Set up and configure the workspace

General settings

Number series

Go to the Number series (CS201010) window.

Check which number series your company uses and, if necessary, create the following:

• EPCLAIM - expense claims
• TIMECARD - time cards
• PMTRAN - project transactions
• PROJECT - project numbers

Segment keys

Go to the Segment keys (CS202000) window and, if necessary, create the following:

• EMPLOYEE
• PROJECT
• PROTASK - project task
• ACCGROUP - account group

Reason codes

Go to the Reason codes (CS211000) window. You must provide reason codes when you issue stock on projects, for example:

Labour rates

Before using labour rates, you have to create non-stock items of the type Labour and link them to employees. For example, you can create a labour rate called Senior consultant and link this to the employees working as senior consultants. When creating a labour rate, you have to select an item class and a posting class.

For each item, the posting class defines the accounts and subaccounts used to post transactions to the general ledger.

Review the posting classes

Go to the Posting classes (IN206000) window.

The following posting classes are available for the Projects workspace:

These posting classes are linked to the item classes below.

Review the item classes

Go to the Item classes (IN201000) window.

The following item classes are available for the Projects workspace:

These posting classes and item classes ensure that the labour and expense items used in the Projects workspace are linked to the correct general ledger accounts.

If the accounts that are linked to the stock and non-stock items are not linked to an account group, transactions on these accounts will not show up in the project balance.

Create labour items

Go to the Non-stock items (IN202000) window.

Create non-stock items with the type Labour. Labour items provide information on hourly rates, general ledger accounts, and VAT categories you want to use to account for labour in projects.

Example:

On the General ledger accounts tab, check that these accounts are correct: Expense accrual account, Expense account, Purchase accrual account, Sales account and Purchase price variance account.

Organisational settings

Work calendar

Go to the Work calendar (CS209000) window.

Work calendars are connected to employees and determine how many hours employees should register in their time sheets. Work calendars are also used for employees that work part-time.

On the Exceptions tab, you can register days that are considered public holidays in your country.

Employee classes

Go to the Employee classes (EP202000) window.

Employee classes are used to group employees with similar properties and to provide default settings for new employees. The system contains one employee class to begin with.

On the General settings tab, review the general ledger accounts and settings to make sure they are correct.

Departments

Go to the Departments (EP201500) window.

Create the departments you need for your company, for example:

Roles

Go to the User roles (SM201005) window.

Create the roles you need for your company and assign the proper levels of access to the Project Accounting windows.

Positions

Go to the Positions (EP201000) window.

Create the positions you need for your company, for example:

Employees

Go to the Employees (EP203000) window.

Create the employees you need for your company. You can start by creating yourself as an employee for testing purposes. For detailed guidance, see Create an employee.

Users

Go to the Users (SM201010) window.

1. In the Login field, select your own user profile. Your user profile is displayed.
2. In the Linked entity field, select the employee profile you created for yourself.
3. Repeat this procedure for other users if needed. If an employee profile is not linked to a user profile, it is not possible to register time sheets or expenses for the given employee.

Company tree

Go to the Company tree (EP204060) window.

This window is used to set up which users will have access to employees’ time sheets and expenses. For example, if you provide a user with project-controller access in the top of the company tree, that user will have access to time sheets and expense claims of all employees working on the project.

This can, for example, be useful when an employee is not able to enter their own time sheet. The project controller can then enter the time sheet on behalf of the employee.

Project settings

Project accounting preferences

Go to the Project accounting preferences (PM101000) window.

Please review all the preferences for the Projects workspace. For detailed guidance on setting these preferences, see: Set preferences for projects

Visibility settings

Select the workspaces you want to integrate with the Projects workspace. If, for example, you have not selected Time and expenses, users will not be able to register hours and expenses to projects.

Account groups

Account groups make it possible to transfer information between the Projects workspace and other workspaces by associating transactions posted in other workspaces with a given project. Account groups are used to track the budget, expenses, and revenues of projects. An account group of a particular type is mapped to specific general ledger accounts of the same type.

Review the account groups and linked general ledger accounts shown in the Account groups (PM201000) window. If needed, you can create supplementary account groups. For more information, see: Create an account group

For any project, the related account groups are displayed on the Balances tab in the Projects (PM301000) window and show the accumulated transaction amounts for the linked general ledger accounts.

If you want Visma Net to display the general ledger accounts for stock items, non-stock items, expense items, and labour items in the project balance, you must make sure that you have registered the expense accounts for these items.

You can only select accounts that are linked to account groups in the Allocation rules (PM207500) window.

Rate tables

If your project uses a pricing model in which price may differ depending on multiple factors, such as task and stock item, you need to define this model in Visma Net by using rate tables that provide rates for different sets of factors. For more information, see: Configure a rate table

Go to the Rate tables (PM204200) window.

Use the following rate table:

Rate types

Rate types define how rates should be selected for specific steps of the allocation rules.

Go to the Rate types (PM204100) window.

The Projects service comes with the following rate types. The allocation rules provided by Visma Net use the following rate types:

Rate lookup rules

Go to the Rate lookup rules (PM205000) window.

Rate lookup rules allow you to create sequences that the service will use to find the correct rate in the rate table. For example: If you want to use different rates for different tasks, you can select the Project task check box in a sequence, and then use the Rate tables (PM204200) window to define the rate, and to specify the particular tasks you want to apply this rate for.

If you select the Project task check box, the Rate tables (PM204200) window will display the Project task tab. The same logic goes for project, account group, inventory, and employee.

*1.

In the example below, we use inventory for Invoicing rate for labour: This adds the Inventory tab to the window. You now have to link a non-stock item of the type Labour to the rate.

Rate table: STANDARD

Rate type: 1 - Invoicing rate for labour (the labour category assigned to each employee determines posting).

Rate table: STANDARD

Rate type: 2 - Invoicing rate for material.

In the example above, Visma Net activates the Account group tab, and you will have to link a rate to an account group.

In this case, you must make sure that the expense account for the stock item you use for material on a project is registered to the account group you select for the rate. Otherwise, it will not show up on your project balances.

Rate table: STANDARD

Rate type: 3 - Invoicing rate for subcontractors.

Rate table: STANDARD

Rate type: 4 - Invoicing rate for travel expenses.

Maintain rate tables

Go to the Rate table maintenance (PM206000) window to specify the actual rates for each sequences or for each combination of particular factors.

On the Rate tab you set the start/end date and the actual rate for the selected combination. The second tab will depend on the factor chosen in the Rate lookup rules (PM205000) window. It can be either Project, Project task, Account group, Item or Employee. On this second tab, you specify the parameters for the given rate.

Manage rate tables for labour categories

In the example below, the rate type is 1 - Invoicing rate for labour, and for the rate lookup rules, inventory is set as the factor that defines the rate selection. Therefore, you will see the Inventory tab.

Manage rate tables for material

In the example below, the Material tab is displayed because Account group is selected in the rate lookup rules. The rate is valid for all transactions that are linked to account group 6 - Material.

Manage rate tables for subcontractors

Manage rates tables for travel expenses

Project attributes

For more information about how to create project attributes, see: Create project attributes

The attributes shown in the Project attributes (PM202000) window (and on the Attributes tab in other project-related windows) can be used when you set up allocation rules for a project:

MARGIN (can be used with the allocation rule Cost plus ).

If you now enter 10 as the attribute for margin in a project (with the allocation rule for cost plus projects), the system calculates a 10% margin over all costs.

Allocation and invoicing rules

In the Projects workspace, the process of allocating amounts to specific accounts, account groups (or both) to acknowledge expenses and revenues is called ‘allocation’.

Each month (or other period), you can allocate amounts of the expenditures involved in the project and the predicted future revenues.

Invoicing rules are used to specify which allocated transactions in the Projects workspace that you want to include in the invoices.

You select the transaction based on the account group they are associated with.

Allocation rules are used to correctly track project expenditures and revenues.

Allocation rules

If your project uses a complex cost accrual model, allocation rules ensure that project expenditures and future revenues are tracked correctly. Allocation rules are managed in the Allocation rules (PM207500) window. For more information, see: Set allocation rules

The following allocation rules are included in Projects workspace:

Invoicing rules

Invoicing rules define which of the transactions should be used for invoicing and which accounts should be used to record the transactions that are generated in the invoicing process. Invoicing rules are managed in the Invoicing rules (PM207000) window.

For more information, see: Create an invoicing rule

The following invoicing rules are included in Projects workspace:

Supported combinations of allocations and invoicing rules

The following combinations of allocation and invoicing rules are supported by the Projects workspace:

* Mark WIP account group in Invoicing rules.

Related pages

Concepts

• About integration with other modules
• About the project life cycle
• Preparation
• About setup and configuration of the workspace

Tasks

• Set preferences for projects

Windows

• Time and expenses preferences (EP101000)
• Project accounting preferences (PM101000)