Introduction
Keka's PSA now offers advanced estimation tools to help you accurately plan, budget, and allocate resources for both opportunities and projects. Designed for project managers and team leaders, this feature streamlines project initiation and management. By utilizing the Estimation feature, you can ensure precise financial planning, optimize resource allocation, and foster better collaboration within your team.
Benefits:
- Accurate Planning: Create detailed project plans and resource allocations based on realistic estimations.
- Improved Budgeting: Develop accurate project budgets by estimating costs and resource requirements.
- Enhanced Resource Allocation: Optimize resource utilization by matching skills to project needs.
- Faster Project Kickoff: Streamline the transition from opportunity to project with pre-defined estimations.
- Improved Collaboration: Foster teamwork and knowledge sharing through collaborative estimation.
Note: This feature is currently in Beta and available to customers on the Advance plan.
Key Features:
- Enhanced Opportunity Management: Create multiple estimations per opportunity to explore different planning scenarios. Easily transition from opportunity to project by publishing finalized estimations and generating skill-based resource requests.
- Improved Project Planning: Benefit from enhanced resource request functionality with skill-based matching and visual Gantt charts for better project visualization.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Invite team members to contribute to estimations, fostering ownership and improving accuracy.
To access the Estimation Feature:
Go to the Projects (1) and select Opportunities (2) tab.
This section acts as a mini CRM for managing business opportunities.
Access the Opportunity you wish to estimate by clicking on the 'Estimate' button within the Opportunity details.
Creating Estimations:
For each opportunity, you have the flexibility to generate multiple estimates. Begin by assigning a unique Name to your estimate, then select whether you want to create a Task Estimate or a Resource Estimate before clicking on the Create button.
Task Estimation: Strategize the project's breakdown by outlining phases, milestones, and specific tasks.
Resource Estimation: Determine the essential resources needed based on their roles and the hours required for each.
Upon selecting a template, you'll also get a preview of what the estimation window could appear like.
For Task Estimation:
For Resource Estimation:
For further information on adding and modifying tasks in a project, please refer to this link:
Adding & Modifying Tasks in a Project
To set up Task Estimations:
Begin by inputting tasks with details such as hours, cost, and billing amount for each task. Include start and end dates along with any relevant comments. Utilize user-friendly Gantt charts to tweak timelines and gain a visual representation of your project's progression.
By reviewing various time periods and checking the activity logs, you can ensure comprehensive project oversight. Additionally, based on the task details provided, you will receive estimated parameters for the potential project, including the projected time frame, revenue, costs, margins, and more.
After finalizing the estimation, you have the option to reset, publish, or delete it. Additionally, you can invite team members to collaborate on the estimations by setting permissions and sending them an invitation link.
Configuring Resource Estimations:
Navigate to the Resource tab and select "All Resources" within the Resource Planner section.
Within the Resource View - Allocation Gantt Calendar, you can easily access the Resource and Allocated projects, providing a breakdown by month, week, or day along with the corresponding percentage of allocation.
By selecting the project in the Project view section, you can view the Allocated Resources along with their details and a side-by-side Gantt Chart for better visualization.
By selecting the 'i' section, you can also view detailed Gantt representation for further clarity.
For selecting a resource allocation for a project, mention the details and choose the option as Soft Allocate or Hard Allocate.
Soft Allocate:
- Tentative Assignment: A soft allocation is a preliminary assignment of a resource to a project.
- Flexibility: It's a flexible arrangement, allowing for changes as project requirements or resource availability evolve.
- No Commitment: Doesn't guarantee resource availability for the project.
Hard Allocate:
- Firm Commitment: A hard allocation is a definitive assignment of a resource to a project.
- Capacity Reservation: It ensures resource availability for the project.
- Project Execution: Typically used once project details are finalized and resources are confirmed.
- Reduced Flexibility: Less adaptable to changes in project scope or resource availability.
Once the resource allocation is completed, you can easily visualize it within the Resource View. Additionally, the Allocation Gantt chart will accurately reflect the filled details for quick and clear understanding.
If you need additional filtering options or specific parameters, simply click on the highlighted options, select the filters section, and click on Apply.
To verify the Project Resource allocation:
Navigate to the Resources tab and choose the By Project/Opportunity section under the Resource Requests tab. Click on the specific project to view the allocated resources along with detailed information.
To allocate resources, you can specify the required skills and availability match in the Matching Criteria section.
Furthermore, in the Project View, you can easily see the number of resources being considered for specific projects, along with all the relevant details related to the users and project status. The Gantt Chart will also be displayed side by side, providing a visual report for better understanding.
Before configuring resource estimations, ensure that you have rate cards set up in the same currency. Click here to learn more about the setup process: Rate Cards
Just like in task estimation, you have the option to:
- Click on ‘+Add' within an estimation to start defining the roles and quantity of resources required.
- Enter details such as role, job title, rate, and allocation percentage. You can also choose specific skills needed for the role for the best match.
- Utilize the Gantt chart visualization to modify timelines and allocation percentages by moving the bars associated with each resource.
- This functionality provides a visual representation of resource allocation over time, allowing you to make necessary adjustments to enhance resource utilization.
Upon completing your review and necessary adjustments to your estimations, mark them as 'Published' to finalize and begin generating skill-based resource requests directly from the opportunity.
For further details on Customizing Opportunity Forms, simply click on the provided link to expand your knowledge.