Set up project items

Use this to set default information which is used each time the project item is added to a project. You can change this when you create or amend individual projects.

The options available here depend on the settings you have chosen for project items in the Project Structure settings.

You must:

  • Set up project item types in the Project Structure settings.
  • Define additional fields

Open: Project Accounting > Project Maintenance > Project Items and Groups.

  • Select the Project Items tab.
    • Click Add or select an item from the list, and click Edit.
    • If you want to prevent the project item from being used in new project structures, clear the Item available for selection tick box. The item will not be included in the list of project items when setting up a new project structure.

Enter the Details

  • Description: A description of the group or project item.
  • Additional information: Enter details in the additional information fields that you have set up to record with this item.

Enter the Costs and Charges

  1. Enter the Budgets information.

    Cost Qty

    Cost value

    If required, enter the default cost quantity and cost value budget for this item.

    Revenue Qty

    Revenue Value

    If required, enter the default revenue quantity and revenue value budget for this item.

    2. Note: You must have chosen to display and track cost budgets and display and track revenue budgets in the project structure settings for projects, groups and project items.

  2. Enter the Costs information:

    You can enter this information if you selected Display and track cost units for this project item type on the Display Features tab for the project item type. This information is used by default when you add the item to your projects although you can override it using the Cost and Charges tab when you add or amend the project.

    Unit cost

    Enter the default cost of the item (per unit of measure).

    This is used as the default cost value when entering sales, purchase and nominal transactions analysed to this project item. It is also used as the default value on cost adjustments for the project item. You can override this default value when you enter those transactions.

    Note: This unit cost is not used when entering timesheets or expenses and has no link to or association with the cost rates for timesheets which are set up within Project Maintenance.

    Cost unit

    Enter the default unit of measure for the item, e.g. each or hour.

    Note: The Cost Unit selected defaults from the Project item type, but you can override this here.

    Uplift.

    Enter the default overhead uplift to be applied.

    This may be specified as a percentage of the cost or as a fixed amount, depending on your Overhead Absorption Settings.

  3. Enter the Time & materials pricing rules:

    Timesheets

    Select the pricing rule to use for timesheets.
    Stock issues

    Select the pricing rule to use for materials.
    Other costs

    Select the pricing rule to use for other costs.

Enter the nominal defaults

  1. Enter the default nominal accounts for expense and revenue postings.
    • Expense: Select the default expense nominal code. This is the nominal account that expense transactions will be posted to.

    • Revenue: Select the default revenue nominal code. This is the nominal account that revenue transactions (such as invoices) will be posted to.

  2. Note: Only applicable if WIP is enabled.

    The work in progress (WIP) account, used to gather project costs for the duration of the project, is enabled on the Project Accounting Settings | Posting tab when you set up nominal accounts for postings. You can also specify on the Posting tab the default options for cascading the WIP nominal account through the project structure. The second level of cascade is the project item.

    Use Specified

    If this was selected on the Project Accounting Settings Postings tab, this will display Yes and you will not be able to amend the setting here. If it was selected on the project item type, this will display Yes and you will not be able to amend the setting here.

    If not you can select it here.

    Note: If you are adding a project item type, select the Use Specified check box. If you are editing a project item type, click Settings to select Use Specified.

    Select Use Specified to select a nominal account with cost centre and department. This nominal code with cost centre and department along with the Use Specified setting will be set on all lower levels in the structure.

    If you select Use Specified after WIP has been in use, the WIP account set on items below will be overwritten with the WIP account with cost centre and department set here. You will lose any settings you have made manually The Use Specified setting will also be set to Yes on lower levels in the structure.

    If you clear Use Specified after it has been in use, the cost centre and department will be removed from but the nominal account will remain. The Use Specified setting will be set to No on lower levels in the structure.

    Nominal account

    If Use Specified was selected within Project Accounting Settings | Posting, then this will show the nominal account with cost centre and department specified on the Posting tab and you will not be able to amend it here. If it was selected on the project item type, then this will show the nominal set on the item type and you will not be able to amend the setting here.

    If not, you can select a Nominal account here.

    Note: This must be a Balance Sheet account.
    1. Click Settings.
    2. Make your nominal selection.

      3. Use Specified

      If this was selected on the Project Accounting Settings Postings tab, this will display Yes and you will not be able to amend the setting here. If it was selected on the project item type, this will display Yes and you will not be able to amend the setting here.

      If not you can select it here.

      Note: If you are adding a project item type, select the Use Specified check box. If you are editing a project item type, click Settings to select Use Specified.

      Select Use Specified to select a nominal account with cost centre and department. This nominal code with cost centre and department along with the Use Specified setting will be set on all lower levels in the structure.

      If you select Use Specified after WIP has been in use, the WIP account set on items below will be overwritten with the WIP account with cost centre and department set here. You will lose any settings you have made manually The Use Specified setting will also be set to Yes on lower levels in the structure.

      If you clear Use Specified after it has been in use, the cost centre and department will be removed from but the nominal account will remain. The Use Specified setting will be set to No on lower levels in the structure.

      Nominal account

      If Use Specified was selected within Project Accounting Settings | Posting, then this will show the nominal account with cost centre and department specified on the Posting tab and you will not be able to amend it here. If it was selected on the project item type, then this will show the nominal set on the item type and you will not be able to amend the setting here.

      If not, you can select a Nominal account here.

      Note: This must be a Balance Sheet account.

      Note: Cascading from the project item applies when you have not selected Use Specified.

      Cascade

      Select the Cascade options for the nominal account.

      You can cascade the WIP nominal account to:

      Project Items within Projects

      		If you select Project Items, you can also choose to cascade to project items within projects. If you do, the WIP nominal account is set on all project items within projects.
    3. Click OK.

    If you change the WIP code, any new costs use the new WIP code. Any existing costs that have not been finalised will post with the WIP code that was there previously as it is held on the cost transaction.

Add Attachments

To add a file to the account or record:

  1. Click Add File.

  2. Select the file(s) that you want to add.

    A copy of the file will be displayed in the list, and will be marked with a status of New. The file will only be added to the account or record when you save it.

Tip: You can also drag-and-drop files from Windows Explorer to add files to the attachments list.

To add a link to a file:

  1. Click Add Link.

  2. Select the file(s) that you want to add a link to.

    A link to the file will be displayed in the list, and will be marked with a status of New. The link will only be added to the account or record when you save it.

Tip: You can also drag-and-drop files from Windows Explorer to add links to the attachments list; hold down the Alt key to create a link (instead of adding the file).

To add a link to a folder:

  1. Click Add Folder.

  2. Select the folder(s) that you want to add a link to.

    A link to the folder will be displayed in the list, and will be marked with a status of New. The link will only be added to the account or record when you save it.

Tip: You can also drag-and-drop folders from Windows Explorer to add folder links to the attachments list.

To view the file, link or folder from the account record:

  1. Select the item.
  2. Click View.
  3. If you are viewing a file or link, you can either view or save it.
    • To view the file, click View.

    • To save a copy of the file, click Save As.

      Note: To modify an attached file; save the file and edit it, and then add it as a file again (you will be asked to overwrite the old file). To modify a linked file, you just need to edit and save the file in its original location.

Note: If you delete a file, the file will be removed from the server. If you delete a link or a folder, only the link will be removed and the file or folder that is linked to will remain intact.

To delete a file, link or folder:

  1. Select the item to delete.
  2. Click Delete.

  3. The item will be marked with a status of Deleted.

    Tip: If you do not want to delete an item, select it and click Undelete.

  4. You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the item when you save the account or record.

You can enter a description for an item in the attachments list:

  1. Select the item.
  2. Click Set description.

  3. Enter the description for the item and click OK.

    The description will be displayed in the Description column.

See also

Steps in this task

Define project item types

Other tasks

Time and materials pricing rules

Define additional information fields

Set up overhead absorption

Reference

Enter or amend project details

Understanding project budgeting

Understanding committed costs for projects

Overhead absorption

Set up timesheet cost rates, charge rates and pay rates

Select nominal accounts for postings

Enable WIP on projects

Set up project item type nominal defaults

Enter or amend project nominal defaults