Estimate the work around a workshop

Preparation and follow-up often matter more to an estimate than the meeting duration.

ContractCanvas insights

Break out the effort

Start with the workshop objective and participants. Estimate briefing, source review, agenda design, facilitation, synthesis and agreed follow-up separately. A two-hour session may require a day of preparation and several hours of analysis. The estimate should show those assumptions without claiming they are industry averages.

Calculate a sample example

Assume eight analyst hours at CAD 70, four lead hours at CAD 120 and CAD 60 of project tools. Direct cost is CAD 1,100. A CAD 1,800 fee leaves CAD 700 of direct contribution, or 38.89%. Travel, overhead and tax are outside this example and need their own treatment.

Test the change that matters

If participant interviews add four analyst hours, cost rises by CAD 280. With the same fee, contribution falls to CAD 420, or 23.33%. Decide whether to change the fee, narrow another output or accept the reduced contribution. A percentage alone cannot make that commercial choice.

Make the client scope readable

The client needs to know the workshop and follow-up outputs, not every internal staffing rate. Keep the cost model internal and inspect the exported scope before sharing. In the beta, use Pricing to explore the assumptions and the reviewed version to preserve the chosen commercial terms.