How much is it worth

[dongle]

I am a self taught Access and Filemaker developer. I have been involved in 12+ desk top projects for offices in the UK. All of these projects have been successful. Some have migrated from projects I built in Lotus Approach to Access and some from Filemaker to Access. Some have been used successfully for ten years.

I am a slow worker but I get there in the end and supply almost instantaneous support and maintenance and support. All my projects are modified so that they are exacly what the user wants and all data is migrated from the previous platform.


Once the user has paid me I do not charge for any work required to correct the project so that it works as per specification but I charge for any additional none spec additions.

I am currently working on another project and I am wondering if I have been over or under charging in the past.

I really do these for interest!!

My present project has about 12 forms 12 queries 12 tables and all the related modules to keep the data secure and work together. Data has to migrate from Filemaker Pro to Access. I am charging £250 - £300 for the whole package.

Whta does anyone think.

 

[Scott24x7]

Dongle,
I'm not sure what amount of time is involved in your project mentioned above, but it certainly sounds low to me. I admire your commitment, and I'm sure that has won you many repeat customers, which is excellent. I would approach you delmia from a time standpoint.
If you are spending 10 hours on this project total, well, maybe £25 is not a bad rate for your location in the UK. But if you're spending 100 hours on this project, (including all data migration, and estimated/expected support time afterward), than you might want to reconsider how you put in your fixed bids. Fixed bid projections require extensive knowledge of the end-to-end process, and the exact capabilities of the people you have invovled. In your case, that's easier, because you probably have a very firm grasp on your ability to deliver based on spec.
The number of forms/tables/etc. is only one element as well. You have to consider the complexity of forms. Another estimating model that I have used involves giving forms a "Complexity". This makes giving fixed bid projects a bit more clearity. The levels are:
Very Complex
Complex
Moderate
Easy

I equate that to hours then:

Easy = hours (usually 1 to 4)
Moderate = hours x risk (usually 4 to 8)
Complex = hours x risk x obscurity (usually 8 to 20, depends upon how well the user understand what their needs are)
Very Complex = hours x risk x obscurity x knowledge factor (same as complex, but means I have to learn something new, or invent something I don't already have code to do along the way) (can be anywhere from 2 days to 1 month)

This has served me well. Obviously I have to gague the elemnts, and I've been wrong a time or two, but it's usually to my favor. I STRONGLY support the Under Promis, Over Deliver method. You don't get dissapponted customers that way, and it forces you to get very, very good at your estimating skills. You can always under-bill your client in the end, if you think you've hit something too high, and that usually dosn't tick anyone off either.


Best Regards,
Scott

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[dongle]

Scott

Thanks for your excellent advice which in general follows my philosophy, I think, i.e.Under Promis, Over Deliver.

As I suspected there is no easy formula for calculating a fixed bid. Your suggested categories for complexity are useful. But in the end I think that (as I am not dependent on making a living from project development, having retired from teaching) my fixed bids will continual be totally inaccurate and far too low.

I appreciate the time you took to answer my query. I am sure others will read you advice with interest.

Don