Working with Cost Accounts and Project Expenses 253
Adding Expenses and Entering Cost Information
Use the Project Expenses window to create, view, and edit expenses and related cost information for the open project. You can assign a cost account and corresponding work breakdown structure (WBS) code so you can identify the project component associated with the expense, and the area of work with which it is associated. The Project Expenses window is displayed when you choose Project, Expenses. To include Project Expense Details at the bottom of the Project Expenses window, click the Display Options bar and choose Expense Details. (The box next to Expense Details should be marked.)
For steps on adding expenses to activities from the Activities window, see “Working with Activities” on page 201.
Add expenses Choose Project, Expenses. Click Add. Select the activity that incurs the expense, then click the Select button. Group the activities in the Select Activity dialog box so you can easily find the activity.
Click the General, Activity, Costs, and Description tabs, and enter the expense’s information. For an explanation of the fields on these tabs, refer to “Defining Expense Details” on page 256.
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For more information on automatically calculating actuals, see “Updating, Scheduling, and Leveling” on page 283.
Enter cost information for expenses Choose Project, Expenses. Select the expense whose cost information you want to enter, then click the Costs tab. Type the number of units you expect the expense’s assigned activity to use, then supply the price for each unit. The module calculates and displays the budgeted cost of the selected expense (budgeted units * price/unit) in the Budgeted Cost field.
To automatically calculate an expense’s actual cost based on the activity’s completion percentage, mark the Auto Compute Actuals checkbox. The module automatically updates the actual/remaining units when project actuals are applied. This setting assumes that all work for the activity proceeds according to plan.
Enter an expense accrual type Choose Project, Expenses. Select the expense whose accrual type you want to enter, then click the Activity tab.
Select one of the following accrual types:
■Start of Activity, to accrue the entire expense on the date the activity begins
■End of Activity, to accrue the entire expense on the date the activity ends
■Uniform Over Activity, to evenly distribute the expense over the course of the activity’s duration
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To set up expense categories, choose Admin, Admin Categories, then click the Expense Categories tab.
Assign an expense category Choose Project, Expenses. Select the expense to which you want to assign an expense category. Expense categories enable you to classify the type of cost and can be used to group, sort, filter, and report the expense and cost information for your projects. Click the General tab, then click the Browse button in the Expense Category field. Select the category you want to assign, then click the Select button.
Change an expense assignment Choose Project, Expenses. Select the expense you want to reassign, then click the Activity tab. Click the Browse button in the Activity Name field. Select the activity to which you want to reassign the expense, then click the Select button.
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Defining Expense Details
Use Expense Details to view and edit detailed information about the selected expense item. Expense Details appear in the Project Expenses window when you choose Expense Details from the Display Options bar.
General information Use the General tab to define general information for the selected expense item, such as the item name and category. You can also specify the item’s vendor, cost account, and document number.
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The project administrator defines expense categories in the Admin Categories dialog box.
The purchase order or invoice number for the selected expense
Activity information Use the Activity tab to change the selected expense item’s activity assignment and specify the expense item’s accrual type. You can also view the item’s activity assignment according to WBS element, activity status, activity start and finish dates, and primary resource.
The ID and name of the activity that incurs the selected expense
The code for the WBS element that contains the selected expense’s assigned activity
The rate at which the selected expense accrues
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Costs Use the Costs tab to specify cost amounts for the selected expense item, including price/unit, budgeted cost, actual cost, and remaining cost. You can also indicate if you want to calculate an expense item’s actual cost according to activity completion percentage.
Type a value to quantify the expense.
For example, type “lbs” for pounds.
Mark to indicate whether the actual and remaining units for the expense are computed automatically using the budgeted cost and the activity’s schedule percent complete.
Description Use the Description tab to enter a description of the selected expense item. You can type a new description. You can use HTML editing features, which include formatting text, inserting pictures, copying and pasting information from other document files (while retaining formatting), and adding hyperlinks.
Primavera - Project Management