred is billed. Time tracking is possible without limit.

"Effort estimation"

  • The target in hours must be entered.
  • Resource planning: The target is used to calculate utilization. This also applies to the other targets/billing types with 'effort'.
  • Billing to customers: The actual effort incurred is billed.

"Effort from/to"

  • Same as Effort estimation
  • Resource planning: The value entered in the 'To' field is used.
  • The value in the 'From' field is for information purposes only, to see what has been agreed with the customer.

"Effort with limit"

  • Only up to the target time can be recorded.
  • Billing to customers: The actual effort incurred is billed.

"Effort with target"

  • A target has been agreed with the customer, which must be adhered to exactly.
  • This occurs, for example, in consulting, IT services, and research projects.
  • Billing to customers: The actual effort incurred is billed.

"Fixed price"

  • The effort is irrelevant to the customer because they pay a fixed price.
  • If you need more hours, that's bad luck for you. If you need fewer hours, you make extra profit.
  • Billing: Does not appear in time sheets
  • Resource planning: The entered target (hours) is used.

"Contingent"

  • The idea is that the customer pays for the contingent in advance.
  • This is then worked through until it is used up.
  • Billing: Appears in time sheets so that the customer can check it.

"Free of charge"

  • For example, for acquisition, so that an analysis of the total effort for the project is possible
  • The behavior when recording time and in relation to resources is the same as for Effort estimation
  • Billing: Does not appear in time sheets

Recommended usage

Only resource planning is used

  • Recommended: Effort estimation
  • The other billing types in the 'Effort' section work identically in terms of resource planning.
  • Do not use: No target for effort, Fixed price, Contingent

Resource planning plus time tracking for internal analysis/controlling

  • Recommended: Effort estimation
  • Effort with limit: Useful if effort for certain topics is to be limited from the outset

Billing to customer

  • Use as agreed with the customer
  • All known business cases can be mapped with the billing types (see above)
  • Activate advanced mode

Project plan and board only

  • Use Octaved Flow without resource planning, without controlling, without billing, only for project plan and board
  • Always use: No target for effort

Special case changing target effort or billing type

If the target effort or the billing type is changed retrospectively, bars may turn red and flames may be displayed. The same applies if the hours of the target are reduced retrospectively.

Simple and advanced mode

You can switch between simple entry and advanced mode using the 3-dots menu. In advanced mode, you can select any type of target effort or billing type. In simple mode, the following rule applies: If no hours have been entered as a target, the billing type No target for effort is automatically selected. If hours have been entered, Effort estimation. is automatically selected.