Best way to set up an "estimator tool" in Wrike

Danielle Wilson

I'm looking for a way to incorporate these two external steps into Wrike and wondered if others have done something similar?

We develop software applications, so have to estimate the cost of each project before it is sold to the client. We currently use an external program we developed to estimate hours needed to complete a project (hours associated to different tasks within the project divided out by resource: Programmers, Designers, 3D modelers and PM time). We have standard hours associated to these tasks. Once the hours are in, we then use a separate excel sheet to enter those hours needed and calculate the cost to complete the project based on the hourly rate of those resources. This is a 2-step external process that I was hoping to incorporate into Wrike, then if the project is sold, we have the base of where the hours came from already in Wrike.

Can anyone suggest a process for this?  I was thinking set up a blueprint project with all the possible tasks and their standard set hours in a custom field call "estimated effort" (so we know what the standard hours are), then fill in the effort column with the hours for each task we know we will need (which will then calculate the cost based on the resource rate).  That will give me the estimated cost for the project once all "effort" hours are entered.  If the project sells, we then know the tasks that are needed and the effort involved (drag the relevant tasks up into the new project?)

Is there a better way to do this?  Request form with fields?  Maybe a way to connect Wrike to this tool we already use to bring in the tasks and hours (API?) Something else?

Thank you!

Russell Sprague

We have a process that is similar to what you described.
I have a blueprint with our overall project structure that includes an estimates folder and CIT project for our estimate.  I use an intake form to get the basic project info and trigger the project creation from the blueprint

We use job rolls for the rates and so we aren't assigning people to an estimate task, then just fill in the needed tasks and the effort hours to get the cost.

Once the estimate is done, we export this table to excel to put into the overall scope of work doc we send to the client.  
It's not the most elegent solution, but at least it is all in Wrike.  We offten end up duplicating tasks from the estimate into our Production projects.