WORKPLACE BOSS CHALLENGES · ORIGINAL EXERCISE
Rescue the payroll
Calculate total base payroll for all six people by multiplying hours by hourly rate and adding the results. Ignore overtime premiums.
This quest practices Payroll project using a fictional business dataset. Read the sheet below, then enter the interactive quest to write and check your formula.
| Name | Team | Hours | Hourly rate | Target hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ari | Support | 38 | 24 | 40 |
| Bea | Sales | 42 | 30 | 40 |
| Cam | Support | 35 | 26 | 40 |
| Dev | Sales | 40 | 32 | 40 |
| Em | Ops | 28 | 28 | 32 |
| Fox | Ops | 32 | 25 | 32 |
Hints to get you started
- Compute each person’s hours × rate.
- Use SUMPRODUCT rather than multiplying column totals.
- The matching ranges are C2:C7 and D2:D7.
Show the worked solution
=SUMPRODUCT(C2:C7,D2:D7)SUMPRODUCT performs each person’s payroll calculation before summing.
Make the skill stick
After solving the task, explain what each reference does and why the formula answers the business question. Try the workbook download inside the quest to practice in your own spreadsheet app.
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