Labor Code Numbering
After you decide to use labor codes, you need to decide on the labor code numbering structure.
Labor codes should be as detailed as necessary to obtain meaningful information on project management reports. At the same time, you should keep labor codes simple so employees complete their timesheets accurately and on time.
Numbering Format
You can set up labor codes with a maximum of five levels. You specify each level's character length, up to a total labor code length (all levels) of 14 characters. If you do not want to use labor codes, set your firm-wide length to 0 (zero) during installation or from the Key Format utility.
- The labor code structure you set up applies to all projects, and cannot be changed on a per-project basis.
- If you set up multiple labor code levels, the value of each lower level is independent and can be used with other higher level labor code values. For example, if you set up a level one Department and a level two Activity, and then set up a value for the Activity level of General Activity, the level two Activity value, General Activity, can apply to multiple level one departments.
- You may want to use letters in your labor codes to indicate broader groups (for example, departments) and numbers for more narrow groups (for example, services).
- You can include a general category for each level of your labor codes. This category is useful for charging time to overhead projects and for budgeting and historical purposes.
Examples
- Department codes are A-Architecture and E-Engineering
- Activity codes include 04-Design Development and 09-Survey
By putting these codes together, you can identify a labor charge by department and activity:
Code | Meaning |
---|---|
A04 |
Architectural Department/Design Development |
E09 |
Engineering Department/Survey |
E04 |
Engineering Department/Design Development |
Here are two examples of a three-level labor code structure, with a total character length of five.
Label | Number of Digits | Example 1 | Example 2 |
---|---|---|---|
Department | 1 | A Architectural | E Environmental |
Staff | 2 | 01 Principal | 04 Technical |
Service | 2 | 63 Model Construction | 58 Hydrogeologic Survey |
Total labor code | 5 |
A0163
Architectural/Principal/Model Construction |
E0458
Environmental/Technical/Hydrogeologic Survey |