Those of you who do project management with Merlin on your Mac and have checked our post series explaining how to create custom templates for Merlin reports, know by now…

• How to modify existing reports
• How to edit description or report template names
• How to create your own report templates
• How to localize a Merlin report template
• Further tips for localizing an xslt report template
• How to add an option in an xslt report template
• How to add an option in a python / wbl report template
• How to add a property into an existing xslt report
• How to add a property into an existing python /wbl report template

Now let’s do some magic with the reports.

• Map a status or flag information to a graphic file
• Define the size of the project image over the options
• List overdue tasks along with the next activities, in “Next Due Activities” report
• Report planned, actual and planned vs actual work per phase in a chart
• Report expected work costs per role for your resources
• Report expected work costs per resources’ group
• Report the project’s name in the Next Due Activities report
• Modify the “Milestone Trend Report” to show the WBS in the table and in the chart
• Report expected or actual resources’ work per phase
• Report resources work cost per phase
• Report cash flow for expected cost or approved budget
• Report billable costs entered on elements
• Report element costs by type
• Report issues
• Report Events
• Output Project’s WBS
• Resources Time allocation to various tasks and subtasks
• Calendar View
• Working hours distributed in time per resource and assignment
• Work Chart
• Information report with hierarchy
• Complete vs Expected Complete % Analysis
• Resource Groups’ or Roles’ Units Utilization Distribution
• URLs report
• Resources Groups’ or Roles’ Work as distribution in time
• Cost report: Planned, Expected, Actual, Remaining actual cost

Cost report: Planned, Expected, Actual, Remaining actual cost

We’ve been asked in Merlin support, how to output planned, expected, actual cost along with the remaining actual cost. Merlin provides columns for the first 3 values in its views (View – Show View Options – Columns). There is however no column calculating a remaining cost.

One possible way to realize this, would be to activate the above mentioned columns, copy the rows (or export as a csv file), use the date in Excel (or Numbers, or what ever:-) ) and let it calculate the balance row-wise based on the value of expected and actual cost.

Another way would be to create a report (as for example this one) and let it do the required calculation.

In this case one method in the python part calculates the value and another row in the wbl shows it, as for example…

We’ve used methods introduced in previous postings for outputting tasks hierarchically and not in a flat list. There are options to enable or disable a set of columns when interested in budgets: ‘Approved Budget’, ‘Budget / Actual Cost’ and ‘Budget / Expected Cost’.

Please remember: Custom Merlin reports we provide as templates, can be downloaded and used for free. Furthermore, you may modify and distribute as you like and find appropriate.

An output sample:

Options:

Installation:

• Extract the zip first
• place the contained mrept package under the following path of your mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Merlin/Reports
• (in case you have no “Reports” folder please create it first and pay attention to name it exactly as “Reports”)
• restart your Merlin and
• call File > New Report… to find the new report called “Cost Report”.