Vald really counting nails is so far into the weeds you will lose yourself. Go ahead and do it that way you will have it fully reaource loaded with every nail and every item when the project is OVER. This is know as a dollar chasing a dime. Also know as a blivet.

VALD

it can do all of that and add unlimited resources. Just because it is listed as a requirement does not mean that it makes sense to do it that way. If the requirement was for you to jump off of a bridge would you do it ?

I can write a scheduling specification so stringent no software can meet it even SPIDER ! Does that make it right do what is sensible, best practice and manageable.  

With good CPM software it is enough to update volume of work and remaining volume of work will take over future resource requirements. Just use your financial system to keep historical records while use the CPM model for future projections.

Too much granularity when updating actual data is a drag:

• At home we use resource tracking embedded in our financial system to keep track of current resource usage and production rates.  There is no need for duplication of this effort.
  • http://www.aronsonllc.com/sites/default/files/2014%20S300CRE%20Variance%20Analysis.pdf
  • http://www.foundationsoft.com/unit-cost-production-reporting/

• We use the CPM model for planning of future work considering resource and financial constraints.  If resource and financial constraints are not considered then you risk having unfeasible schedules. 
• We use Excel to prepare our billings.
• We use Best of Breed approach:
  • http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/best-of-breed/
  • We do not let CPM tell us which Financial system to use.
  • We do not use CPM as an akward worksheet tool.

• You cannot resource level "lumpsum" it got to have the details to account for the demand and availability of the individual resources.
• While it makes sense to get into the details for resource loading it does not makes much sense to get into excessive details to model cost in a CPM. 
• When funds are limited activities or whole jobs will be delayed until more funds become available, if your portfolio will be affected by funding constraints it makes sense to cost load the schedule but there is no need for extreme granularity.  If your software is incapable of resource leveling costs then the cost loading under cost constraints is not of much use other than giving a cost time distribution.
• Using CPM as a billing tool is tricky and perhaps better not to use it for these purposes.
  • http://www.nflaace.org/index_files/john_orr_cost_loaded_schedule_updatin...

It is not enough to change cost if volume of work quantities change, activity duration shall also be adjusted accordingly. Modeling of cost by resource effort or hours is easily done with any software but working with different workloads on any given team and linking crew production rate to activity duration I doubt can be done if using MSP or P6.

In complex crews production rate belongs to the multi-resource not to individual resources. In the following example by changing the crew production rate the duration is adjusted per activity volume of work. Of course in some cases individual resources can independently contribute to the production rate.  This scenario is also easy to model if you have software capable enough to consider the relationship for activity duration to resource quantity, workloads, volume of work and production rates; if any one changes the activity duration will be adjusted accordingly.

Some costs are related to volume of work, others to resource effort hours while others are a fixed lump sum, each case shall be easy to model by any software except the cost per volume of work as it is absent in most software.  You can assign to activity and resources several cost codes summarized by a cost center and can do the same for parallel BOQ budget.  Just remember planned and actual costs are usually considered contractor confidential while BOQ is not, make sure you either password protect these costs on transfer to owner if possible within your software, otherwise contractor shall delete confidential costs from transfer file.

Partial workloads is very common, usually equipment is shared among several activities at the same time, the classic example a tower crane on a building is shared among many activities but shall be resource leveled as to make sure it is not assigned to do more work per day it can handle.

go to resources create a new resource call it laborlumpsum and make it a labor type of resource for the price per unit put in whatever your average unit price per manhour is lets say it is $50 this includes overhead,profit etc. ALL inclusive

then create another resource called matlumpsum and make it a material type of resource for the price per unit put in whatever your average unit price per material is lets say it is $500

then create another resource called equiplumpsum and make it a nonlabor type of resource for the price per unit put in whatever your average unit price for each piece of equipment is lets say it is $20000

then assign each activity one of the resources for the your average unit price per material is lets say it is $500

then assign all of the work activities the laborlumpsum resource and then under the units assign the manhours to do this work

then assign all of the material activities the matlumpsum resource and then under the units assign number of pieces for each of these activities

then assign all of the equipment activities the equiplumpsum resource and then under the units assign the number of pieces of equipment for this activity

Ali,

your customer requirements look natural. With unit pricing project budget will be easily adjusted in case of any changes of work volumes. Understanding cost structure (cost of labor, cost of materials, cost of equipment, etc.) is also useful.

I hope that some P6 expert will answer to your question. I use different software and am also interested if P6 can solve such simple problem.