Calculation Page of the Top Down Planning Wizard

Use this page to enter the data that Cobra will use to calculate totals.

Contents

Field	Description
Total Amount	The value in this field represents the total costs defined by the selection criteria.
Available Amount	This field displays the amount that Cobra calculates as available for adjustment. In performing this calculation, Cobra takes the following factors into consideration: Status date — Top down planning does not alter historical data and will not apply changes to periods prior to the status date. Thus, budgets occurring in fiscal periods prior to the status date are not available for adjustment. Work package status — Ordinarily, top down planning only affects planned work packages. However, if the project allows changes in the scope of an open package, open work packages are available for adjustment as well. Completed work packages are never available for top down planning. Date range — If you have limited the date range for top-down planning, Cobra reduces the available amount to the budget falling within the specified time frame.

Adjustment Methods

You can enter the amount of the adjustment using any of the following methods:

Field	Description
Target Amount	If you select this option, you can specify a target amount and have Cobra calculate the size of the adjustment required. Or, you can have Cobra calculate the target based on the totals of specific cost classes over the defined date range. This feature is useful in cases where you have developed alternative budgets for work using custom cost classes. When target amounts are used, Cobra sets the total amount to the target amount and adjusts the available amount by the difference between the original total and the new total. For example, assume that the total amount is $1,000 and the available amount is $500. By setting the target amount to $1,100, you would increase the total amount to $1,100 and the available amount by $100 ($1100 - $1000) to $600. In performing this operation, Cobra calculates the percentage of the total amount that is represented by the target amount. It then applies that percentage to the time-phased information and recalculates the total amount. Because Cobra uses a ratio when performing the calculation, the adjustment required to meet the target amount is sometimes off by a few cents.
Change Amount	By entering a value in this field, you can enter the adjustment as a total. For example, assume that the original total amount is $1,000, and the available amount is $500. By specifying a change amount of $300, the total amount is increased to $1,300, and the available amount becomes $800. In performing this operation, Cobra calculates the percentage of the total amount that is represented by the change amount. It then applies that percentage to the time-phased information and recalculates the total amount. Because Cobra uses a ratio when performing the calculation, the adjustment required to meet the change amount is sometimes off by a few cents.
Change Percent	By entering a value in this field, you can enter the adjustment as a percentage of the current amount. For example, assume that the total amount is $1,000 and the available amount is $500. If you specify that Cobra should adjust the budget upward by 10%, the total amount is increased by $100 to $1,100. In addition, the adjustment increases the available amount by $100 to $600, effectively increasing the available amount by 20%. Cobra always applies the adjustment to the total amount displayed for the work. Thus, a change that you have defined as - 10.5% results in Cobra decreasing the total amount by that percentage. In cases where the available amount is less than the total amount, the effect of the adjustment on the available amount is proportionately greater. In the case of adjustments based on target amounts, Cobra sets the total amount to the target amount and adjusts the available amount by the difference between the original total and the new total.