Labor Tab of Project Planning

Use the Labor tab to enter or review labor information for the current plan. Vision calculates labor costs based on the estimated number of labor hours to complete work on the WBS element, multiplied by the "per hour cost rate" of resources assigned to the WBS element.

Vision calculates labor costs of items at higher levels in the WBS, such as phases, by summing the costs of their descendants. Project Planning summarizes labor budget data automatically.

If you are using task dependencies, see the Schedule tab help for closely related information.

Contents

The Labor Planning grid includes ways for you to work with the plan currently displayed. You can use the options that display across the top of the grid or right-click on the small arrow to the left of a row to access the grid options pop-up menu.

Grid Options

Field	Description
Collapse Parent Dates	This option only displays when the Start and Finish dates of the parent WBS level do not align with the start and end dates of the child WBS level tasks. Normally, Vision allows the Start and Finish dates of the parent WBS level to begin earlier or end later than the dates of the associated child WBS levels. For example, when the parent WBS level starts on May 1, 2015 and ends on December 1, 2015, the child WBS level tasks could start on June 1, 2015 and end on August 1, 2015. In this situation, the dates are not aligned but it is not an issue in the plan. However, when you use the Schedule tab of Project Planning to schedule task dependencies, the parent WBS start and end dates must align with the start and/or the end dates of the child WBS level tasks. If not, Vision changes the font color of the date fields to blue to indicate that there is a discrepancy: . If you select the Schedule tab of Project Planning when there is a discrepancy between dates, Vision displays a prompt to alert you of the condition. You must select the Collapse Parent Dates option to collapse the dates such that the parent WBS level's Start and Finish dates adjust to match the start and end dates of the child WBS level tasks. When these dates match, the color of the Start and Finish dates change to black and the Schedule tab is accessible.
New Row	Click this option to open a new row in the grid so that you can enter a new WBS element.
Delete	Click this option to delete the current WBS element from the plan. If you delete a row that contains a dependent task, the task and associated dependency are deleted.
Insert	Click this option to open a new row in the grid and display in the Description field. Use the Employee lookup to select an employee for the assignment.
Employee Lookup	Click this option to display the Employee lookup, where you can select an employee for the assignment.
Generic Lookup	Click this option to display the Generic lookup, where you can select a generic resource for the assignment. The results of this lookup depend on the Generic Method selected on the Rates tab of Project Planning. If the Generic Method is set to Labor Code, all generic resources from the Labor Code table display. If the Generic Method is Labor Category, all generic resources from the Labor Category table display.
Search	Select this option to open the Resource Search options. Use these options to search for named employees or generic employee categories: Use the Named Resource tab to search for an employee record using criteria, such as skills, to narrow your search. Use the Generic Resource tab to select a "generic" employee category.
Indent	Click this option to move the current WBS element to a lower level of the WBS, making it a "child" node of the element that immediately precedes it on the grid. If you indent a WBS element that contains a dependent task, the dependent relationship will be removed. Task dependencies are created between items on the lowest level of the WBS. For the purpose of task dependencies, these are referred to as "tasks" but they may be phases, tasks, or labor codes, depending on the WBS structure.
Outdent	Click this option to promote the current WBS element to a higher level in the WBS hierarchy. If you outdent a WBS element that contains a dependent task, the dependent relationship will be removed. Task dependencies are created between items on the lowest level of the WBS. For the purpose of task dependencies, these are referred to as "tasks" but they may be phases, tasks, or labor codes, depending on the WBS structure.
Shift	Click this option to shift the current row's data.
Cut	Click this option to cut the current row and place it on the clipboard.
Copy	Click this option to copy the current row and place it on the clipboard. If you copy a row that contains a dependent task, the associated dependency is not copied.
Paste	Click this option to paste the current row from the clipboard.
New Row/New Row (Above)	Click this option to open a new row in the grid, immediately above the current row, so that you can enter a new WBS element.
Utilization	Click this option to display the current resource utilization schedule for the selected employee from the plan's start date to the plan's finish date. This option is only available on named resource rows.
Job to Date (JTD) Charging	Click this option to display the JTD Hours, Cost (if you have access rights to see full cost rates), and Billing amounts for the Task row. The Job to Date dialog box lists all employees who have charged to the Project, Phase, Task, or Labor Code that is mapped to the Planned Task. You can click the "hour" amount to drill down to the Labor Detail report for a given employee. The numbers in the Job to Date Charging grid will include unposted values if the Show Unposted Actual Labor option is selected on the General Tab. The numbers in the Job to Date Charging grid are not rounded to the whole number, so the numbers may not match. This is necessary to ensure that the numbers on the Job to Date Charging grid match the numbers in the Labor Detail report. Job to Date Charging is only available if the Planning Task row is mapped correctly to the existing project.
Missing JTD Employees	This option displays when an employee has timesheet charges for the project but has no corresponding assignment rows in the plan. Right-click the project (WBS1) level and select Missing JTD Employees to display the Employees With JTD Who Are Missing From Plan dialog box, which provides a list of the employees that have JTD charges on the project but no associated assignment rows on the project's plan at any mapped WBS level that corresponds with the timesheet charge. This dialog box displays timesheet charges that are posted. However, if the Show Unposted Actual Labor option is selected on the General tab of Project Planning, the charges from unposted timesheets are also included. Only the missing JTD charges dated through the current JTD/ETC date are included. You can use this dialog box to add employees to mapped plan levels that have Match JTD selected on the Default WBS Mapping dialog box.
Project Review	Click this option to display the Project Review dialog box, where you can view information about the project and its various levels.
Dependencies	You can use the Schedule tab of Project Planning to create dependent relationships between items that are at the lowest level of the WBS. These are the child-level, or leaf nodes of the WBS, because they display under a parent level. For the purpose of task dependencies, these are referred to as "tasks" but they may be phases, tasks, or labor codes depending on the WBS structure. The Dependencies option displays when there is a dependency established for the selected task, as indicated by a checkmark in the Dependency column. Click the Dependencies option to open the Dependencies dialog box, which lists the dependent predecessor or successor tasks for the current row. Refer to this information when building task dependencies or before changing dates for one or more task rows.

Labor Planning Grid

Use the Labor Planning Grid to construct a work breakdown structure, assign an employee or generic resource to a WBS element, schedule the plan's work elements, or map a plan to project, phase, and task records so that actual hours and costs are incorporated in your plan. You can also copy and paste existing rows as you build the WBS or assign resources. Right-click the small arrow beside a row to access the grid options menu. After you enter data in the Labor planning grid, you can view or schedule hours, cost, and/or billing information for the task.

Any unposted actual hours on the right side of this grid display with a text color of dark cyan. Any values between the summary and detail rows that do not match display the WBS display in red, which indicates that:

• There are unassigned employees
• The JTD amount at the WBS level does not match the sum of the JTD amounts for the rows beneath it

When the values do not match, the Missing JTD Employees menu option is enabled for the project row. Select this option to view a list of the employees who charged time to the project but do not have an assignment row in the Work Breakdown Structure.

Use the Collapse Start/End Dates before Save option to collapse the start and finish dates on the grid rows for the periods that contain planned data. The start and finish dates collapse before you save the plan so you do not need to manually set the dates for each row. When you turn this option on, Vision changes the start and finish dates to match the minimum and maximum dates set on the top-level task row.

Field	Description
Plus Sign or Minus Sign	These controls follow standard Windows User Interface Conventions. The Plus Sign in a grid row indicates the task is a parent task that contains related child tasks. Click the Plus Sign to view the child tasks. The Plus Sign changes to a Minus Sign when the child tasks are open. Click the Minus Sign to close the child tasks.
Description	Enter an identifier for the WBS element. The resource that you specify here is assigned to the WBS element in the row directly preceding it on this grid. You can assign a named resource or a generic resource. If you click the New Row grid option to open a new row in the Labor grid, the element that you enter in this field can be a project, phase, task, or labor code, or some other WBS element of your choosing. If you click the Insert grid option, you can specify resources for resource assignments. When you do, Vision opens the new row. You can then use Quick Find to find an employee or a generic resource.
WBS Level	Vision requires this field to map the plan elements to Info Center records so that you can report actual hours and amounts. When you insert, indent, or outdent tasks on the Labor grid, the WBS Level field matches settings in the WBS mapping grid on the General tab. If the values in the WBS mapping grid change, Vision resets this field to reflect the change. If you select a WBS element type in this field, you must also make a corresponding entry in one of the following fields: Project, Phase, Task, or Labor Code.
Project	Specify the project record's identifier. Enter the project's identifier in this field or click Search and use the Project lookup to select a project. If you are using Multicurrency, your enterprise may decide to report project amounts in the billing currency, rather than the project currency. If so, use the Report amounts in billing currency, rather than project currency option on the General Tab of Accounting System Settings. This results in the Project lookup filtering by both cost and billing currency code. If the Report amounts in billing currency, rather than project currency option is not selected, the Project lookup only displays projects using the cost currency code.
Phase	Specify the phase record's identifier. Enter the phase's identifier in this field or click Search and use the Phase lookup to select a phase. If you copy and paste a phase to create a new phase, you also copy all indented information under the phase. Change the name of the copied phase to create a new phase.
Task	Specify the task record's identifier. Enter the task's identifier in this field or click Search and use the Task lookup to select a task identifier. If you copy and paste a task to create a new task, you also copy all indented related information under the task. Change the name of the copied task to create a new task.
Labor Code	Use this field to specify the labor code record's identifier. Enter the labor code's identifier in this field or click Search and use the Labor Code lookup to select a labor code. If you copy and paste a labor code to create a new labor code, you also copy all related information under the labor code. Change the name of the copied labor code to create a new labor code.
Start	Specify a start date for the WBS element. By default, this field is set to today's date. Complete one of the following actions to specify a date: Enter a date in the field. Click the arrow in this field to open the Calendar dialog box and select a date. Right-click to select Match start date(s) to planned values. This option matches the start date to the planned value, and automatically shifts the start date for the current row and any subsequent indented rows forward. If you are using task dependencies, this includes dependent successor task dates. You cannot select this option when you start a task in the middle of a biweekly period — you must change the start date manually. Right-click to select Match children start date(s) with parent start date. This option makes the start date(s) of all indented child rows the same as the start date of the selected parent row. If you are using task dependencies, this includes dependent successor task dates. You cannot enter a date that is earlier than the first date in the plan's calendar. The following conditions also apply to the Start date: If you create the plan from an Opportunity template, the start date displays the start date that originated with the opportunity. If the Start and Finish dates match, Vision spreads entered amounts equally among all subsequent indented rows. If you change the start date of an existing plan, Vision asks you to confirm that you want to shift the data on the row. If the changed start date pushes the finish date past the end date of the last calendar period, Vision prompts you to confirm the change. If the Start date does not align with the start date of the child WBS level task, the date displays in blue. You must select the Collapse Parent Dates option to collapse the dates before you can use the Schedule tab of Project Planning to schedule task dependencies. If you are using task dependencies and change the Start date on the Schedule tab, the Start date will update on other Planning tabs. And, if there are resources assigned to the tasks, selecting the ASAP option on the Schedule tab's interactive Gantt chart may shift the start and finish dates for the tasks and the resources. See the Change Task Start or Finish Dates online help topic for additional information.
Finish	Specify an end date for the WBS element. By default, this field is set to today's date. Complete one of the following actions to specify a date: Enter a date in the field. Click the arrow in this field to open the Calendar dialog box and select a date. Right-click to select Match finish date(s) to planned value. This shifts the finish date for the current row, and all subsequent indented child rows, back to the last period in each row that contains planned values. If you are using task dependencies, this includes dependent successor task dates. You cannot select this option when finishing a task in the middle of a biweekly period — you must change the finish date manually. Right-click to select Set finish date by duration. The Duration dialog box displays. Enter the number of business days to use to set the finish date. If you are using task dependencies, this includes dependent successor task dates. Vision adds the number of business days to the Start date. Right-click to select Match children finish date(s) with parent finish date. This option makes the finish date(s) of all indented child rows the same as the finish date of the selected parent row. This includes dependent successor task dates. The following conditions also apply to the Finish date: The finish date must be equal to or later than the start date. If the Start and Finish dates match, Vision spreads entered amounts equally among all subsequent indented rows. You cannot enter a date that is later than the last date in the plan's calendar. If you create the plan from an Opportunity template, the finish date displays the end date that originated with the opportunity. If the Finish date does not align with the end date child WBS level task, the date displays in blue. You must select the Collapse Parent Dates option to collapse the dates before you can use the Schedule tab of Project Planning to schedule task dependencies. See the Collapse Parent Dates field description for additional information. If you are using task dependencies and there are resources assigned to the tasks, selecting the ASAP option on the Schedule tab's interactive Gantt chart may shift the start and finish dates for the tasks and the resources. See the Change Task Start or Finish Dates online help topic for additional information.
Cost Rate	Cost rates represent your firm's cost to produce a service. The default cost rate displayed in this field is taken from the cost rate settings specified for this plan on the Rates tab. You can override this default, and the Labor tab will recalculate the rate. If you use the Multicurrency feature, an employee is assigned to his/her home company via the Organization field on the General tab of the Employee Info Center. The home company is the company that manages the employee's timesheet and expense report processes, and which is responsible for paying him or her. If the functional currency for the employee's home company matches either the cost currency or the billing currency for the plan, and you set the Labor Rate Method to From Employee Provisional Rate on the Rates tab, Vision uses the employee's provisional rate. If the functional currency for the employee's home company does not match either the cost currency or the billing currency for the plan, and you set the Labor Rate Method to From Employee Provisional Rate on the Rates tab, Vision sets the rate to zero.
Billing Rate	Billing rates represent what the client will pay for the services your firm provides. The default billing rate displayed in this field is taken from the billing rate settings specified for this plan on the Rates tab. You can override this default, and the Labor tab will recalculate the rate. See the help for the Rates tab of Project Planning for more information. If you use the Multicurrency feature, an employee is assigned to his/her home company via the Organization field on the General tab of the Employee Info Center. The home company is the company that manages the employee's timesheet and expense report processes, and which is responsible for paying him or her. If the functional currency for the employee's home company matches either the cost currency or the billing currency for the plan, and you set the Labor Rate Method to From Employee Provisional Rate on the Rates tab, Vision uses the employee's provisional rate. If the functional currency for the employee's home company does not match either the cost currency or the billing currency for the plan, and you set the Labor Rate Method to From Employee Provisional Rate on the Rates tab, Vision sets the rate to zero.
Planned Hours	Enter the planned hours for the current WBS element. This is the number of hours you estimate as necessary to complete work on the element. You can also right-click on this cell to access the options to spread hours across the grid.
Planned Cost	This field displays the planned cost amount for the current WBS element. To calculate the planned cost amount, Vision multiplies the planned hours by the cost rate for the current line item. Your security role must have access to view Cost Rates in order for an amount to display in this column.
Planned Bill	This field shows the planned billing amount for the current WBS element. To calculate the planned billing amount, Vision multiplies the planned hours by the billing rate for the current line item.
Percent Complete Cost	This field displays the percent complete of labor costs for the WBS element in this row. If the Percent Complete Formula option on the General tab is: User-Entered Percent Complete, then you can enter a percent complete here. Any other setting, then this field is non-editable and Vision calculates the value for you.
Percent Complete Bill	This field displays the percent complete of labor billing for the WBS element in this row. If the Percent Complete Formula option selected on the General tab is: User-Entered Percent Complete, then you can enter a percent complete here. Any other setting, then this field is non-editable and Vision calculates the value for you.
Job to Date Hours	This field displays the job-to-date actual hours for the current WBS element, resulting from timesheet postings. You see a value in this field only if you map the current plan to the Info Center.
Job to Date Cost	This field displays the job-to-date actual cost for the current WBS element. To calculate this amount, Vision multiplies the job-to-date hours by the cost rate. You see a value in this field only if you map the current plan to the Info Center. Your security role must have access to view Cost Rates in order for an amount to display in this column.
Job to Date Bill	This field displays the job-to-date actual billing amount for the current WBS element. To calculate this amount, Vision multiplies the job-to-date hours by the billing rate. You see a value in this field only if you map the current plan to the Info Center.
Plan - Estimate at Completion Hours	This field displays the variance between the planned hours and the Estimate at Completion hours for the current WBS element.
Plan - Estimate at Completion Cost	This field displays the variance between the planned labor cost amount and the Estimate at Completion labor cost amount for the current WBS element. Your security role must have access to view Cost Rates in order for an amount to display in this column.
Plan - Estimate at Completion Bill	This field displays the variance between the planned labor billing amount and the Estimate at Completion labor billing amount for the current WBS element.
Estimate to Complete Hours	This field displays the Estimate to Complete hours for the current WBS element. This is the number of hours required starting the day after the ETC/JTD date forward through the end of the plan to complete work on this WBS element. You establish the ETC date on the Options Estimate to Complete/Job to Date Basis dialog box.
Estimate to Complete Cost	This field displays the Estimate to Complete cost for the current WBS element. To calculate this amount, Vision multiplies the number in the Estimate to Complete Hours field by the cost rate method specified on the General tab.
Estimate to Complete Bill	This field displays the Estimate to Complete billing amount for the current WBS element. To calculate this amount, Vision multiplies the number in the Estimate to Complete Hours field by the billing rate method specified on the General tab.
Baseline Hours	If this plan does not yet have a baseline version saved for comparison and analysis, this field is blank. If this plan does have a baseline version, this field displays the number of hours estimated for the current WBS element at the time the baseline version of the plan was saved.
Baseline Cost	If this plan does not yet have a baseline version saved for comparison and analysis, this field is blank. If this plan does have a baseline version, this field displays the cost estimated for the current WBS element at the time the baseline version of the plan was saved.
Baseline Bill	If this plan does not yet have a baseline version saved for comparison and analysis, this field is blank. If this plan does have a baseline version, this field displays the billing amount estimated for the current WBS element at the time the baseline version of the plan was saved.
Planned Revenue	This field displays the revenue amount expected for the current WBS element.
Compensation	The compensation is automatically calculated based on the amounts entered for the labor services and direct expenses as follows: Compensation = Direct Labor + Direct Expense The sum of the amounts in the Compensation (Direct Labor plus Direct Expense), Direct, and Reimbursable Allowance (Reimbursable Expense plus Reimbursable Consultant) fields on the Budget & Revenue tab of Info Center > Project represent the total amount of fee that you expect to receive over the life of the project. The amount that is entered or displayed in each of these fields depends on your approach to project management. Use the following options to determine how these amounts are applied to Vision projects: If the Project Fee Entering Method option on the General tab of Info Center > Project > System Settings is set to At all levels of work breakdown structure, all WBS level fees in the project are editable and will not roll up to a higher level. If the Project Fee Entering Method option on the General tab of Info Center > Project > System Settings is set to At lowest level only (System will Automatically Update Higher Levels), all compensation will be summed to update the project's fees. If the Synchronize fees from Contract to Project option is selected on the General tab of Configuration > Accounting > System Settings, and the Include in Fees option is selected on the Contract Management tab, the fees from the Contract Management tab are synchronized with the associated fees in the Budget & Revenue tab of Info Center > Project.
Direct Consultant	Enter the direct consultant fees that your company expects to receive for the project. This does not include reimbursable consultant amounts. The sum of the amounts in the Compensation (Direct Labor plus Direct Expense), Direct Consultant, and Reimbursable Allowance (Reimbursable Expense plus Reimbursable Consultant) fields on the Budget & Revenue tab of Info Center > Project represent the total amount of fee that you expect to receive over the life of the project. If you set the Project Fee Entering Method on the General tab of Accounting System Settings to At lowest level only (system will automatically update higher levels), then the Consultant Fee field is non-editable at higher levels of the work breakdown structure. All changes to the lowest levels of this field are automatically updated to the higher levels. If you select Plan Compensation Values by Row and Period on the General tab of Planning Configuration, the Refresh Analysis Fees option displays on the Actions toolbar menu. Select this option to copy the Consultant Fee amount from the Labor tab to the Analysis tab. This field displays if you select the Compensation Values by Row and Period option on the General tab of Planning Configuration.
Reimbursable Allowance	This field displays the sum of reimbursable consultant and reimbursable expense amounts. You can also right-click on this cell to access the options for spreading amounts across the grid. The sum of the amounts in the Compensation (Direct Labor plus Direct Expense), Direct Consultant, and Reimbursable Allowance (Reimbursable Expense plus Reimbursable Consultant) fields on the Budget & Revenue tab of Info Center > Project represent the total amount of fee that you expect to receive over the life of the project. If you set the Project Fee Entering Method on the General tab of Accounting System Settings to At lowest level only (system will automatically update higher levels), then the Consultant Fee field is non-editable at higher levels of the work breakdown structure. All changes to the lowest levels of this field are automatically updated to the higher levels. If you select Plan Compensation Values by Row and Period on the General tab of Planning Configuration, the Refresh Analysis Fees option displays on the Actions toolbar menu. Select this option to copy the Consultant Fee amount from the Labor tab to the Analysis tab. This field displays if you select the Compensation Values by Row and Period option on the General tab of Planning Configuration.
Total Compensation	This field displays the sum of the Compensation, Direct Consultant, and Reimbursable Allow columns. You see this field if you select the Compensation Values by Row and Period option on the General tab of Planning Configuration.
Dependency	You can use the Schedule tab of Project Planning to create dependent relationships between items that are at the lowest level of the WBS. These are the child-level, or leaf nodes of the WBS, because they display under a parent level. For the purpose of task dependencies, these are referred to as "tasks" but they may be phases, tasks, or labor codes depending on the WBS structure. This field displays a checkmark if the task has a dependent predecessor or successor task configured on the Schedule tab. When a checkmark displays, the Dependencies option also displays on the right-click menu. Select the Dependencies option to open the Dependencies dialog box, which lists the dependent predecessor or successor tasks for the current row. Refer to this information when you build task dependencies or before you change dates for one or more task rows.

Accordion Calendar Grid

An accordion calendar grid displays on the right side of the Labor tab. It works in conjunction with the Labor Planning grid to display individual line items for the WBS, as well as dates and scales, for the current plan. After you enter information on the Labor Planning grid, you may record specific details about each line item and its respective dates (or range of dates) on the accordion calendar grid. Rather than enter cost information in each cell of the Labor grid, Vision can automatically spread cost across a specified time period within the grid. There may be multiple rates with different start and finish dates set up for an employee. In these cases, Vision uses all dates that are appropriate for the calendar period where cost and billing amounts are being calculated, and calculates the correct rate for that period.

Field	Description
Gantt Chart	Each Gantt Chart bar represents the number of days scheduled for the corresponding WBS element. The bar spans the time between the start date and the finish date of the element (for example, a task or phase). If the Gantt Chart bar displays against a gray background, then that bar is not editable (just as any non-editable field in the planning grid is shaded).
Baseline Hrs	This field displays the baseline hours, by line item.
Planned Hrs	This field displays the forecast hours, by line item. Rather than enter hours in each cell of the Labor grid, Vision can automatically spread hours across a specified time period within the grid.
Actual Hrs	This field displays the actual hours reported via timesheet postings, by line item.
Baseline Cost	This field displays the baseline labor cost, by line item (baseline hours multiplied by employee cost rates).
Planned Cost	This field displays the forecast labor cost, by line item (planned hours multiplied by employee cost rates).
Actual Cost	This field displays the actual labor cost reported in Vision Accounting.
Baseline Bill	This field displays the baseline labor billing amount, by line item (baseline hours multiplied by employee billing rates).
Planned Bill	This field displays the forecast labor billing amount, by line item (planned hours multiplied by employee billing rates).
Actual Bill	This field displays the actual billing amounts reported in Vision Accounting.
Earned Value Percent	Enter the earned value percentage for the current plan level. This percentage is used to calculate the Earned Value based on planned cost and/or billing amounts. Earned Value measures project performance. Indicates how much of the budget should have been spent, considering the work accomplished, and the baseline for the WBS entry. When you enter the Earned Value Percent for the current plan level, note that Vision removes any previously entered earned value percentage for the plan. You can only enter Earned Value Percent at one level for each branch of the plan. Earned Value Percent amounts do not total either as you roll up amounts or spread them across a row. Also, each level of each branch of the plan may only have one entry.
Overflow	When the accordion calendar is outside the plan's date range, an Overflow column is added to the beginning of the calendar's grid. This column holds the amounts that apply to the dates that are outside of the range.