Log files. Save the day!!!!

[Shaun v Rooyen]

Went on a 3 day work binge Some at the office, most at home, purely because there are less distractions at home.
The client questioned my work ethics in relation to the billable hours( vs. office hours) stated on the invoice.
Simply exported the "Show History" and printed. Then printed the log files that Revit produces with the new simplified version of the central backup dirs which includes a "Central Backup Log" dir and txt files, now found with 8.1. Then shoved the 50 pages up the clients you know where it fits best.
My thanks to the factory, for a complete solution, in terms of tracking logs.
We are now backing up our log files on a daily basis. We can also now track the bad element in the office who are filling in exorbitant hours on their time sheets.

[DaveP]

Why do people think that if you're at home, you're not working?

I used to work from home 1 day a week & got more accomplished that one day than I did the rest of the week at the office. Sometimes you need to just sit & crank instead of answering the phone all day.

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

Why do people think that if you're at home, you're not working?You may have been a naughty boy before:-o ????

Do you remember in ADT there was a similar function, where you could export a text file.
I know that this function is available on a file where worksets are enabled, and we have the journal file (which is a fantastic app to recover).
I may have missed something, but I cannot find a "file work" report other than working on worksets.


purely because there are less distractions at home I will have to agree with less distractions, I would estimate that I could get about 60% more work done, however we offer telephonic support therefore it is a core job function.


:banghead: ps....Zeds what does this look like:banghead:
;)

[Shaun v Rooyen]

Why do people think that if you're at home, you're not working?

I used to work from home 1 day a week & got more accomplished that one day than I did the rest of the week at the office. Sometimes you need to just sit & crank instead of answering the phone all day.

Thanks Dave/Mike, my point exactly. I often work at night for that simple reason. It's the only time I have peace and quite. Cell phone you just switch off, but the frickin office line just doesn't stop, amoung other annoying office issues. I have brought up the concept of "Office from home" a number of times, but 3 out 5 associates disagree.
It's the age old assumption that if you are in the office means you working. To me, it only means you are at work! To assume is to make an ASSofU&ME

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

if you are in the office means you working. To me, it only means you are at work!
HOW PROFOUND!!!!!

[kpaxton]

The client questioned my work ethics in relation to the billable hours( vs. office hours) stated on the invoice.
OK, this is interesting on a couple of different levels. Cerainly this all depends on how your invoicing is set up and how your contracts are set up. Were you having to change extra for your work? Or was this an hourly job? Normally if there is an agreed upon fee for the job the clients don't normally get to 'see' the nuances of what it takes to get the job done. If a job is agreed to cost $5k, then it costs 5k. If I go over, then it's my fault. If I get it done in less time, then its a bonus for me. Unless of course it's hourly, then a certain amount of justification is required. Clients will always think it's supposed to take less time than it really does. All you have to do is push a button, right?

On the other larger level, the client shouldn't have any reason to question your ethics as to where the work is being done - only that it IS being done and done by the agreed upon time. Of course, this leads to the question as to WHY he even knows the work was done at home in the first place (unless that is where your office is). I have to question the clients ethics in feeling the need to question yours....

Regarding the "History" you're referring to - this is the same "Show workset history" button under the File menu? This 'benefit' is then only available to those using worksets, not single-user files? If you didn't have that available to you, would you be able to use the Logs just as well? :D

By the way... GOOD FOR YOU !!! on how you were able to resolve this with your client. Paper cuts have got to hurt!

-Kyle

[Kroke]

He questioned your hours using REVIT? Wonder how much of a fit he'd have thrown if you'd done it all in Acad. *laugh*

I admit, when I'm at home, I don't get up before 9:30, usually more like 10:30 and I work 4 hrs tops. But still, I get the same amount done there then 8 hrs at the office.

[Shaun v Rooyen]

..... If a job is agreed to cost $5k, then it costs 5k. If I go over, then it's my fault. If I get it done in less time, then its a bonus for me. Unless of course it's hourly, then a certain amount of justification is required. Clients will always think it's supposed to take less time than it really does. All you have to do is push a button, right?....

........ I have to question the clients ethics in feeling the need to question yours....

We split our agreed fee into the months expected for completion. Easier to budget. Every month end is a struggle, with certain clients. It seems when dealing with large sums of payouts, ethics seem to slip.


Regarding the "History" you're referring to - this is the same "Show workset history" button under the File menu?

Yep! Thats the one.


This 'benefit' is then only available to those using worksets, not single-user files? If you didn't have that available to you, would you be able to use the Logs just as well?

On single files one can fall back on your journal files. We keep up to 20 journal files.
Progressively they all add up to the last time you saved/shut down. In some cases you need to interrogate them for large discrepancies between "Elapsed Times" This can easily be done in excel.

[DoTheBIM]

Clients will always think it's supposed to take less time than it really does. All you have to do is push a button, right?
LOL! I bet this statement hits home for so many people. I know it did me and is basically an idea sold to way too many customers, by way too many companyies/salesman. This happens every time a deadline is suddenly upon us (mostly due to lack of planning on someone else's part). Remember this saying.... A lack of planing on your part does NOT mean a rush on my part. Or something like that. If only it worked that way... dream dream dream. The next time someone asks why it takes so long to do something, just ask... "Would you rather I be drawing it on the board and have to start over everytime you made a major change of heart on what you wanted?". I think I'd cut my losses if they answerd yes whether they were joking or not.

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

Do you remember in ADT there was a similar function, where you could export a text file.
I know that this function is available on a file where worksets are enabled, and we have the journal file (which is a fantastic app to recover).
I may have missed something, but I cannot find a "file work" report other than working on worksets.
I DID MISS IT, IT DOESN'T NEED A WORKSET FILE....8.1 IS SO COOL


On single files one can fall back on your journal files. We keep up to 20 journal files.
No need for Journal Files, you can show the history of a plain rvt file