Setting up project preferences

A phase reflects a stage of a project’s lifecycle.

To use a different term than phase, enter it here. It then appears as a column heading when entering time and expenses, on reports, and on selection lists in Ajera.

An activity is the type of work or expense charged to a project. You can specify cost and billing rate by activity. Reports and client invoices can be summarized or subtotaled by activity. For example, Drafting is a labor activity and Mileage is an expense activity.

To use a different term than activity,enter it here.It then appears as a column heading when entering time and expenses, on reports, and on selection lists in Ajera.

unavailable in ajeraCore

Select this check box to add, update, and track tasks for projects and employees.

unavailable in ajeraCore

Tasks include all the work necessary to complete the objective of a phase or project.

If you selected to use tasks and you want to use a different term than task, enter it here. .Your entry then appears as a column heading when entering time and expenses, on reports, and on selection lists in Ajera.

unavailable in ajeraCore unless you have the Consultant Management add-on

• Don't track - do not track consultant budgets. Ajera hides all the related fields.

• Warn if over invoiced - Track consultant budgets. Ajera displays a warning message if you enter costs for the consultant that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.

• Don't allow over invoicing - Track consultant budgets. Ajera does not allow you to enter costs for the consultant that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.

• Warn if over invoiced - commitment # required - Track only consultant budgets that have a commitment # on the Manage tab of the Project Command Center. Ajera displays a warning message if you enter costs for the consultant that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.

• Don't allow over invoicing - commitment # required - Track only consultant budgets that have a commitment # on the Manage tab of the Project Command Center. Ajera does not allow you to enter costs for the consultant that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.

unavailable in ajeraCore unless you have the Consultant Management add-on

• Don't track - Not track expense budgets. Ajera hides all the related fields.
• Warn if over invoiced - Track expense budgets. Ajera displays a warning message if you enter costs for the expense that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.
• Don't allow over invoicing - Track expense budgets. Ajera does not allow you to enter costs for the expense that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.
• Warn if over invoiced - commitment # required - Track only expense budgets that have a commitment # on the Manage tab of the Project Command Center. Ajera displays a warning message if you enter costs for the expense that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.
• Don't allow over invoicing - commitment # required - Track only expense budgets that have a commitment # on the Manage tab of the Project Command Center. Ajera does not allow you to enter costs for the expense that exceed the remaining amount of the budget item.

unavailable in ajeraCore

• Select this check box to use actual labor cost rates for employees instead of averages for budgeting purposes. Ajera looks for an employee cost rate in the following order and uses the first rate it finds:
  1. Regular rate from the wage rate table ( > Setup > Company > Payroll Setup > Wage Rate Table). Ajera retrieves this rate when a row on the wage rate table contains only the employee type and this rate is greater than the employee's pay rate.
  2. Employee's pay rate ( > Setup > Employees > Pay Information tab > Pay Rate field)
  3. Average cost rate for the Employee Type ( > Setup > General > Employee Types)
  4. Rate in the Average Labor Budget Rates Cost field on this window.
• Clear this check box to uses the average labor cost rate from the Employee type, then from company preferences (never the actual rate for the employee).Ajera looks for an employee cost rate in the following order and uses the first rate it finds:
  1. Average cost rate for the Employee Type ( > Setup > General > Employee Types)
  2. Rate in the Average Labor Budget Rates Cost field on this window

unavailable in ajeraCore

• Select this check box to use actual billing rates from the labor rate table instead of average rates for budgeting purposes. Ajera looks for a billing rate in the following order and uses the first rate it finds:
  1. Project's rate table ( > Setup > General > Billing Rate Tables) when the From date <= today
  2. Average billing rates entered for the Employee Type ( > Setup > General > Employee Types)
  3. Rate in the Average Labor Budget Rates Billing field on this window
• Clear this check box to use the average labor billing rate from the Employee type, then from company preferences (never the actual billing rate from the billing rate table). Ajera looks for a billing rate in the following order and uses the first rate it finds:
  1. Average billing rates entered for the Employee Type ( > Setup > General > Employee Types)
  2. Rate in the Average Labor Budget Rates Billing field on this window

unavailable in ajeraCore

Enter the average rate for Ajera to use to calculate the cost amount for budgeted hours.

Ajera uses this amount to calculate cost budgets when you enter budgeted hours without specifying an employee or employee type.

Multi-company only. To enter the average rate for companies other than the main organization, go to > Setup > Company > Companies > Billing/Payroll tab.

unavailable in ajeraCore

Enter the average rate for Ajera to use to calculate the contract amount for budgeted hours.

Ajera uses this amount to calculate fee budgets when you enter budgeted hours without specifying an employee or employee type.

Multi-company only. To enter the average rate for companies other than the main organization, go to > Setup > Company > Companies > Billing/Payroll tab.

After entering all beginning balances for your projects, select this check box.

The Beginning Balances subtab under the Project Info tab in the Project Command Center then no longer appears.

To indicate that all non-project beginning balances are complete, go to the General tab of > Setup > Company > Preferences.

Use percentage adjustments is checked if there are any percentage invoice adjustments.

Check this box to restrict WIP amounts from exceeding the project's contracted amount.

When you check this box, you can now select Adjustment as the Cap WIP method on the > Manage > Project Command Center > Revenue tab:

If your revenue method writes WIP General Ledger entries, Ajera writes WIP transactions and entries to the General Ledger whenever employees enter time and expenses. Then, during billing, Ajera automatically creates a lump sum negative adjustment for any amount over the contract.

For example if you have a labor contract of $10,000 and $13,000 in WIP, Ajera creates a negative $3,000 adjustment to make the invoice amount $10,000. Ajera then self-calculates an adjustment amount as entries are created beyond the contract amount. During billing, Ajera creates a lump sum negative adjustment for any amount over the contract.

When you check this box, you can now select Write-off WIP as the Cap WIP method on the > Manage > Project Command Center > Revenue tab:

If your revenue method writes WIP General Ledger entries, Ajera writes WIP transactions and entries to the General Ledger whenever employees enter time and expenses. Then, Ajera automatically writes off all entries above the contract cap.

Check the methods (described below) that you want Ajera to use to calculate project revenue. The methods you check appear on the > Manage > Project Command Center > Revenue tab so you can assign them to projects or phases.

When you select the Percent of contract, Formula, or Formula + WIP formulas, Ajera automatically imports the Revenue Recognition dashboard tabs, including a Revenue Details tab.

Disabled revenue methods (grayed out) indicate that the method is currently assigned to a project or phase and cannot be unchecked.

• None - Check this box to use this method for those nonbillable project phases on which you do not intend to recognize revenue, such as business development or administrative efforts.

When employees enter time and expenses, Ajera does not create earned WIP entries. When you bill time and expenses, Ajera does not create reversing WIP entries.

• Percent of contract - Check this box if you use a progress billing type, where the amount that you bill may not correspond with the actual percent of work completed.This method requires that you specify over- and under-billed accounts for your Balance Sheet and deferred revenue accounts for your Income Statement.

When employees enter time and expenses, Ajera does not create earned WIP entries. When you bill time and expenses, Ajera does not create reversing WIP entries. When you bill the project, Ajera creates billed entries. Ajera creates adjusting revenue entries, based on revenue percent entered in a new task.

• Formula - Check this box to specify a unique way to calculate revenue. This method requires that you set up a revenue formula and specify over- and under-billed accounts for your Balance Sheet and deferred revenue accounts for your Income Statement.

If you choose this option, go to > Setup > Company > Revenue Formulas to set up your custom revenue formulas.

When employees enter time and expenses, Ajera does not create earned WIP entries. When you bill, Ajera does not reverse WIP entries. Ajera creates revenue entries when you enter a revenue amount in new task. If you write off WIP, Ajera does not create General Ledger entries.

• Billed - Check this box if you bill work during the same accounting period in which the work is performed.

When employees enter time and expenses, Ajera does not create earned WIP entries. When you bill time and expenses, Ajera creates billed entries. When you bill, Ajera does not reverse WIP entries. If you write off WIP, Ajera does not create General Ledger entries.

• Formula plus WIP- Check this box if you bill for time and material. This method requires that you set up a revenue formula and specify over- and under-billed accounts for your Balance Sheet and deferred accounts for your Income Statement.

When employees enter time and expenses, Ajera creates earned WIP entries. When you bill time and expenses, Ajera reverses earned WIP entries and creates billed entries.