General Tab of Project Info Center

Use the General tab to enter, edit, or review basic information about a project.

Each project record in the Project Info Center may have associated phases or tasks. Before you enter WBS information for a project, you must enter and save the project's information on the General tab. After you create the project record, you can enter as many phases and tasks as you need.

Contents

Field	Description
Project ID	Enter a unique project identification number. For a new project, after you save the project number, you can also enter the project's phase (second field). After saving the project number and phase, you can then enter the project's task (third field). The project number, phase, and task correlate with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). If Vision uses the auto numbering feature, you cannot enter a number in this field. Instead, [AUTONUMBER] displays in this field when you save the form. For projects that have a defined multi-level WBS, a Phase/Task icon displays next to the Project Name. Click the icon to view the WBS tree structure. You cannot use this field to change a project number after you create a project record; you must use the Key Convert utility. You establish the length and format of your project numbers when you install Vision. If you need to change the length or format of your project numbers after installing Vision, use the Project Number Conversion utility.
Phase	After you enter and save a project record, you can use this field to enter a phase that is associated with the project. Each project may have multiple phases. The phase number is the second level of the Work Breakdown Structure.
Task	After you enter and save a project record and a phase, you can enter a task that is associated with that phase. Each phase may have multiple tasks. You must enter a phase number before you enter a task number. The task number is the third level of the Work Breakdown Structure.
Short Name	Enter a short name for the project. Use this field if the project name is too long to display on project reports and invoices.
Opportunity	Enter the name of the opportunity associated with the project or use the Opportunity lookup or Quick Find to select an opportunity. After you enter an opportunity in this field, you can click the opportunity name to open the Opportunity Info Center record in the current browser window. Or, right-click the name and then click on the Open in new window pop-up option to open the Opportunity Info Center record in a new browser window. When you enter an opportunity in this field in a project record, the associated project's number is entered in the Project field on the General tab of the Opportunity Info Center form. If you create a new project record from an existing opportunity record, Vision enters the opportunity name in this field.
Long Name	Enter the full name of the project.
Promotional Project	This field is enabled for regular projects only. Enter the name or number of the promotional project associated with the project, or use the Project lookup or Quick Find to select a project. Click the name to open the record in the current browser window or right-click the name and then click the Open in new window option to open the record in a separate browser window. If you create a new project record from an existing promotional project record, Vision enters the promotional project number in this field.
Organization	Enter the organization that is responsible for the project or use the Organization lookup or Quick Find to select the organization. If you use the Multicompany feature, the organization code that you specify here indicates which company "owns" the project, phase, or task record. The active company determines which organizations are available for the Organization lookup.
Project Plan	Enter the name of the Vision plan that you want to associate with the project or use the Plan lookup or Quick Find to select a plan. If you create a new project record from an existing project, template, opportunity, or fee estimate, Vision enters a link to the associated plan in this field. You can modify this plan information as needed. Click the link to open the plan record in Vision in the current browser window or right-click the link and then click the Open in new window option to open the record in a separate browsing window. If you are using the iAccess application and you open an existing Vision project that has an associated iAccess plan, the iAccess plan name automatically displays in this field. You cannot modify the associated plan but you can click the link to open the plan record in the iAccess application. If the plan listed in this field is deleted from the Vision or iAccess applications, the plan is also removed from this field.
Primary Client	Enter the name of the primary client associated with the project, or use the Client lookup or Quick Find to select the client. If the client record that you want to enter in this field does not yet exist in your database, you can click the New icon in this field to create a new record. When you enter a client name in this field: Vision creates a hyperlink between the client name and the corresponding Client Info Center record. You can then click the client name in this field to open the Client Info Center record. Vision adds the client's name and related information to the Clients grid on the Clients/Contacts tab of the Project Info Center form. Vision adds the project's name and related information to the Projects grid in the Client Info Center form. To edit the client name, right-click the name and click Edit. This temporarily disables the hyperlink feature, allowing you to edit the information in this field.
Confidential Client	When you use Proposals, select this option to keep the Primary Client and Owner's names confidential and to exclude their names from all proposals. When you include the project in a proposal, an alias that you create will be substituted for the client or owner name. If you select this option, the Alias field displays on the General tab. Use this field to enter the name you want to substitute for the client's and owner's actual name.
Alias	This field displays when you select the Confidential option. Enter the name that you want to substitute for the Primary Client or Owner's actual name when you include this project in a proposal.
Client Address	When you enter a client name in the Primary Client field, Vision enters the primary address associated with that client record in the Client Address field. However, you can enter a different client address in this field. This address displays on client reports. The actual address does not display in this field. When you enter a client address in the Client Info Center, you must also enter a description for the address and you must designate one address as the primary address. It is the description for the primary address that displays in the Client Address field on the General tab. To select a different address, click Search to use the Address Lookup to select another address. The Address Lookup only lists addresses for the client entered in the Primary Client field.
Primary Contact	Enter the name of the primary contact associated with the project, or use the Contact lookup or Quick Find to select a contact. When you enter a contact name in this field: Vision creates a hyperlink between the contact name and the corresponding Contact Info Center record. You can then click the name in this field to open the Contact Info Center record in the current browser window. Or, right-click the name and then click the Open in new window option to open the Contact Info Center record in a new browser window. Vision adds the contact's name and related information to the Contacts grid on the Clients/Contacts tab of the Opportunity Info Center record. Vision adds the opportunity's name and related information to the Opportunities grid in the specified Contact Info Center record. To edit the contact name, right-click the name and click Edit. This temporarily disables the hyperlink feature and allows you to edit the information in this field.
Principal	Enter the name of the employee who is the principal for the project, or use the Employee lookup or Quick Find to select the employee. When you enter an employee name in this field: Vision creates a hyperlink between the employee name and the corresponding Employee Info Center record. You can then click the name in this field to open the Employee Info Center record in the current browser window. Or, right-click the name and then click the Open in new window option to open the Employee Info Center record in a new browser window. Vision adds the employee's name and related information to the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center form. Vision adds the project's name and related information to the Projects grid on the Projects tab of the Employee Info Center form. To edit the name, right-click the name and click Edit. This temporarily disables the hyperlink feature and allows you to edit this field. Note the following: If you remove an employee from the Principal field of a project record, the employee is removed from the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center record only if the employee's Team Status is Proposed. If the employee's Team Status is Active, the employee's name remains in the grid, but the Role field is cleared. If you remove an employee from the Principal field of a project record, the project is removed from the Projects grid on the Projects tab of the associated Employee Info Center record only if the employee's Team Status is Proposed. If the employee's Team Status is Active, the project's name remains in the grid, but the Role field is cleared. If you remove an employee (with role type Principal) from the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center record, and that employee is also entered in the Principal field on the General tab of the Project Info Center record, the employee is also removed from the Principal field. Vision does not update the Principal field when you change an employee's role on either the Team tab of the Project Info Center record or on the Project tab of the Employee Info Center record. When you make a change on either of those tabs, you must manually change your entry in the Principal field.
Project Manager	Enter the name of the employee who is the project manager for the project, or use the Employee lookup or Quick Find to select the employee. When you enter an employee name in this field: Vision creates a hyperlink between the employee name and the corresponding Employee Info Center record. You can then click the name in this field to open the Employee Info Center record in the current browser window. Or, right-click the name and then click the Open in new window option to open the Employee Info Center record in a new browser window. Vision adds the employee's name and related information to the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center form. Vision adds the project's name and related information to the Projects grid on the Projects tab of the Employee Info Center form. To edit the name, right-click the name and click Edit. This temporarily disables the hyperlink feature and allows you to edit this field. Note the following: If you remove an employee from the Project Manager field of a project record, the employee is removed from the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center record only if the employee's Team Status is Proposed. If the employee's Team Status is Active, the employee's name remains in the grid, but the Role field is cleared. If you remove an employee from the Project Manager field of a project record, the project is removed from the Projects grid on the Projects tab of the associated Employee Info Center record only if the employee's Team Status is Proposed. If the employee's Team Status is Active, the project's name remains in the grid, but the Role field is cleared. If you remove an employee (with role type Project Manager) from the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center record, and that employee is also entered in the Project Manager field on the General tab of the Project Info Center form, the employee is also removed from the Project Manager field. Vision does not update the Project Manager field when you change an employee's role on either the Team tab of the Project Info Center record or on the Project tab of the Employee Info Center form. When you make a change on either of those tabs, you must manually change your entry in the Project Manager field.
Supervisor	Enter the name of the employee who is the supervisor for the project, or use the Employee lookup or Quick Find to select the employee. When you enter an employee name in this field: Vision creates a hyperlink between the employee name and the corresponding Employee Info Center record. You can then click the name in this field to open the Employee Info Center record in the current browser window. Or, right-click the name and then click the Open in new window option to open the Employee Info Center record in a new browser window. If you use Vision Multicompany and the employee named in this field is associated with multiple companies, the supervisor only applies to the company record that you are viewing. There can be a different supervisor for each associated company. Vision adds the employee's name and related information to the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center form. Vision adds the project's name and related information to the Projects grid on the Projects tab of the specified Employee Info Center form. To edit the name, right-click the name and click Edit. This temporarily disables the hyperlink feature and allows you to edit this field. Note the following: If you remove an employee from the Supervisor field of a project record, the employee is removed from the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center record only if the employee's Team Status is Proposed. If the employee's Team Status is Active, the employee's name remains in the grid, but the Role field is cleared. If you remove an employee from the Supervisor field of a project record, the project is removed from the Projects grid on the Projects tab of the associated Employee Info Center record only if the employee's Team Status is Proposed. If the employee's Team Status is Active, the project's name remains in the grid, but the Role field is cleared. If you remove an employee (with role type Supervisor) from the Employees grid on the Team tab of the Project Info Center record, and that employee is also entered in the Supervisor field on the General tab of the Project Info Center record, the employee is also removed from the Supervisor field. Vision does not update the Supervisor field when you change an employee's role on either the Team tab of the Project Info Center record or on the Project tab of the Employee Info Center record. When you make a change on either of those tabs, you must manually change your entry in the Supervisor field.
Biller	Click in this field to open the Employee Lookup, and select the employee who is responsible for creating the Billing invoices for a project. When you specify an employee as the Biller, the employee is also: Available to receive batch and/or draft invoices via email for review. You must select the Biller option from the To drop-down list on the Main tab in Billing > Batch Billing. Available to receive alerts when changes are made to the project record. You must select the Biller option from the employee fields on the user initiated and/or scheduled workflows in Configuration > Workflow. You can also start typing in the Biller field and then press the ENTER key to use the Quick Find search to select an employee. If you do not use the Billing Invoice Approvals feature, this field is for information purposes only. If you use the Invoice Approvals feature, a biller has access in Billing > Invoice Approvals and in Billing > Interactive Approvals to the projects for which they are specified as the biller. In addition, you can specify (in Invoice Approval Process Configuration) that the biller receive alerts when an invoice is submitted. If you are enabling Invoice Approvals for all your existing projects or a group of projects, you can use the Search and Replace utility (Utilities > Advanced Utilities > Search and Replace) to insert an employee into the Biller field for those projects, rather than entering each biller individually.
Status	Use this drop-down list to select the project's status. A project's status determines the validity of certain project-related transactions in Vision. The status settings are: Active — You can use the project in any transaction that requires a project number. Inactive — Vision displays a warning if you try to use the project in any transaction that requires a project number. You must choose to proceed with the transaction after you receive the warning. Dormant — Vision prevents you from using the project number in any transaction that requires a project number, except for receipt, invoice, and historical data entry, and bill processing. Vision displays a warning when you process receipts, invoices, historical data, and bills, but you can complete the transaction. Purged — Vision does not allow any transaction activity on the project.
Project Currency	If you use Multicurrency, select the project currency. This is the currency in which the project is managed, which can be different from the functional currency of the project's home company. The project currency is used for all project reporting and project planning. When labor or expense charges are made to the project, the charges are recorded in the project currency (as well as all other appropriate currencies). After data is posted, you cannot change the project currency for the project. If you create the project from an opportunity, the default currency is the cost currency from the Service Estimate tab of the Opportunity Info Center or, if service estimates are not enabled, the currency from the General tab of the Opportunity Info Center, if one was specified, or the company's functional currency. If you create the project from an opportunity and a project template, the default currency is the project currency from the template, if one was specified. Otherwise, the defaulting behavior is the same as described above for creating a project from an opportunity.
Billing Currency	If you use Multicurrency, select the billing currency. This is the currency in which you generate invoices and billing reports for a project and its phases and tasks. The billing currency can be different from the functional currency of the project's home company, and the project and billing currencies do not have to match because you can plan and manage a project in one currency and invoice the client in another. After data is posted, you cannot change the billing currency for the project. If you create the project from an opportunity and service estimates are enabled, the default currency is the billing currency from the Service Estimate tab of the Opportunity Info Center, if specified, or the cost currency from the Service Estimate tab of the Opportunity Info Center, if specified, or the company's functional currency. If service estimates are not enabled, the default currency is the currency from the General tab of the Opportunity Info Center, if specified, or the company's functional currency. If you create the project from an opportunity and a project template, the default currency is the billing currency from the template, if one was specified. Otherwise, the defaulting behavior is the same as described above for creating a project from an opportunity.
Project Type	Use this drop-down list to select the project type. The items in the drop-down list are entered in the Project Type (CFGProjectType) code table in Configuration > General > Code Tables. The project type is different from the project's charge type (on the Accounting tab), which indicates whether the project is a regular, overhead, or promotional project.
Responsibility	Use this drop-down list to select your company's level of responsibility on this project. You define project responsibility settings in Code Table Configuration.
Federal Project	Select this option if the project is for an agency or branch of the federal government.
Referable	Select this option if the project can be used as a reference.
Available to CRM users	Select this option to allow CRM users to open and review the project record. Vision selects this option by default when you add a new project record. You can select or clear this option at any time. This option displays if you use both Vision CRM and Vision Accounting.
Available to Accounting users	Select this option to allow Accounting users to open and review the project record. Vision selects this option by default when you add a new project record. You can select this option at any time. However, you can clear this option only if the Approved for use in processing option is not selected. If this option is selected when you save a new project record, Vision prompts you to enter required information on the Accounting tab. You must enter the required information before you can save the record. This option displays if you use both Vision CRM and Vision Accounting.
Approved for use in processing	Select this option if the project record is approved for use when processing accounting transactions. Vision selects this option by default when an Accounting user adds a new project record. It is disabled for all other users. If you are an Accounting user, you can select this option at any time. However, you can clear this option only if the project record has not been used in any accounting transactions. If this option is selected when you save a new project record, Vision prompts you to enter required information on the Accounting tab. You must enter the required information before you can save the record. You can specify the processing options for each WBS level in the project. This option displays if you use Vision Accounting or Vision Project Control.
Memo	Enter additional notes about the project. Click Edit to use the Text Editor to enter information.
Kona Space	This field is only available if Vision is configured to integrate with Kona Business on the Miscellaneous tab of the General System Settings form and if you have entered your Kona username and password on the Misc tab of the User Options dialog box. If this field is available and if you select Create Kona Space on the Create Project from dialog box when you create a project, Vision automatically creates a Kona space for the project, with you as the space owner. It then displays the space name in this field and invites all employees listed on the Team tab who have email addresses to join the space. The Kona space displays below this field, and you can work in the space without leaving the Project Info Center to go to Kona Business. If you create a new project from an opportunity that is linked to a Kona space and you leave the Create Kona Space check box on the Create Project From dialog box unselected, Vision links the new project to that space and displays the space in the Kona widget on the General tab of the Info Center. If you do not have Vision create the Kona space when you add a project, you can do that later. Select the project in the Project Info Center, click New on the toolbar, and select Create Kona Space. You can also create a space for a project in Kona Business yourself and then select that space in this field to link the space to the project. If you create the space yourself and then link it to the project, however, employees listed on the Team tab are not automatically invited to join the space. A project can only be linked to one Kona space, but a Kona space can have multiple projects linked to it. Prerequisites: For an employee to be able to use the Kona integration features in the Info Centers, the following must be true: Their Vision access rights must give them access to the project record. They must be set up as a user of the firm's Kona Business account. They must log on to Kona on the Misc tab of the User Options dialog box in Vision. If they are not the space owner, they must be invited to join, and accept membership in, the Kona space for the project. They must be using Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 9 or a later version.