Although setting up a project can be tedious and time-consuming, knowing which pieces of information have to be entered immediately in order to make the system function properly, and which ones are optional, can lighten the load tremendously. This discussion is intended to provide the correct sequence for setting up information in Costpoint Project Setup, and also to show which information is required and which information is optional.
Before entering any data in Costpoint Project Setup, enter your complete Chart of Accounts, including all organizations and reference numbers, in Costpoint General Ledger. You do NOT need to set up indirect cost pools before entering data in Costpoint Project Setup.
You can set up a project in either the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). The Maintain Project Master screen contains subtask links to other project setup functions such as project revenue, billing, project labor, etc. In the Basic Info screen, you can only set up the project.
Pay special attention to the Project Settings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls), the Project Account Groups screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls), and the Maintain Project Types screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls).
Use the Project Settings screen to control such things as:
The Length of the first segment of all your project numbers - this is a global length because it applies to all projects and cannot be changed once a project has been entered into the system. Make sure that the length of the first segment is sufficient to accommodate growth in the number of projects that will be needed.
Whether you want to use the "detail" method or the "summary" method of validation for the Project/Account/Org table (see the documentation for the Validate Project Charging by Organizations check box).
Whether you require an Incurred Cost Submission code for all projects - if you select the Require Incurred Cost Submission Code for all Projects check box, you must enter an Incurred Cost Submission Code for every project, including B&P, IR&D and Commercial projects, in the Government Contract Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master).
Your default revenue posting method - posting revenue is based on the Owning Organization of each project or on the Performing Organization.
How to burden your jobs - using Year-To-Date Rates or Current Period Rates, and how to calculate Cost of Money.
Use the Project Account Groups screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) to set up the various groups of account numbers that are valid for different types of projects. For example, you could use different accounts for a Bid and Proposal project than for a direct, billable project. You would not include revenue, billed and unbilled accounts for a Bid and Proposal project, but you would want to set them up for the direct project.
Any account groups that you set up here will appear as selections when you set up projects in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master), and the accounts you include in each account group will be the ONLY accounts you can charge on a project.
You must set up at least one account group before you enter a project in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) because the project account group is a required field in these screens.
Use the Maintain Project Types screen to identify a project type that will be associated with each project in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). Project Types are user defined; some examples are Cost Reimbursable, Time & Materials, Fixed Price, Level of Effort, etc. The system will use the type when printing various reports such as A/R Aging. When you print the A/R Aging report (Print Accounts Receivable Aging Report screen (Accounting » Accounts Receivable » Reports)), you can sort on the project type.
Use the Project User-Defined Labels screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) to furnish labels for each user-defined field in the User-Defined Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). The use of user-defined fields is optional, and you can use them to track information about a project that is not already tracked by the system.
Use the Maintain Project/Account Validation screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) and the Maintain Project/Organization Validation screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) to establish your charging criteria. These screens are necessary only if you have selected the Limit Orgs or the Limit Accounts check boxes in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master).
At a minimum, you should enter data in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master), including any needed charging criteria screens, the Modifications screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls), and the Government Contract Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). The charging criteria screens include Maintain Valid Project/Account/Orgs (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master), Maintain Project/Account Validation (Projects » Project Setup » Controls), and Maintain Project/Organization Validation (Projects » Project Setup » Controls). These screens are needed depending on your selections in the Charging Criteria group box in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master).
In the Maintain Project Master or Basic Info screens, enter projects from the top down. This means that, if you have a project with two levels (a summary level and a detail or cost-collection level), you must enter the summary level before the detail level.
When you enter the summary, or top, level, in the Project Levels Setup subtask, you must enter all the information that describes the number of levels that the project will have, and the length and description of each level. Remember that the Length of the top level is fixed at the number of digits that you entered in the Project Settings screen. The length of any other levels (level 2 and below) can vary from project to project.
An example of what might go in the level table for a two-level project is as follows:
|
Level |
Length |
Description |
|
1 |
4 |
Project |
|
2 |
3 |
Task |
For a four-level project, the table might look like the following:
|
Level |
Length |
Description |
|
1 |
4 |
Project |
|
2 |
2 |
Task |
|
3 |
3 |
Location |
|
4 |
3 |
Work Order |
Other information that is required for project setup:
Account Group - You must select a group from the ones you set up on the Project Account Groups screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) (in Step 1).
Active - You must decide whether or not this project is active. If you do not select this check box, you will be able to enter cash receipts only against this project but no other activity will be allowed. There is an option on many of the report screens to exclude inactive projects. Do not select this check box if the project is essentially over. During initialization, you should always select this check box.
Allow Charging - Select this check box if you want this node of your project to allow charging. If this node of the project is simply a rollup level, leave this check box blank to prevent charging at this level. If you select this check box, charging will be allowed by all the transaction screens. You should select this check box at all levels of the project where charging will occur, including the revenue and billing levels.
Charging Criteria - You can select one of five charging methods:
Limit charging to the Account Group - To use this method, select the Active and the Allow Charging check boxes. This will limit the accounts that can be charged on the project to the account within the Project's project account group. This is the most liberal charging method.
Limit Accounts - Select the Limit Accounts check box to restrict the accounts that can be charged to a project. All accounts in the project's project account group are automatically eligible for project charging. Use this check box to place additional restrictions on project charging for certain accounts. You must initialize the Maintain Project/Account Validation screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) to establish the account and project combinations that are eligible for charging on this project.
Limit Orgs - Select the Limit Orgs check box to limit the orgs that can be charged to this project. You must initialize the Maintain Project/Organization Validation screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) to establish the org and project combinations that are eligible for charging on this project.
Limit Accounts to P/O/A - The Limit Accounts to P/O/A check box will appear as an option in this screen only if you have not selected the Validate Project Charging by Organizations check box in the Project Settings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls). It allows charging only if the project and org combination exists in the PROJ_ACCT_ORG table. This is the summary method of charging, and it is one of the most restrictive methods.
Limit which Orgs can charge specific Accts - The Limit which Orgs can charge specific Accts check box will appear as an option in this screen only if you have selected the Validate Project Charging by Organizations check box in the Project Settings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls). This is the detail method of charging, and it is the most restrictive method. It allows charging only if the project, account, and org combination exists in the PROJ_ACCT_ORG table. If you do not select any methods in this area of the screen, the default will limit charging to the Project Account Group Accounts.
Project Classification - A set of system-supplied classifications is provided to control how certain reports are sorted, and which processes can be applied to the project (for example, COGS is driven from a classification of WIP or INVENTORY).
Project Type - You must select from the types you set up on the Maintain Project Types screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) (in Step 1).
Billable Project - If the project will have revenue or billings posted against it, you must select this check box; if it will have no revenue or billings, do not select the Billable Project check box.
Project Work Force Required - If you select the Project Work Force Required check box, you must set up the Project Work Force screens. Project Work Force screens include Project Employee Work Force (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor), Assign PLC to Employee Work Force (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor), and Project PLC Rates by Employee/Vendor (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor). This check box enforces a hard edit on timesheet entry. If you select it, and no work force is found, you cannot enter labor against the project. If you do not select this check box, you can still set up a work force to be used for labor category defaults on the timesheet, but the workforce will not be required.
Owning Organization - This is the organization that manages the project. If you post revenue to the owning organization, this organization that will be used for the posting. The receivable and unbilled information will always use the owning org when you post.
Use this subtask to control the creation of valid project/account/organization combinations for charging purposes. It is required only if you have selected the Limit which Orgs can charge specific Accts check box or the Limit Account to P/O/A check box. You will need to use this subtask only when setting up a project node that is chargeable or will have revenue or billing postings.
Revenue and Billing Accounts - Normally, you identify the revenue and billing accounts by assigning the project account group to the level at which revenue and billing is posted. The unbilled account is pulled from the revenue or billing project level project account group, whichever is higher in the project tree. Because the system automatically generates entries to revenue, billed, and unbilled, be sure to link the revenue, billed, and unbilled accounts to the organizations that own the project. You must also set up revenue and billed and unbilled accounts if you need to assign reference numbers to the revenue and billing accounts. If you post the revenue to the performing organization, you also need to link the performing organizations to the revenue account. You do not need to link the performing organization to the billed and unbilled accounts.
Although the posting of billings does not depend upon the existence of a BILLED A/R account at the project level, in order to enter a cash receipt against the BILLED A/R account, you must assign the account to the project at the level at which the billing/cash receipt will be posted. In addition, if you are using a Revenue Formula of Equal to Project Ledger Sales, you should assign revenue accounts to the project.
You need to assign accounts to projects only if they will be entered on a maintenance screen, which for the Revenue, Billed, or Unbilled accounts might include Cash Receipts, Journal Entries, etc.; however, you do not need to assign them to post bills or revenue. You must always assign cost accounts to projects at the level at which charging will occur.
COGS Accounts - You should use a non-labor account for manually tracking cost of goods transfers.
Charge Accounts - For each detail level of the project (subtask, task, delivery order, etc.), select charge accounts from the set of accounts that belong to the project's account group (set up in Step 1). The Function Codes used for these accounts (in the Project Account Groups screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls)) will generally be LABOR or NON-LABOR.
Additionally, for each summary level of the project at which you would like to have charging occur, you should also select charge accounts from the account group. A summary level of a project can have revenue and/or billing postings, and direct labor and ODC postings. You can post to any level of a project where valid project/account/org combinations exist. Keep in mind that only charges at or below the revenue and billing level will be included in revenue or billing calculations.
Organizations - If, in the Project Settings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) (Step 1), you selected the Validate Project Charging by Organizations check box, you can select the Limit which Orgs can charge specific Accts check box in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) or the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). This method allows you to select which orgs are valid on the project without having to specifically identify each chargeable combination. If you did NOT select the Validate Project Charging by Organizations check box, you will have access to the Limit Accounts to P/O/A check box in the Maintain Project Master or Basic Info screen. This check box allows you to select a method where the project and account combination must exist in the PROJ_ORG_ACCT table in order to eligible for charging on the project. This is the equivalent of selecting Limit Accounts.
Use this screen in Costpoint Project Setup to enter the signed Value of the contract (Value Modifications group box), the amount of funding for the contract (Funding Modifications group box), and the Period of Performance. Enter the initial signed value, funded value, and period of performance as Modification 0000. Enter all subsequent modifications with the Modification Number received by the client. The information entered on this screen will default onto the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master), the Basic Revenue Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup), and the Project Billing Info screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master or Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup).
Additionally, you can use the signed and funded values as a ceiling for revenue and billing calculations. The Period of Performance is used as a soft edit for timesheet entry. If you do not want the Period of Performance to be used as a soft edit, you can turn off this feature in the Project Settings screen.
If you do not enter any modifications, no ceilings will exist for revenue or billings, and no value will be printed on reports (Project Status Reports, Contract Revenue/Cost Summaries, etc.).
Units - If the project you are entering is based on units of delivery, enter the number of units to deliver and the estimated cost and price per unit in the Units subtask. You can enter this information only by CLIN number and by Item/Revision number, so you must complete the CLIN Information screen (Projects » Project Setup » Unit Pricing) before entering anything here. Additionally, you can place ceilings for revenue and billing calculations on the number of units to deliver.
Nothing on this screen is required unless you selected the Require Incurred Cost Submission Code for all Projects check box in the Project Settings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls) (Step 1). If you selected this check box, you must select an Incurred Cost Submission Code for every single project you set up, regardless of type (even indirect projects).
If you did not want an incurred cost submission prepared, you should still indicate whether to apply cost of money rates to the project, whether to use project labor categories for wage determination rates, and also whether you have a DPAS rating.
If you plan to use project or customer volume discounts, you must also select the Include in Aggregate Volume check box.
This includes:
Project Employee Work Force screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor) and Project Vendor Work Force screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor) - This is mandatory if you selected the Project Work Force Required check box in the Basic Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) (Step 2). If you did not select the Project Work Force Required check box, you can still use this screen. It is an effective way to default PLCs by employee on the timesheet.
Deliverables screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) - This is optional unless you want to track deliverables.
User-Defined Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master) - This is optional unless you want to track additional project-related information. You must set up the labels (Step 1) before you can use this screen.
Alternate Reporting screen (Projects » Project Setup) - This is optional unless you want to see a different view of your projects. You can use this screen to group different projects into a basic ordering agreement structure, or to group projects that are all service-related instead of product-related, or to group projects by product or by client, or in any other configuration you require.
This step is not required unless the categories that you use for tracking and billing costs on a project are different than the general labor categories you assigned each employee in the Employee Master file. If you do need to track employee charges in different categories, you must set up those project labor categories in the following order:
Set Up Project Labor Categories (PLC) screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor). Use this screen to enter all of the project-specific labor categories that you will require. In other words, before you can assign a specific labor category to a specific project, you must first enter it here, making this the global repository of all project-specific labor categories.
Assign PLC to Projects screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor) OR Assign PLC to Vendor Employee Work Force screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor). The next step depends on whether or not you have completed the Project Work Force screens (Step 6). If you have created a work force, assign the PLCs to the employees or vendors on that work force.
Set up billing rates for Time and Material projects. For each labor category that you set up, you must enter billing rates, which will be used for both revenue and billing computations. Each billing rate has a starting and ending date. Billing rates can be global for all projects (set up where you initially set up the PLCs), specific to a project (set up in the Project PLC Rates screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor)), or specific to an employee or vendor within a project (set up in the Project PLC Rates by Employee/Vendor screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor)). If you will be computing discounts on PLCs, you must also enter the Discount Percentage in these screens. This column is not visible unless you have selected "PLC Discounts" as the Discount Method in the Other Info subtask of the Project Billing Info screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master or Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup).
You must select a Revenue Formula in the Basic Revenue Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup) if you want the system to calculate revenue for the project. You must also identify any additional information required for that formula (fee percents, fee amounts, fixed or backlog amounts, discount method, etc.), and determine whether revenue is allowed to exceed the signed value and be posted as at-risk revenue. Additionally, you must set up accounts with a function code of REVENUE and UNBILLED-GENERL (Step 3) to allow for the posting of revenue. Other information required for successful revenue setup includes:
Fee Override Information. If the formula selected uses a fee percent (Cost Incurred plus Fee, or Loaded Labor plus Fee), the global Fee Percent that you entered in the Basic Revenue Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup) can be overridden by account (for direct costs) or by pool (for burden costs). For example, if you do not want any fee applied top travel, enter 0 in the Fee Percent field in the Maintain Cost Fee Overrides screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup). Note that the Fee Percent overrides can be at any level of the project. Multipliers can be overridden by account in the Maintain Multiplier Overrides screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup).
Define Which Billing Rate Tables to Use for Time and Material Projects. Because you can set up more than one set of billing rates (Step 7), you must let the system know which set takes precedence for the project by entering sequence numbers and source projects in the Define Rate Sequence screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup).
There are seven discount methods that can be set up in the Basic Revenue Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup). They include PLC discounts, account discounts, account discounts w/burden, aggregate volume by customer, aggregate volume by customer w/burden, aggregate volume by project, and aggregate volume by project w/burden. Each has additional setups that must occur to ensure calculation.
PLC Discounts You can establish a company-wide PLC discount percentage in the Billing Rates subtask of the Set Up Project Labor Categories (PLC) screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor). Once you select PLC discounts, you can also enter a discount percentage in the project specific PLC rates screens: Project PLC Rates (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor) and Project PLC Rates by Employee/Vendor (Projects » Project Setup » Project Labor).
Discount Defaults - If you elect to use PLC discounts, certain discount default fields become available in the Other Info subtask of the Project Billing Info screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master or Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup). Using these fields, you can link a T&M project that has been established in the Project PLC Rates screen to the project you are setting up. When you save the record, the system copies the Assign PLC to Projects screen and the Project PLC Rates using the T&M Project and discount percentage entered.
Account Discounts If you decide to use account discounts, you must specify the discount percentage by account or account range in the Maintain Account Discounts screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master). In this screen, you can establish account discount percentages by account range and enter summary level accounts. You can enter account discounts at multiple levels of the project. However, the account discount percent record that resides closest to the transaction level project is used, if possible. If there are transaction accounts that have no rows at this level, the system checks for account discount records at each level of the project (up to the revenue level project) until a record is found that contains the account. If no record is found, no discount is applied to the account.
Account Discounts w/Burden This discount method is identical to the Account Discount method, except that, when discounts are computed, any burdens associated with the account are included before the discount is computed. For example, if there is a labor charge of $1,000, a burden of $250, and a discount of 3%, the computed discount will be $37.5 ((1,000+250)*.03).
Aggregate Volume by Customer This method gives you an opportunity to give discounts to customers based on sales volume (total funded value) and limit the accounts that will receive the discount. If you decide to use this discount method, you must have accurate contract funded values in the Modifications screen, select the Include in Aggregate Volume check box in the Government Contract Info screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master), and complete the Customer field in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). You also need to specify the discount percentage in the Maintain Customer Volume Discounts screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master) and determine which accounts will receive the discount.
If you use this method, the system sums the total funded value for all projects where the Include in Aggregate Volume check box is selected and that have the same customer in the Customer field of the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). The resulting funded value is compared to the rows in the Maintain Customer Volume Discounts screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master) to find the row where the resultant value is between the starting and ending sales volume. The discount percentage on that row is applied to accounts in the Accounts subtask.
Aggregate Volume by Customer w/Burden This discount method is identical to the Aggregate Volume by Customer method except that, when discounts are computed, any burdens associated the account are included before the discount is computed.
Aggregate Volume by Project - This method gives you an opportunity to give discounts to customers based on sales volume (total funded value), limit the accounts that will receive the discount, and set project specific discount rates. If you decide to use this discount method, you must have accurate contract funded values in the Modifications screen (Projects » Project Setup » Controls), select the Include in Aggregate Volume check box in the Government Contract Info screen, and complete the Customer field in the Maintain Project Master screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Master). You also need to specify the discount percentage in the Maintain Project Volume Discounts screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master) and determine which accounts receive the discount.
The calculation for this discount method is identical to the Aggregate Volume by Customer method except the discounts are held by project, rather than by customer. This allows you to aggregate the sales volume by customer but give specific discounts by project. You can enter aggregate project volume discounts at multiple levels of the project. However, the discount record that resides closest to the transaction level project is used, if possible. If there are transaction accounts within the invoice that are not included in the Accounts subtask at this level, the system checks for discount records at each level of the project (up to the invoice level project) until a record is found that contains the account. If no record is found, no discount is applied to the account.
Aggregate Volume by Project w/Burden - This discount method is identical to the Aggregate Volume by Project method except that, when discounts are computed, any burdens associated the account are included before the discount is computed.
If the Project Classification that you selected in Step 2 was WIP or INVENTORY, you should select a method of COGS calculation in the Cost of Goods Sold screen (Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup) and provide any additional information required by the formula that you selected. For example, if you selected a "Fixed Monthly Amount" as the Calculation Method, you must provide the Fixed Monthly Amount. Additionally, you must set up accounts that have a function code of COST OF GOODS SOLD or WIP TRANSFER (Step 3). This will allow for the calculation and posting of COGS.
If the project has ceilings on hours, cost, or indirect rates, for either billing or revenue calculation purposes, you must next set up those ceilings. For labor hour ceilings, enter the ceiling by either labor category or by employee or vendor within a labor category.
Project Hours Ceilings (Projects » Project Setup » Project Ceilings). Use this screen to set a ceiling (or not-to-exceed) number of hours by Project Labor Category.
Project Employee Hours Ceilings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Ceilings) or Project Vendor Hours Ceilings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Ceilings). Use these two screens to set a ceiling (or not-to-exceed) number of hours for a given employee or subcontractor within a Project Labor Category. The ceilings that you set in these two screens do not have to total up to the amount you entered on the Project Hours Ceilings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Ceilings). In fact, the two sets of screens are not dependent upon each other. You could set up a ceiling for a particular employee within a particular labor category, and then set up an overall ceiling for the labor category in the Project Hours Ceilings screen. The system will track the employee ceiling separately from the labor category ceiling. The system applies the employee or vendor ceilings first before applying the overall labor category ceiling.
Cost Ceilings. For cost ceilings, use the Project Direct Cost Ceilings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Ceilings) to set a not-to-exceed amount for a given account. You can use this screen to make an account not billable (such as subcontractors on a Time and Material project), and to set a revenue or billing ceiling for an account (such as setting a ceiling on Travel). You can set a ceiling at a summary account level. An example of this would be Travel - if you have separate detail accounts for Travel, you could set the ceiling at the summary level for travel instead of trying to break out the ceiling by sub-account. If you do not want an account to be included in revenue or billing, set the ceiling to zero. A zero ceiling will exclude both negative and positive values from being included. DO NOT SET A NEGATIVE CEILING OR A POSITIVE CEILING ON AN ACCOUNT THAT CARRIES A NEGATIVE BALANCE!
Indirect Rate Ceilings. For indirect rate ceilings, use the Project Burden Cost Ceilings screen (Projects » Project Setup » Project Ceilings) to set a not-to-exceed rate (ceiling) for a given pool, within a given account. You can also set up an override rate, which will be used in the revenue calculation process instead of the target rate, to derive target revenue. You can set up each of these types of rates so that they affect the revenue calculation, the billing calculation, or both. Additionally, you can set a ceiling or override rate for a particular pool at a summary account level (see example of summary accounts in the preceding paragraph).
Several screens contain prior fiscal year history:
Prior Year Cost and Revenue (Projects » Project Setup » Project History). Use this screen to enter cost, fee, and revenue information for all prior fiscal years. You must complete it to ensure that the project-level ceilings for revenue and billing calculations are computed properly. At a minimum, you should enter prior year cost and revenue against the owning organization of the project.
You may need to set up pool names and numbers in the Cost Pools screen (Projects » Cost and Revenue Processing » Cost Pool Setup) before entering data on this screen - you can select only valid pool numbers.
Maintain Labor Summary (Projects » Project Setup » Project History). Use this screen to enter labor history. This data will be used in the Inception to Date column of the Labor History report.
Prior Year T&M Revenue (Projects » Project Setup » Project History). Use this screen to identify the hours that were used in T&M calculations for previous years. The system uses this to determine the ceilings for revenue. Billing has its own history screens.
Prior Year Unit Revenue (Projects » Project Setup » Project History). Use this screen to identify the number of units recognized by revenue calculation in prior years. The system uses this to determine the ceilings for revenue. Billing has its own history screens.
This process will be described in more detail in the Special Topics for Costpoint Billing. At the very least, it will involve setting up the Project Billing Info screen (Projects » Billing » Billing Master or Projects » Project Setup » Revenue Setup).
All of these screens are used to control processing within Costpoint Cost and Revenue Processing, Inquiry and Reporting, and the Billing. You can enter optional data at any time, and you can even enter required data in a leisurely fashion, depending upon which processes you want to use. For example, if you do not need to calculate billings right away, you can delay setup of the Project Billing Info screen, or if you do not have hours ceilings and do not require contract-to-date totals on your Project Status Reports, you can delay entering Labor History. However, in the long run, the more complete your setup is, the more accurate all of the processes and reports will be.