Consultants Tab of the Plan Form

The Consultants tab on the Plan form in the Projects hub provides both summary consultant planning data for work breakdown structure (WBS) elements and the ability to drill down to the detail at the consultant type level. In the grid, you can add or update consultant type assignments and the related plan amounts.

This tab is available only if, in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings, Enable Consultant Planning is selected for the project's company, your security role gives you access to the Consultants tab, and the project has a regular charge type.

Changes that you make to a plan are saved automatically. However, until you publish the plan, you can click Other Actions > Revert on the Actions bar to discard all unpublished changes and restore the plan to its most recent published version.

Use the Consultants tab on the Plan Settings dialog box to specify the planning level and the billing rate methods, tables, and multipliers for consultants. If your role has access rights, you can also enable planning for consultants in calendar periods for the project. To display that dialog box, click Other Actions > Plan Settings on the Actions bar.

On the right side of the Plan form, the Show field indicates whether the summary amounts are displayed at cost or at billing. You can switch between Cost and Billing if both budget types are specified for the project plan on the General tab of the Plan Settings dialog box. If you plan consultants in calendar periods, your selection in this field does not affect what displays in the calendar period columns.

If the project is in a single currency database, the amounts that display on this tab, at either cost or billing, are in the same currency.
If the project is in a multicurrency database, the currency in use is indicated next to Cost or Billing in the Show field. The project currency is always used when you view the amounts at cost. The Use Billing (Not Project) Currency for Reporting option in Settings > Accounting > Labor Options determines whether or not the amounts change when you view the plan at billing. If the option is set to Yes, the amounts display in the billing currency. Otherwise, amounts continue to display in the project currency when you view the plan at either cost or billing.

Contents: Above the Grid

These fields and options display if the setting to plan consultants in calendar periods is enabled:

Field	Description
	If the plan date range includes more than 30 calendar periods, based on your selection in Scale, you must use this date range selector to display some of those periods. Click or in the date range selector to load earlier or later sets of calendar periods. (You can also click the earliest or latest date in the date range selector to load a new set of periods.) For example, if you click in the date range selector, `Vantagepoint` retains the most recent 15 of the currently loaded calendar periods and loads the next 15 later calendar periods so you can scroll them into view as well. If 30 or fewer calendar periods exist in the plan date range, you can view all of them by scrolling the grid horizontally, so the date range selector does not display on the toolbar. If WBS elements or assignments have actual and/or baseline data entered outside of the plan date range and you set to display actual and/or baseline sub-rows using the Sub-Row Selection dialog box ( > Sub-Row Selection), `Vantagepoint` displays additional calendar period columns to represent those amounts.
	Click this icon in the upper-right corner of the grid to display the following options: Column Settings: Select this option to determine how you want to display columns and WBS elements on the Consultants tab. Sub-Row Selection: Select this option to include sub-rows for planned, actual, and baseline consultant amounts in the calendar periods. The columns and sub-rows that you can choose to display on the Consultants tab are determined by your system administrator in Settings > Resource Planning > Grids. If you do not plan consultants in calendar periods for the project, click this icon to display the Grid Settings dialog box, on which you can select the summary columns that display in the planning grid, move and rearrange columns, and select to display WBS numbers along with names in the grid.

Field

Description

If the plan date range includes more than 30 calendar periods, based on your selection in Scale, you must use this date range selector to display some of those periods. Click or in the date range selector to load earlier or later sets of calendar periods. (You can also click the earliest or latest date in the date range selector to load a new set of periods.)

For example, if you click in the date range selector, Vantagepoint retains the most recent 15 of the currently loaded calendar periods and loads the next 15 later calendar periods so you can scroll them into view as well.

If 30 or fewer calendar periods exist in the plan date range, you can view all of them by scrolling the grid horizontally, so the date range selector does not display on the toolbar.

If WBS elements or assignments have actual and/or baseline data entered outside of the plan date range and you set to display actual and/or baseline sub-rows using the Sub-Row Selection dialog box ( > Sub-Row Selection), Vantagepoint displays additional calendar period columns to represent those amounts.

Click this icon in the upper-right corner of the grid to display the following options:

Column Settings: Select this option to determine how you want to display columns and WBS elements on the Consultants tab.
Sub-Row Selection: Select this option to include sub-rows for planned, actual, and baseline consultant amounts in the calendar periods.

The columns and sub-rows that you can choose to display on the Consultants tab are determined by your system administrator in Settings > Resource Planning > Grids.

If you do not plan consultants in calendar periods for the project, click this icon to display the Grid Settings dialog box, on which you can select the summary columns that display in the planning grid, move and rearrange columns, and select to display WBS numbers along with names in the grid.

Contents: Left Grid Section

This section of the grid displays the WBS elements at each level of the WBS for the selected project, down to the planning level for consultants. For the lowest-level WBS elements, it also displays the consultant types assigned to that element.

To change the width of the left grid section, position your cursor over the dividing line between the two grid sections and then click and drag the line.

Field	Description
Level/Consultant Type	This column displays the WBS elements for the selected project and, for WBS elements at the lowest consultants planning level, the currently assigned consultant types. To add a consultant type assignment for a lowest-level element, hover over the plan row, and do either of the following: Click in the Level/Consultant Type field in the row. (If displays in this field where normally does, the WBS element is dormant. You cannot add new assignments for dormant elements or any elements under it in the plan, but you can edit, delete, reassign, or reschedule existing assignments.) At the end of the row, click and Add Consultants. Both the Consultant Type Lookup and the Add Consultant Type and Consultant Name dialog boxes display so you can select the consultants that you want to assign. In addition to consultant type assignments that you add yourself, the planning grid may also include assignments for consultant types with no planned amounts but with Job-to-Date (JTD) amounts charged to a lowest-level plan element. In most cases, `Vantagepoint` creates those assignments automatically when you display the plan. However, if the Add JTD Assignments option displays on the Actions bar, that indicates that some JTD assignments were not added because another user had the plan checked out. In that case, you can click Add JTD Assignments to update the plan with the missing assignments. (If unit planning is not enabled for the project's company, these JTD assignments may include assignments for unit transactions, based on the applicable account in the unit table. If unit planning is enabled, JTD assignments for unit transactions are instead added on the Units tab of the Plan form.) Only WBS elements that are at or above the planning level selected for consultants on the Plan Settings dialog box display in the grid. By default, only names display for WBS elements, but you have the option to display WBS numbers along with the names. Click in the upper-right corner of the grid and select the Show Project Numbers checkbox on the Column Settings dialog box. Click and to expand or collapse the WBS levels. If necessary, you can later select a different consultant type if there is no assigned JTD amount or baseline amount for the consultant row. If there is assigned JTD or baseline for the consultant row, you can select a different consultant type only if there is also a planned amount. In that case, a new assignment row is created, and you can choose to move the planned amount to that row. The JTD amount or baseline amount remains with the original assignment row.
	Click this icon to display brief descriptions of all the columns that you can display on the Consultants tab. The columns displayed here depend on whether Cost or Billing is selected in the Show field.
Show Less and Show More	If you plan consultants in calendar periods, you can use the Show Less or Show More option to hide or show the columns you have selected to display in the center section of the grid. Hiding those columns provides space to display more calendar period columns. You can pin individual columns if you want them to display even when you click Show Less. To do that, click > Column Settings and then select for those columns on the Column Settings dialog box.
	To add consultant assignments for a WBS element, check out the plan, hover over the WBS row, and click in the Level/Consultant Type field to display the Consultant Type Lookup and the Add Consultant Type and Consultant Name dialog boxes to select the consultant types. If displays in this field, the WBS element is dormant. You cannot add new assignments for dormant elements or any elements under it in the plan structure, but you can edit, delete, reassign, or reschedule existing assignments.

Contents: Center Grid Section - Billing View Columns

These columns display when you select Budget Type > Billing on the General tab of the Plan Settings dialog box or if you select Budget Type > Cost and Billing and you choose Show > Billing on the toolbar of the Plan form.

Click in the upper-right corner of the grid to select the columns you want to display in this section of the grid in Billing view. You may be able to select any of the columns described below, or you may have only a subset of them available to you, depending on the settings selected on the Grids form (Settings > Resource Planning > Grids).

The JTD date in this grid is defined by the Job-to-Date (JTD) Through setting in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings. The setting determines the date for calculating the consultant JTD (posted transactions) and then uses the next day and beyond to calculate the estimate-to-complete (ETC) date.

Field	Description
Status	This column displays the status of the currently selected WBS or assignment: (Active), (Inactive), or (Dormant).
Account	This column displays the account number that is associated with the consultant type.
Assignment Start	For a consultant type row, this column displays the start date for the assignment. You can change this date. For a WBS row, this column displays the start date for the earliest assignment for that WBS element. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Consultant Assignments dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to shift and preserve the same number of days between the assignment start and end dates or change the duration of the assignment date range. If you change this date in a way that places any part of the assignment date range outside of the plan date range for the parent WBS element, `Vantagepoint` notifies you that it will also adjust the plan dates to include the complete assignment date range. You can utilize the assignment start and end dates to indicate the assignment period even if the project is not planning consultants in calendar periods.
Assignment End	For a consultant type row, this column displays the end date for the assignment. You can change this date. For a WBS row, this column displays the end date for the latest assignment for that WBS element. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Consultant Assignments dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to shift and preserve the same number of days between the assignment start and end dates or change the duration of the assignment date range. If you change this date in a way that places any part of the assignment date range outside of the plan date range for the parent WBS element, `Vantagepoint` notifies you that it will also adjust the plan dates to include the complete assignment date range.
Baseline Billing	This column displays the planned billing amount that was saved as the baseline for the consultant type and WBS element. You can have only one baseline version for any plan. Any changes you make to the existing baseline will overwrite the previous baseline data. After a baseline exists, you can change the baseline only if your role has appropriate access rights.
Calculated % Complete Billing	This column displays the percent complete based on billing amounts for the WBS element or consultant type as of the JTD date. Calculation: (JTD billing amount / EAC billing amount) x 100
Consultant Name	Use this column to select or display a consultant for the consultant type assignment. If necessary, you can later select a different consultant if there is no assigned JTD amount or baseline amount for the consultant row. If there is assigned JTD or baseline for the consultant row, you can select a different consultant only if there is also a planned amount. In that case, a new assignment row is created, and you can choose to move the planned amount to that row. The JTD amount or baseline amount remains with the original assignment row.
Contract	For a project with the Regular charge type, this column displays the sum of the reimbursable and direct consultants contract amounts, at billing, for the WBS element.
Contract Less EAC Billing	This column displays the difference between the contract amount and the EAC billing amount for the WBS element as of the JTD date. Negative amounts display in red. Calculation: Consultants contract amount - EAC billing amount
Contract Less JTD Billing	This column displays the difference between the contract amount and the JTD billing amount for the WBS element as of the JTD date. Negative amounts display in red. Calculation: Consultants contract amount - JTD billing amount
EAC Billing	For a consultant type row, this column displays the estimate-at-completion (EAC) billing amount. For a WBS row, this column displays the sum of the EAC billing amounts for that WBS element's consultant assignments. Calculation: JTD billing amount as of the JTD through date + ETC billing amount
ETC Billing	If, in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings, Allow Consultants Planning in Calendar Periods is not selected for the project's company or if, on the Plan form in Other Actions > Plan Settings, Plan in Calendar Periods is not selected on the Consultants tab on the Plan Settings dialog box, this column displays the planned consultants billing amount minus the JTD billing amount if result > 0; otherwise, this column displays 0 at the assignment level and the sum of the amounts at the WBS levels.
ETC Billing	If, in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings, Allow Consultants Planning in Calendar Periods is selected for the project's company and, on the Plan form in Other Actions > Plan Settings, Plan in Calendar Periods is selected on the Consultants tab on the Plan Settings dialog box, this column displays the sum of planned consultants billing amounts beginning the day after the JTD date. When the calendar periods display, the ETC Billing field is editable when you check out the plan. You can enter amounts in this field for any WBS element at any level of the structure if that element has consultants assigned. When you do, `Vantagepoint` allocates the amounts to consultants and to future calendar periods for that assignment row. If you enter total ETC amounts for a parent WBS element, `Vantagepoint` further allocates the amounts to each calendar period for each lower-level row on the calendar grid. Likewise, if you change the scale of the calendar period columns (from weeks to months, for example), `Vantagepoint` reallocates the amounts for the new scale. How the amounts are allocated to assignments and to calendar period grid columns depends on whether or not ETC amounts have already been entered in calendar period columns for the affected consultants: If none of the affected consultant assignments have any ETC amounts, the amounts are allocated to each consultant and calendar period in proportion to the number of work days remaining for them. If one or more of the affected consultant assignments has ETC amounts, the amounts you enter are allocated to each consultant and calendar period in proportion to its current number of ETC amounts. Consultants and calendar periods that currently have no ETC amounts receive no allocation. If the assignment date range for the row includes no more work days that are later than the JTD date, you cannot enter amounts in this field. Note: If you disable consultant planning in calendar periods, you can no longer plan for consultants in calendar periods. `Vantagepoint` does not remove existing plan or baseline data. If you re-enable calendar planning, the previous portion of planned values to the total planned in calendar periods will be restored.
Has Predecessor	This column displays a checkmark if the WBS level has at least one predecessor.
Has Successor	This column displays a checkmark if the WBS level has at least one successor.
JTD <JTD date> Billing	This column displays the posted billing amounts through the JTD date. The JTD date displays as part of the column heading. Calculation: Sum of consultant charges for all posted transactions and committed purchase orders A red arrow displays in the column to notify you when the WBS row's JTD billing amount exceeds the planned billing amount for the WBS element. Each WBS amount is checked, and an arrow can display for any row.
Notes	If the icon displays in this column for a WBS element, click that icon to review or edit the existing notes for that element. If the icon does not display for a WBS element, hover over the row and click to add a note for that element. A note entered on this tab is also available in the Notes column on all the other planning tabs on the Plan form. The plan notes for a WBS element are also displayed in an info bubble, along with other information for that element, when you click on the WBS element in any of the planning grids in the Projects hub or in Resource Management. This option is not available for assignment rows.
Organization	If `Vantagepoint` is set up to use organizations, this column displays the organization with which each WBS element is associated. For an assignment row, this column is blank.
Plan Start	For a WBS row, this column displays the plan start date for that WBS element. For an assignment row, this column is blank. `Vantagepoint` provides default plan dates when it creates the plan initially (for more information, see Default Plan Dates for New Projects). Review those default dates and change any that are not correct. When you enter a plan date on this tab, the corresponding plan dates on the other planning tabs are also updated. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Plan Dates dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to preserve the same number of days between the plan start and end dates or change the duration of the plan date range. If you select a date that is earlier than the plan start date for any higher-level WBS elements in the same branch, those plan start dates are adjusted accordingly. When you change plan dates, `Vantagepoint` checks for established schedule dependencies and notifies you when adjustments to plan dates impact these relationships.
Plan End	For a WBS row, this column displays the plan end date for the WBS element. For an assignment row, this column is blank. `Vantagepoint` provides default plan dates when it creates the plan initially (for more information, see Default Plan Dates for New Projects). Review those default dates and change any that are not correct. When you enter a plan date on this tab, the corresponding plan dates on the other planning tabs are also updated. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Plan Dates dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to preserve the same number of days between the plan start and end dates or change the duration of the plan date range. If you select a date that is later than the plan end date for any higher-level WBS elements in the same branch, those plan end dates are adjusted accordingly. When you change plan dates, `Vantagepoint` checks for established schedule dependencies and notifies you when adjustments to plan dates impact these relationships.
Planned Billing	For a WBS row, this column displays the sum of all planned consultants amounts, at billing, for the consultant types assigned to that WBS element. For a consultant type row, this column displays the planned consultant amount, at billing, for that consultant type assignment for the WBS element. You can enter an amount in this column when the budget type is billing and there is no markup or when the budget type is cost and billing and each type uses a different plan currency. In some cases, you cannot enter an amount in this column. Instead, you can enter or change a planned cost amount in Planned Cost, and the amount in this column updates accordingly. For direct consultants, the cost and billing amounts will be the same. For reimbursable consultants, the planned billing amount is calculated based on the cost amount and the reimbursable consultant markup settings on the Plan Settings dialog box. A blue arrow displays in the column to notify you when the WBS row's planned billing amount does not match the contract amount for the WBS element. Each WBS amount is checked, and an arrow can display for any row.
Planned Cost	The Planned Cost column is not available for selection in the Column Settings dialog box for the billing view. However, if you select the Planned Billing column for display and the plan settings include markup settings for consultants, the Planned Cost column is automatically displayed also. For a WBS row, this column displays the sum of all planned consultant cost amounts, at cost, for the consultant types assigned to that WBS element. For a consultant type row, this column displays the planned consultant amount, at cost, for that consultant type assignment for the WBS element. You can enter or change the planned cost amount on WBS rows or on consultant type rows. You can enter amounts in this column for any WBS element at any level of the structure at or below the planning level for consultants, as long as that element has at least one consultant type assigned. When you do, `Vantagepoint` allocates the amount proportionally from the assignment start to the assignment end date for lower-level WBS elements and the assigned consultant types. How the amount entered for a WBS element is allocated to consultant types depends on whether or not amounts have already been entered for the affected assignments: If none of the affected consultant type assignments currently has an amount, the amount is allocated equally to each consultant type. If one or more of the affected consultant type assignments currently has a planned cost amount, the amount you enter at a WBS level is allocated to each consultant type assignment in proportion to its current planned cost amount. Consultant type assignments that currently have no planned cost amount receive no allocation.
Planned Less EAC Billing	This column displays the difference between the planned billing amount and the EAC billing amount as of the JTD date. Calculation: Planned billing amount - EAC billing amount
Planned Less JTD Billing	This column displays the difference between the planned billing amount and the JTD (charged consultants) billing amount as of the JTD date. Calculation: Planned billing amount - JTD billing amount
Project Manager	This column displays the project manager for the WBS element.
Type	This column displays the account type that is associated with the consultant type: direct or reimbursable.

Contents: Center Grid Section - Cost View Columns

These columns display when you select Budget Type > Cost on the General tab of the Plan Settings dialog box or if you select Budget Type > Cost and Billing and you choose Show > Cost on the toolbar of the Plan form.

Click in the upper-right corner of the grid to select the columns you want to display in this section of the grid in Cost view. You may be able to select any of the columns described below, or you may have only a subset of them available to you, depending on the settings selected on the Grids form (Settings > Resource Planning > Grids).

Field	Description
Status	For a WBS row, this column displays the status of the WBS or consultant element: (Active), (Inactive), or (Dormant).
Account	This column displays the account number that is associated with the consultant type.
Assignment Start	For a consultant type row, this column displays the start date for the assignment. You can change this date. For a WBS row, this column displays the start date for the earliest assignment for that WBS element. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Consultant Assignments dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to shift and preserve the same number of days between the assignment start and end dates or change the duration of the assignment date range. If you change this date in a way that places any part of the assignment date range outside of the plan date range for the parent WBS element, `Vantagepoint` notifies you that it will also adjust the plan dates to include the complete assignment date range. You can utilize the assignment start and end dates to indicate the assignment period even if the project is not planning consultants in calendar periods.
Assignment End	For a consultant type row, this column displays the end date for the assignment. You can change this date. For a WBS row, this column displays the end date for the latest assignment for that WBS element. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Consultant Assignments dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to shift and preserve the same number of days between the assignment start and end dates or change the duration of the assignment date range. If you change this date in a way that places any part of the assignment date range outside of the plan date range for the parent WBS element, `Vantagepoint` notifies you that it will also adjust the plan dates to include the complete assignment date range.
Baseline Cost	This column displays the planned cost amount that was saved as the baseline for the consultant type for the WBS element. You can have only one baseline version for any plan. Any changes you make to the existing baseline will overwrite the previous baseline data. After a baseline exists, you can change the baseline only if your role has appropriate access rights.
Calculated % Complete Cost	This column displays the percent complete based on the cost amounts for the WBS element or consultant type as of the JTD date. Calculation: (JTD cost amount / EAC cost amount) x 100
Consultant Name	Use this column to select or display a consultant for the consultant type assignment. If necessary, you can later select a different consultant if there is no assigned JTD amount or baseline amount for the consultant row. If there is assigned JTD or baseline for the consultant row, you can select a different consultant only if there is also a planned amount. In that case, a new assignment row is created, and you can choose to move the planned amount to that row. The JTD amount or baseline amount remains with the original assignment row.
Contract	This column displays the sum of the reimbursable consultants and direct consultants contract amounts, at cost, for the WBS element.
Contract Less EAC Cost	This column displays the difference between the contract amount and the EAC cost amount for the WBS element as of the JTD date. Negative amounts display in red. Calculation: Consultants contract amount - EAC cost amount
Contract Less JTD Cost	This column displays the difference between the contract amount and the JTD cost amount for the WBS element as of the JTD date. Negative amounts display in red. Calculation: Consultants contract amount - JTD cost amount
EAC Cost	For a consultant type row, this column displays the estimate-at-completion (EAC) cost amount. For a WBS row, this column displays the sum of the EAC cost amounts for that WBS element's consultant assignments. Calculation: JTD cost amount as of the JTD date + ETC cost amount from day after the JTD date forward
ETC Cost	If, in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings, Allow Consultants Planning in Calendar Periods is not selected for the project's company or if, on the Plan form in Other Actions > Plan Settings, Plan in Calendar Periods is not selected on the Consultants tab on the Plan Settings dialog box, this column displays the planned consultants cost amount minus the JTD cost amount if result > 0; otherwise, this column displays 0 at the assignment level and the sum of the amounts at the WBS levels.
ETC Cost	If, in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings, Allow Consultants Planning in Calendar Periods is selected for the project's company and, on the Plan form in Other Actions > Plan Settings, Plan in Calendar Periods is selected on the Consultants tab on the Plan Settings dialog box, this column displays the planning consultants cost amount beginning the day after the JTD date. When the calendar periods display, the ETC Cost field is editable when you check out the plan. You can enter cost amounts in the remaining assignment dates. You can enter amounts in this field for any WBS element at any level of the structure if that element has consultants assigned. When you do, `Vantagepoint` allocates the amounts to consultants and to future calendar periods for that assignment row. If you enter total ETC amounts for a parent WBS element and then expand the WBS in the grid to display assignment rows at lower levels, `Vantagepoint` further allocates the amounts to each calendar period for each lower-level row. Likewise, if you change the scale of the calendar period columns (from weeks to months, for example), `Vantagepoint` reallocates the amounts for the new scale. If you enter amounts in this field for an individual consultant, `Vantagepoint` allocates the amounts to the future calendar periods for that consultant assignment. How the amounts are allocated to assignments and to calendar period grid columns depends on whether or not ETC amounts have already been entered in calendar period columns for the affected consultants: If none of the affected consultant assignments have any ETC amounts, the amounts are allocated to each consultant and calendar period in proportion to the number of work days remaining for them. (Effectively, the amounts are spread equally among all work days for all assignments.) If one or more of the affected consultant assignments has ETC amounts, the amounts you enter are allocated to each consultant and calendar period in proportion to its current number of ETC amounts. Consultants and calendar periods that currently have no ETC amounts receive no allocation. If the assignment date range for the row includes no more work days that are later than the JTD date, you cannot enter amounts in this field. Note: If you disable consultant planning in calendar periods, you can no longer plan for consultants in calendar periods. `Vantagepoint` does not remove existing plan or baseline data. If you re-enable calendar planning, previously planned values will be restored in calendar periods.
Has Predecessor	This column displays a checkmark if the WBS level has at least one predecessor.
Has Successor	This column displays a checkmark if the WBS level has at least one successor.
JTD <JTD date> Cost	This column displays the posted cost amounts through the JTD date. The JTD date displays as part of the column heading. Calculation: Sum of consultant charges for all posted transactions and committed purchase orders A red arrow displays in the column to notify you when the WBS row's JTD cost amount exceeds the planned cost amount for the WBS element. Each WBS amount is checked, and an arrow can display for any row.
Markup	This column displays the markup amount: Consultants contract amount at cost - Planned consultants cost amount.
Notes	If the icon displays in this column for a WBS element, click that icon to review or edit the existing notes for that element. If the icon does not display for a WBS element, hover over the row and click to add a note for that element. A note entered on this tab is also available in the Notes column on all the other planning tabs on the Plan form. The plan notes for a WBS element are also displayed in an info bubble, along with other information for that element, when you click on the WBS element in any of the planning grids in the Projects hub or in Resource Management. This option is not available for assignment rows.
Organization	If `Vantagepoint` is set up to use organizations, this column displays the organization with which each WBS element is associated. For an assignment row, this column is blank.
Plan Start	For a WBS row, this column displays the plan start date for that WBS element. For an assignment row, this column is blank. `Vantagepoint` provides default plan dates when it creates the plan initially (for more information, see Default Plan Dates for New Projects). Review those default dates and change any that are not correct. When you enter a plan date on this tab, the corresponding plan dates on the other planning tabs are also updated. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Plan Dates dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to preserve the same number of days between the plan start and end dates or change the duration of the plan date range. If you select a date that is earlier than the plan start date for any higher-level WBS elements in the same branch, those plan start dates are adjusted accordingly. When you change plan dates, `Vantagepoint` checks for established schedule dependencies and notifies you when adjustments to plan dates impact these relationships.
Plan End	For a WBS row, this column displays the plan end date for the WBS element. For an assignment row, this column is blank. `Vantagepoint` provides default plan dates when it creates the plan initially (for more information, see Default Plan Dates for New Projects). Review those default dates and change any that are not correct. When you enter a plan date on this tab, the corresponding plan dates on the other planning tabs are also updated. If you change this date or click and then Reschedule, the Reschedule Plan Dates dialog box displays so you can specify if you want to preserve the same number of days between the plan start and end dates or change the duration of the plan date range. If you select a date that is later than the plan end date for any higher-level WBS elements in the same branch, those plan end dates are adjusted accordingly. When you change plan dates, `Vantagepoint` checks for established schedule dependencies and notifies you when adjustments to plan dates impact these relationships.
Planned Cost	For a WBS row, this column displays the sum of all planned consultants amounts, at cost, for the consultant types assigned to that WBS element. For a consultant type row, this column displays the planned consultant amount, at cost, for that consultant type assignment for the WBS element. You can enter or change the planned cost amount on a WBS row or on a consultant type row. When the plan is checked out, you can enter amounts in this column for any WBS element at any level of the structure at or above the planning level for consultants, as long as that element has at least one consultant type assigned. When you do, `Vantagepoint` allocates the amount proportionally from the assignment start to the assignment end date for lower-level WBS elements and to the assigned consultant types. How the amount entered for a WBS element is allocated to consultant types depends on whether or not amounts have already been entered for the affected assignments: If none of the affected consultant type assignments currently has an amount, the amount is allocated equally to each consultant type. If one or more of the affected consultant type assignments currently has a planned cost amount, the amount you enter at a WBS level is allocated to each consultant type assignment in proportion to its current planned cost amount. Consultant type assignments that currently have no planned cost amount receive no allocation.
Planned Less EAC Cost	This column displays the difference between the planned cost amount and the EAC cost amount as of the JTD date. Calculation: Planned cost amount - EAC cost amount
Planned Less JTD Cost	This column displays the difference between the planned cost amount and the JTD (charged consultants) cost amount as of the JTD date. Calculation: Planned cost amount - JTD cost amount
Project Manager	This column displays the project manager for the WBS element.
Type	This column displays the account type that is associated with the consultant type: direct or reimbursable.

Contents: Right Grid Section - Sub-Rows and Calendar Period Columns

The calendar section displays if, in Settings > Resource Planning > Plan Settings, Allow Consultant Planning in Calendar Periods is selected for the project's company and, on the Plan form in Other Actions > Plan Settings, Plan in Calendar Periods is selected on the Consultants tab on the Plan Settings dialog box. This section displays planned, actual, and baseline consultant data by calendar period for the selected project. Click > Sub-Row Selection in the upper-right corner of the grid to select the columns you want to display in the calendar section. You can select sub-rows for Billing or Cost amounts. If you have projects that vary between the budget types, have markups, or have two different currencies that display in the plan for cost and billing, select both items to save time.

The editability of the fields and the amounts that display in the calendar grid depend on the combination of the following settings:

Whether the currencies shown in the plan differ between cost and billing. This is determined by the setting of the Use Billing (Not Project) Currency for Reporting option in Settings > Accounting > Labor Options.
Whether the plan's budget type is Cost, Billing, or Cost and Billing. This is specified by the Budget Type selection on the General tab of the Plan Settings dialog box in Hubs > Projects > Plan.
Whether a billing markup is selected. This is specified by the Consultants Rate Method selection on the Consultants tab of the Plan Settings dialog box in Hubs > Projects > Plan.

Field	Description
Calendar period columns	Use the calendar period columns in the right grid section to view actual, baseline, or planned data. The timeline that displays depends on the sub-rows you select. If you select only Planned sub-rows, the calendar date range matches the project level Plan Start and Plan End dates. If you also select Actual or Baseline sub-rows, `Vantagepoint` extends the calendar display if the actual or baseline amounts started before or ended after the plan dates. Your selection in Scale determines whether each calendar period column represents a day, week, or month. The number of calendar period columns depends both on the scale that you select and on the project level's plan start and end dates. You may need to scroll horizontally to view later periods. The Planned sub-rows are the only editable sub-rows on the calendar grid. You can enter planned consultant amounts at any WBS level in a calendar period field within the remaining plan dates at the project level. When you do, `Vantagepoint` allocates the amounts to the assigned consultants and to their individual work days. If that calendar period currently has amounts for the consultant assignment, the amounts you enter are allocated to days in proportion to each day's current amounts. If the calendar period has no amounts for the consultant assignment, the amounts you enter are allocated equally to each work day in the calendar period. If you are using multiple currencies, the currency code will appear in parentheses after the sub-row label. For example, Planned Cost (USD). Only the Planned Cost field is editable if your budget type is cost or cost and billing, or if your budget type is billing and you have a billing markup. Only the Planned Billing field is editable if your budget type is billing and you do not have a billing markup. Both the Planned Cost and Planned Billing fields are editable if your budget type is cost and billing and the currencies are different between cost and billing in the plan. If the field you select includes some dates that are on or before the JTD date and some dates that are after, a drop-down dialog box displays both Past and ETC fields where you can enter or change the amounts. The field then displays the updated sum of the past amounts and ETC consultant cost amounts. If you are entering amounts at the WBS structure level: For a parent level or summary level, if no amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally into the assignment dates and working days within those dates down to lower and detail levels. If an amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally based on existing amounts down to lower and detail levels. For a child level, the amounts you enter sum up to the amounts at the summary level and the higher WBS levels. If the calendar period contains only non-working days, the field is disabled. If you are entering amounts at an assignment level: If no amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally based on assignment dates and working days within those dates. If an amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally based on existing amounts. If the calendar period contains only non-working days, the field is enabled and a pop-up message indicates that the values will spread evenly across the non-working days. If you enter amounts for calendar periods that are outside of the current assignment start or end date range, `Vantagepoint` adjusts the assignment and plan dates to include that calendar period as long as the dates are valid based on dependencies: When you enter amounts beyond the assignment or plan dates of that level and parents have no dependencies, `Vantagepoint` extends the assignment dates. When you enter amounts beyond the assignment or plan dates of that level and parents have dependencies, `Vantagepoint` displays a Warning dialog box to inform you that plan dates will be updated for the selected level along with any affected parent levels. In addition, because this level or a parent level has dependency relationships, any successors will shift based on their relationship. When you click Continue, `Vantagepoint` extends the assignment dates. When you enter amounts beyond the assignment or plan dates of that level and the extension is not allowed based on dependencies, `Vantagepoint` displays a message informing you that you must modify or remove the dependency to add planned amounts on the specified date. Note that when `Vantagepoint` updates all values, you may see minor changes in the amounts for other calendar periods that you did not edit. This occurs when the scale at which you make your changes is smaller than the scale at which the amounts were previously saved (for example, if they were previously saved in monthly periods, and you change the amounts for a weekly period). That, in turn, can change the number of amounts to be spread and/or change the number of periods over which they are spread, resulting in small differences for individual calendar periods. As you make entries in the calendar periods, some amounts in the columns and sub-rows may not be updated immediately and instead be marked with a strikethrough. This is the case when you update amounts for a plan that has a billing markup using an account rate or category rate table. When you update the cost amount, `Vantagepoint` displays the out-of-date billing amounts with a strikethrough to indicate that they are no longer current. When you move off the current row, all grid cells with out-of-date values are automatically recalculated, and the strikethrough is removed.

Field

Description

Calendar period columns

Use the calendar period columns in the right grid section to view actual, baseline, or planned data. The timeline that displays depends on the sub-rows you select. If you select only Planned sub-rows, the calendar date range matches the project level Plan Start and Plan End dates. If you also select Actual or Baseline sub-rows, Vantagepoint extends the calendar display if the actual or baseline amounts started before or ended after the plan dates. Your selection in Scale determines whether each calendar period column represents a day, week, or month. The number of calendar period columns depends both on the scale that you select and on the project level's plan start and end dates. You may need to scroll horizontally to view later periods.

The Planned sub-rows are the only editable sub-rows on the calendar grid. You can enter planned consultant amounts at any WBS level in a calendar period field within the remaining plan dates at the project level. When you do, Vantagepoint allocates the amounts to the assigned consultants and to their individual work days. If that calendar period currently has amounts for the consultant assignment, the amounts you enter are allocated to days in proportion to each day's current amounts. If the calendar period has no amounts for the consultant assignment, the amounts you enter are allocated equally to each work day in the calendar period. If you are using multiple currencies, the currency code will appear in parentheses after the sub-row label. For example, Planned Cost (USD).

Only the Planned Cost field is editable if your budget type is cost or cost and billing, or if your budget type is billing and you have a billing markup.
Only the Planned Billing field is editable if your budget type is billing and you do not have a billing markup.
Both the Planned Cost and Planned Billing fields are editable if your budget type is cost and billing and the currencies are different between cost and billing in the plan.

If the field you select includes some dates that are on or before the JTD date and some dates that are after, a drop-down dialog box displays both Past and ETC fields where you can enter or change the amounts. The field then displays the updated sum of the past amounts and ETC consultant cost amounts.

If you are entering amounts at the WBS structure level:

For a parent level or summary level, if no amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally into the assignment dates and working days within those dates down to lower and detail levels. If an amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally based on existing amounts down to lower and detail levels.
For a child level, the amounts you enter sum up to the amounts at the summary level and the higher WBS levels.
If the calendar period contains only non-working days, the field is disabled.

If you are entering amounts at an assignment level:

If no amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally based on assignment dates and working days within those dates. If an amount already exists, the entry spreads proportionally based on existing amounts.
If the calendar period contains only non-working days, the field is enabled and a pop-up message indicates that the values will spread evenly across the non-working days.

If you enter amounts for calendar periods that are outside of the current assignment start or end date range, Vantagepoint adjusts the assignment and plan dates to include that calendar period as long as the dates are valid based on dependencies:

When you enter amounts beyond the assignment or plan dates of that level and parents have no dependencies, Vantagepoint extends the assignment dates.
When you enter amounts beyond the assignment or plan dates of that level and parents have dependencies, Vantagepoint displays a Warning dialog box to inform you that plan dates will be updated for the selected level along with any affected parent levels. In addition, because this level or a parent level has dependency relationships, any successors will shift based on their relationship. When you click Continue, Vantagepoint extends the assignment dates.
When you enter amounts beyond the assignment or plan dates of that level and the extension is not allowed based on dependencies, Vantagepoint displays a message informing you that you must modify or remove the dependency to add planned amounts on the specified date.

Note that when Vantagepoint updates all values, you may see minor changes in the amounts for other calendar periods that you did not edit. This occurs when the scale at which you make your changes is smaller than the scale at which the amounts were previously saved (for example, if they were previously saved in monthly periods, and you change the amounts for a weekly period). That, in turn, can change the number of amounts to be spread and/or change the number of periods over which they are spread, resulting in small differences for individual calendar periods.

As you make entries in the calendar periods, some amounts in the columns and sub-rows may not be updated immediately and instead be marked with a strikethrough. This is the case when you update amounts for a plan that has a billing markup using an account rate or category rate table. When you update the cost amount, Vantagepoint displays the out-of-date billing amounts with a strikethrough to indicate that they are no longer current. When you move off the current row, all grid cells with out-of-date values are automatically recalculated, and the strikethrough is removed.

Field	Description
Planned Cost	For a WBS row, this sub-row displays the sum of all planned cost amounts for that WBS element's consultant assignments in each calendar period. For an individual consultant row, this sub-row displays the planned cost amount allocated to each calendar period for that consultant assignment. You can enter or update amounts in the Planned Cost sub-row if, on the General tab of the Plan Settings dialog box, you set the Budget Type option to Cost or Cost and Billing. If you set the Budget Type option to Billing, you can enter or update amounts in the Planned Cost sub-row only when you specify billing markup settings (rate method or multiplier) on the Consultants tab of the Plan Settings dialog box. If you select a calendar period field that includes some days that are on or before the JTD through date and some days that are after, a drop-down dialog box displays both Past and ETC fields, in which you can enter or change the planned amounts. The field then displays the updated sum of the past and ETC amounts.
Planned Billing	For a WBS row, this sub-row displays the sum of all planned billing amounts for that WBS element's consultant assignments in each calendar period. For an individual consultant row, this sub-row displays the planned billing amount allocated to each calendar period for that consultant assignment. You can enter or update amounts in the Planned Billing sub-row if, on the Plan Settings dialog box, you set the Budget Type option to Billing on the General tab and did not specify billing markup settings (rate method or multiplier) on the Consultants tab. You can also edit this sub-row if you set the Budget Type option to Cost and Billing and the project uses different currencies for cost and billing amounts. In all other cases, the Planned Billing sub-row is read-only. Use the Planned Cost sub-row to enter amounts. If you select a calendar period field that includes some days that are on or before the JTD through date and some days that are after, a drop-down dialog box displays both Past and ETC fields, in which you can enter or change the planned amounts. The field then displays the updated sum of the past and ETC amounts.
Actual Cost	For a WBS or consultant row, this sub-row displays the posted cost amounts in the project currency through the JTD date in each calendar period. If you display this sub-row and there are actual values that are outside of the plan date range, `Vantagepoint` displays additional calendar period columns to represent those amounts. You can display this sub-row regardless of the specified budget type for the plan. If you set the Budget Type option to Billing on the Plan Settings dialog box, this sub-row will not display any values.
Actual Billing	For a WBS or consultant row, this sub-row displays the posted billing amounts through the JTD date in each calendar period. If you display this sub-row and there are actual values that are outside of the plan date range, `Vantagepoint` displays additional calendar period columns to represent those amounts. You can display this sub-row regardless of the specified budget type for the plan. If you set the Budget Type option to Cost on the Plan Settings dialog box, this sub-row will not display any values.
Baseline Cost	For a WBS or consultant row, this sub-row displays the cost amount that is saved in the baseline in each calendar period. If you display this sub-row and there are baseline values that are outside of the plan date range, `Vantagepoint` displays additional calendar period columns to represent those amounts. You can display this sub-row regardless of the specified budget type for the plan. If you set the Budget Type option to Billing on the Plan Settings dialog box, this sub-row will not display any values.
Baseline Billing	For a WBS or consultant row, this sub-row displays the billing amount that is saved in the baseline in each calendar period. If you display this sub-row and there are baseline values that are outside of the plan date range, `Vantagepoint` displays additional calendar period columns to represent those amounts. You can display this sub-row regardless of the specified budget type for the plan. If you set the Budget Type option to Cost on the Plan Settings dialog box, this sub-row will not display any values.
	To display the Consultant Plan Summary chart and the Consultant Progress chart for a WBS element, hover over or click the WBS row and then click this icon at the end of the row. The charts display in the Consultants Charts dialog box. If you leave the dialog box open, you can select other rows in the grid, and the charts update automatically to reflect the currently selected row. The charts also update automatically if you change data in the grid that affects the currently selected row.
	This icon displays at the end of the row when you click or hover over a grid row. Click the icon to select one of these actions for that row: Add Consultants: This option is available when you select at the lowest-level element of the plan WBS or the selected planning level for consultants. Click this option to display the Consultant Type Lookup and Add Consultant Type and Consultant Name dialog boxes, on which you can assign consultants to the selected WBS element. Reschedule: To change plan date ranges, click this option on a WBS row. To change assignment date ranges, click this option in a consultant type row. In either case, you can also indicate how to distribute the planned consultants amounts within the new schedule. Reassign: In a consultant type row, click this option to transfer all the assignment's planned amounts to another consultant and/or consultant type. If you plan for consultants in calendar periods, you have the option to transfer only a part of the assignments to another consultant and/or consultant type. Delete: In a consultant type row, click this option to delete the assignment. If the assignment has a JTD amount or has been saved as part of the baseline plan, you cannot delete the assignment. In those cases, however, you can still use this option to delete the current planned amount for the assignment.

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