Problem · Unprofitable customer projects
The project is done. Was it worth it?
Fee minus hours times internal cost minus third-party costs: this calculation shows whether the project earned money and how many hours it could afford at most.
Post-project costing
A completed project. Five numbers.
Take a project that left you with an uneasy feeling. You can overwrite the sample numbers.
Project margin
3.350 €
27,9 % of the fee · planned were 5.300 €
Effective hourly rate: 95,45 €. From 161.5 hours costs the project money.
30 hours over plan: First check which phase they arose in.
Margin = fee − hours × internal cost − external costs
Assumptions and limits
- Internal cost per hour is salary plus a share of overhead, not your selling rate. A value that's too low makes every project look good.
- The calculation needs the actual hours. Without time tracking, the result is an estimate.
- Follow-up orders and referrals from the project aren't reflected in the invoice.
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How you'll notice
The team is at capacity. The result doesn't.
- Projects are delivered on time, but the month still ends tight.
- Alignments, corrections, and small extra requests appear on no invoice.
- For the next quote you take the same price, because nobody recalculated.
Understand the causes
Where the margin disappears in the project.
- 01
Scope grows quietly
- How you'll notice
- In the end, more was delivered than the quote said.
- Why it happens
- Extra requests are promised verbally and not billed as a change order.
- What helps
- Put every change in scope in writing and price it before doing the work.
- Limit
- With long-standing customers, some goodwill makes sense, as long as it is deliberate.
- 02
Alignment isn't planned for
- How you'll notice
- The specialist hours fit, the total hours don't.
- Why it happens
- Calls, emails, and revision rounds are missing from the calculation.
- What helps
- Build a fixed share for coordination into every quote and limit the number of revision rounds.
- Limit
- The right share depends on the customer; your own post-project costings show it.
- 03
The hourly rate doesn't cover the costs
- How you'll notice
- Even projects that go to plan bring little.
- Why it happens
- The selling rate was set by the market, not by internal cost per hour.
- What helps
- Calculate your internal cost per hour honestly once, and use it as the floor for offers.
- Limit
- Not every hour is billable; plan for idle time and internal work.
- 04
Post-project costing doesn't happen
- How you'll notice
- Nobody knows which types of projects pay off.
- Why it happens
- After delivery the next project begins, with no look back at the numbers.
- What helps
- Close out every project with the calculation above and put the result next to the offer.
- Limit
- Individual projects fluctuate; patterns only show up across several.
Ways to solve it
Recalculate and offer better.
| Way | Enough if | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Post-project costing in a spreadsheet | You have few projects a year and log hours yourself afterward. | Helps in hindsight, not while the project is running. |
| Clear change rule in the offer | The margin is lost mainly through extra requests. | Doesn't solve a problem caused by too low an hourly rate. |
| Time tracking with project budget | You want to see hours against the budget as you go. | Shows hours, but not margin automatically. |
| Peak One | You want projects, tasks, and the pricing calculation for the next quote in one place. | Hours come from your time tracking; the calculation needs honest internal costs. |
Peak One in action
From the project to the better offer.
- TriggerWhich projects pay off, and which don't?
- 01 · ProjectSignalProject Portfolio shows which projects need attention now.
- 02 · CalculationUnderstandingMargin Calculations shows what's left at this price.
- 03 · VariantDecisionPrice Comparison in Peak Calculate compares which price option works out better.
- 04 · TaskActionThe amendment or the new pricing rule becomes a task in Peak Work, with an owner.
The apps for it
Available in Peak One.
For the implementation
Scope and tasks in one place.
Three steps
With the last project getting started.
- 01 / 03
Recalculate
Enter the fee, actual hours, internal cost per hour, and third-party costs in the calculation above.
- 02 / 03
Name the deviation
Write down where the overtime came from: scope, alignment, or misjudgment.
- 03 / 03
Carry over into the next offer
Change exactly one rule: hourly rate, share of meetings, or number of revision rounds.
Frequently asked questions
Briefly answered.
How do I calculate my internal cost per hour?
Salary including benefits plus a share of overhead such as rent and software, divided by the hours that realistically go to client projects. Not by all working hours, otherwise the value comes out too low.
Is a fixed price or time-based billing better?
Fixed prices reward good estimates and a clear scope. Time-based billing protects you when requirements are unclear. The post-project review shows which types of projects your estimates hold up for.
Does Peak One track my working time?
This page does not promise time tracking. You enter the hours from your existing system into the calculation.
Keep exploring
What's included.
- FunctionTasks & projectsProjects as a board, tasks in the daily plan, one chat per project.View
- FunctionMargin & contribution marginContribution margin per product and variant, with scenarios and inventory.View
- Use caseClose out projects cleanlyClear up open points, document results, secure a customer testimonial, and plan the next step.View
- Software categoryProject management softwareEvery project task with a person, a due date, and a visible status.View
- ProblemQuotes take too longDays pass between the conversation and the quote, and the customer cools off.View
- ProblemEndless revision loopsEvery round of feedback brings a new round of changes, and the project is never done.View
✦ A Peak principle
Start with less. Finish more.
Focus is a decision
More problems
Typical bottlenecks in growing companies, each with a tool you can try right away, the causes, and the path Peak One provides for it.
Solve it once. The rest follows.
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