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Another Day, Another Log
Apr. 10th, 2006 01:56 pmI still retain a number of habits from days long ago when I was a contractor. I still measure the size of a project in billable hours, I look for project items which are billed apart from hourly time, and I keep a log of all activities performed each business day. The latter was largely based on advice I received from a contracting mentor who recommended keeping the logs detailed but the invoices sparse.
He believed if invoices are too detailed, the customer may argue every last point, hoping to find either a dime or two which can be shaved off the total price or an excuse to delay payment as long as possible. Keeping detailed logs would be invaluable to justify items listed in the invoice as well as possibly rebuilding it into a more detailed form if the customer insists. He also advised me to ensure that I bought the book myself, keep the receipt and label it as my personal property: I should make it obvious to all that it does not belonged to the customer or the company on whose site I might be working, although clearly one mustn't record anything resembling proprietary information.
It seemed like good advice. I've been keeping detailed logs of my work activities since 1996 or so, although I've never had a customer challenge any invoice in that time --which probably means I wasn't charging enough. :-)
In any case, today is notable because I have to start a new log book. The old log book covers daily work activity from Wednesday, July 30, 2003, to Saturday, April 8, 2006. Today, a new book starts. It's not much of a milestone admittedly, but these are the little things I know I'll find fascinating to remember a few decades from now.
He believed if invoices are too detailed, the customer may argue every last point, hoping to find either a dime or two which can be shaved off the total price or an excuse to delay payment as long as possible. Keeping detailed logs would be invaluable to justify items listed in the invoice as well as possibly rebuilding it into a more detailed form if the customer insists. He also advised me to ensure that I bought the book myself, keep the receipt and label it as my personal property: I should make it obvious to all that it does not belonged to the customer or the company on whose site I might be working, although clearly one mustn't record anything resembling proprietary information.
It seemed like good advice. I've been keeping detailed logs of my work activities since 1996 or so, although I've never had a customer challenge any invoice in that time --which probably means I wasn't charging enough. :-)
In any case, today is notable because I have to start a new log book. The old log book covers daily work activity from Wednesday, July 30, 2003, to Saturday, April 8, 2006. Today, a new book starts. It's not much of a milestone admittedly, but these are the little things I know I'll find fascinating to remember a few decades from now.
