Poll: How long would it take you to execute a project like this? (1 Viewer)

Loony064

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Hey all!

I have sort of a random poll for everyone.

I’ve been working on a payroll project and as I’m a student and most of the things I had to accomplish for this project I’d never seen before, its’ taken me hours upon hours to code it, but I was curious as to how long (an estimation) something like this would take a professional to do.

So the task was this:

Create a database to store the details of an employee (name, surname, id number, date employee began working for company, project num (which project he/she works on), occupation num (what type of job employee has), bank number and then provident fund and union dues, if applicable (fee’s that get paid directly out of the employees wages, if applicable)

Each job has a different hourly rate, as well as 3 overtime categories, which are worked out based on the normal rates hourly pay (calculated whenever a new job category is added or the normal rate value in a job category is changed). There must be a table that stores each employee’s hours worked for the 4 categories (normal hours and 3 overtime categories). An employee can also receive any number of other payments and allowances (i.e. travel compensation or if they take a loan from the company). Other pay and allowances must be stored in separate tables.

Before a pay slip can be generated, the following must be calculated for each employee:
· Wages (hours worked * hourly rate, therefore there are 4 categories of wages)
· Gross wages (all 4 categories of wages combined)
· Total allowances
· Total other pay
· Total Income (all incomes combined)
· UIF (1% of gross wages)
· Total deductions (all deductions combined)
· Nett Wages (total income – total deductions)

A few other forms must be generated, such as a breakdown of the different monetary values an employee receives, if he/she is paid in cash.

An application program must be created that allows users to access the various tables to view details and add/delete/edit where needs be (i.e. add a new employee to a system, edit the amount given to an employee for travel compensation, etc)

That about sums up the task. Now to the question:

How many hours would you reckon it would take you (working on your own) to complete a task like this (excluding doing documentation of it, i.e. just the coding, creating of the database and queries, etc)?
 

gemma-the-husky

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out of interest, I would never, i dont think try and do a payroll project, as a casual developement- not that its particularly hard, just the financial implications of getting it wrong are to scary to countenance

also, theres a stack of maintenance, as the gov changes payroll tax insurance mechanisms etc all the while

in terms of time, especially without making it very robust, i would estimate 2 days to 1 week max
 
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Gotta agree on the requirements for an initial implementation, but not on implementing the individual taxing districts laws (it could take you a day just to figure out one state's tax tables).

The design is trivial, the implementation is trivial, the maintenance is a nightmare.
 

Banana

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Besides, I'm quite sure there already exists payroll management software.

Sometime I think it's just easier for small shops to use softwares that are built just their specific purpose than it is to develop an application in such cases like payroll, accounting, inventory... that kind of stuff where it's pretty same from one business to next business.

Access starts to make more sense when the business model is unique and cannot be fulfilled by a generic payroll management software (e.g. if you have staff paid on commission, which are dependent on what product they sell for example, then this may be easier to set up in Access than shoehorning in a Quickbook application)
 

wazz

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sounds like it's a student who wants to simply compare how long it might take a student and a pro to do something like that without getting into heavy details. i'd also be interested in hearing how long a teacher gives a student to do something like that.
 

GaryPanic

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it depends on reg/ tax - admin the actual data caputre is pretty easy and also the hourly rate -its the tax rate and national stamp duties or whatever are required

in the UK we have a 3 tier tax rate system with a 2 staged National insurance level a minimum on which no monies are due and a maximum after which no monies are due - a tax allowance (yearly) then benefits in kind

its do-able but better off with a proper software package bought in the country that has the regs - the software will b e set up for that country
 

ajetrumpet

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how Many Hours Would You Reckon It Would Take You (working On Your Own) To Complete A Task Like This (excluding Doing Documentation Of It, I.e. Just The Coding, Creating Of The Database And Queries, Etc)?[/size][/font]
not Very Long.
 

Rabbie

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Now to the question:

How many hours would you reckon it would take you (working on your own) to complete a task like this (excluding doing documentation of it, i.e. just the coding, creating of the database and queries, etc)?
Signs of sloppy thinking here. The documentation is essential and should be done in phase with the design and coding. If you leave the documentation until the project is finished it just won'tget done.
 

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