Configure a Project to my Exact Needs

In the Profit Profiler Excel template click on the sheet named Prompts. The Prompts sheet is where you define the prompts and possible selections for up to 8 variables that define the tasks and conditions you are interested in evaluating.  Once entered you can test your inputs in the sampling and logging emulations included in the template.

Which type of Project is Best for Me?

Activity Sampling

If you are looking for cost allocations by line of business, brokers, major task etc you will probably want to perform a sampling study. Sampling will allow you to confidently make decisions that can affect your entire approach to your business.

In a sampling study the first variable will typically be the person who is performing the task i.e. manager, underwriter, broker etc.  This would be followed by their major tasks and so on as you drill down into conditions you are trying to evaluate.

Activity Logging

If you are looking for the costs and cycle times to perform specific business processes then you should perform a logging study. Logging rapidly provides accurate measures that allow you to make decisions that impact the specific process studied.

In a logging study the first variable will typically be a major task you wish to quantify e.g. claim processing, updating accounts, customer support etc. This would be followed by the characteristic that each task could have e.g. for clams processing you could have residential, commercial, government etc.

Completing the Prompt Sheet

Full instructions on the completion of the Prompt sheet are available on the Prompt - Instruction sheet in the Excel template.

Exactly how you structure your project will depend on the objective you are trying to quantify.

The use of the Prompt sheet can be summarized as follows:

The prompts to which your users will respond are entered in Row 1. You can enter up to 8 prompts starting in cell A1 and moving to the right for each subsequent prompt e.g. if your project is going to require 5 prompts they will be entered in cells A1,B1,C2,D1 and E1

The possible responses to each prompt are listed in the appropriate column i.e. the responses to the prompt in Cell A1 would be listed in column A, the responses to the prompt in cell B1 in column B etc.

The responses can be simple lists of options or the responses can be organized into a hierarchical structure. The advantage of using a specific structure is that a users response to one prompt can control the options that are presented in the next.

A sample screen with just lists of data is shown below.

A sample screen with an organized structure is shown below.

Show me how to:

	Test my project to see how it will look to the end user.
	Enter the data required to publish my project to the web
	Verify Your Project Configuration
	Submit the Project to be Published on the Web