Koren
Posts: 83
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| Posted: 01/27/2006, 7:29 AM |
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OK I'm new to PHP programing and creating dynamicly driven sites. it has been CCS (and this awsome forum!) that has made the learning process quick and enjoyable. I have successfully completed a few decent projects and have been asked to work for a few clients.  NOW the big question is how to qutoe dynamicly driven sites or certain "pages" on a site (ie "specials" page). As a web designer (static), I have a have a design rate+per/page creation rate. Let's just say for easy math it's $100 design(including Home Page) and $10 each additional page. I can quickly quote a 10 Page site as $200. Done Deal! Simple. WELL, how do you properly quote the addition of a dynamicly driven page within a site (ie "Specials" with backend access for client to make changes at will) or even a fully functional dynamic communications portal?
Is there a Per page fee?
An hourly fee?
Can there be a quick method to creating quotes?
How has the intorduction of a great RAD tool like Code Charge changed the overall rates of jobs that once took months to create and now can be completed in a day?
How does a beginner start to quote jobs like these?
I have been trying to do research on rates or rate structure and found little or NO info online. Not knowing where to turn, I have turned to you guys. You have always offered wonderful advice and guidance in creation of projects, now I come to you to help "closing" the deal.
Thanks so much in advance.
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Walter Kempees
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| Posted: 01/27/2006, 8:00 AM |
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Wow, that's a nice question.
This normaly takes years of experience to fully understand where the
pittfalls are in any design/development cyclus.
losing money on some, making on others.
As a general rule of thumb:
An application and it's database consist of entities (say tables).
Each table generally has a sort of classification, let's for now say user
editable or system needed.
For each entity you would generally build grid/record combi's, report and
the likes.
Count the number of user editable entities, write that down.
For each (above) entity count the number of system needed entities that are
connected (1:n or n:m)
Now :
take a figure (time) for generating grid/record and detailing that
grid/record (adding all the nittygritty that makes an application worth
using)
in your noted list put that figure behind the entities you noted down
earlier and multiply with the number of connected entities.
Add a overhead amount of time (experience)
total all and multiply by rate.
you could use a columnar list on a piece of paper
Name, Number of entities, GRID, RECORD, FORM, LevelOfDifficulty (1 to 5),
time planned, time spend.
Remember a RAD tool generally helps you building 80% of an application in
20% of the time, so you'll have 80% time left to built the remaining 20%.
Now comes the best part:
Murphy says: take the number of time units calculated multiply by 2 and take
the next factor.
So if calculation comes down to say 16 hours multiply by 2 =32 hours and
take next factor = days.
so 32 days is the amount to charge, which will probably clear up your
calender forever because = too expensive.
Koren, it will probably be good reading upto "Murphy", but it is for a good
part experience.
I tend to say that everything can be built in five days.
But my days are not always the same length.
Walter K
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