For any given IT project, there's 20% brain work, and 80% labor. The
expertise is worth 80% of the price, with the remaining 20% going
toward the pair-of-hands or warm-body activities. On the surface, it
appears to be unfairly reversed. Shouldn't inspiration and
perspiration lead to similarly proportioned compensation? In order to arrive at that
"inspiration" produced, the professional must go
through "mental castration" both on- and behind-the-scene; and long-before,
during, and long-after the implementation.
If you subtract ¼ of the
inspiration pay to cover the overhead of apparatus, subscriptions,
administrative help, training, etc. Divide he remainder by the "dilution factor." If the billable ratio is 3:1 (3 hours of
activities for 1 hour of billable time), then the pro is earning at exactly
the same rate as the technician. In reality, that factor is
between 2.5 and 5. Anyone with a billable ratio of 2:1 or better is by
definition fraudulently incompetent. And we haven't even considered the
risks undertaken. Another tidbit: Brain work
is "remote-able," body work is not. The crew must be local. |