<h1>Use Historical Project-Time Data to Improve Future Quotes</h1><p>Past project-time data becomes useful when it is organized by comparable scope, phase, and outcome. It should inform a quote, not dictate it.</p><h2>Build a small reference set</h2><p>Group completed work by type, complexity, dependencies, and revision pattern. Exclude or annotate unusual projects. Keep the original estimate beside actual time.</p><h2>Turn history into assumptions</h2><ol><li>Identify recurring phases.</li><li>Note where overruns came from.</li><li>Update the next estimate and explain the change.</li><li>Review the result after delivery.</li></ol><p>Historical data is not a guarantee because clients, scope, and constraints change. Its value is a clearer starting point.</p><p>Sixton keeps time records by client and project so your next quote can be based on your own evidence.</p><h2>Source</h2><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-estimating-guidance/cost-estimating-guidance">UK Government Cost Estimating Guidance</a>.</p>
<h2>Reports work best when the record is consistent</h2><p>A client-facing report should answer three questions: what was worked on, when was it worked on, and how much time was involved. Consistent client and project labels make that summary easier to understand.</p><h2>Keep notes factual</h2><p>Short notes can provide context, but they should describe the work rather than expose private information. Record decisions, deliverables and next steps in language your future self and your client can follow.</p><h2>Review before you send</h2><p>Scan the period for missing sessions, obvious duplicates and entries that belong to another project. A quick review reduces avoidable questions and gives you a stronger basis for an invoice or progress update.</p><p>Reliable reporting is a habit built from small, repeatable checks—not from a complicated process.</p>
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