The Projects Manager
From the Projects Main Menu, Add New Projects is for new data entry, and will present only the new record for entry. Press the Add button to begin adding a new job to the system. Edit Open Projects will present Jobs from the system that are currently not complete. This link opens the Projects form listing all open jobs for editing and reviewing. This will not list the jobs that have been checked off as complete.
Open the Projects Manager now, and proceed with the Overview below. We start with the Customer Header Information that is located at the top of the Projects Manager interface. We go through each section of the Projects Manager and offer some basic descriptions:
Customer/Header Info
The Job Phase number and the Customer (Header) Information are the hub or center of the Projects Manager, and the bottom screens (starting with Sales/Prod at the left) of the Projects Manager are the spokes for all the information that can be associated with the job phase.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Customer/Header section of the Projects Manager:
Job Number
The system will automatically assign a new job number and phase number for the new job. This number is the next sequential job number in the system. The job number is a required field for a new job, as indicated by the red box around the field. The Add Manual button can be used to add a job number manually. This is a sequential numeric field (we suggest 4 digit) that can be repeated so you can have multiple Phase/SalesOrder#'s for each JobNo.
Phase Number
A job can have an unlimited number of phases. The only requirement is that each phase number has to be unique. The job phase number is the same thing as the Sales Order # in the Sales Order form. Its a good idea when starting a new phase, to use a decimal and number after the main job number. The first phase of every job is the same as the Job number. The phase number is a required field for a new job, as indicated by the red box around the field. A unique numeric (we suggest 4 digit with decimals) field used to represent this record throughout the rest of the system. This number is used for Materials, Labor, and Purchase Orders.
Type (Order Type)
The Type field is for entering the Type of Job being added. Order Types are used in reporting and job costing. A recommended convention is RW for ReWork, NO for New Order, and CO for Change Order. The job type is a required field for a new job, as indicated by the red box around the field. To be able to type in or select a Type for a job, the code must exist in the Order Type Manager which is accessed from the Sales/Shipping menu. (If you are using a version of BusinessMaster prior to version 5.26, then this is an open field).
Action
This is a text field used to communicate the type of SalesOrder Action. Action codes are not required, and not used in reporting, but they can be useful in differentiating one phase of a job from another phase in the job. A convention for actions might be R for Repair, or W for Warranty, C for Customer, or anything you can think of that would be useful in describing a particular phase of a job. The action field is a secondary field that can be searched and sorted through.
CustomerID
The CustomerID is a required field for a new job, as indicated by the red box around the field. The list here is pulled from the BusinessMaster AddressBook.
Description
This is the description or notes for the particular Phase or Sales Order# of the job. The description can be up to 255 characters long, and every time you see that particular job phase, you are always going to see the same description as entered in this field, whether it's on reports, or drop down lists, or purchase orders, etc. It's the same as how you always see the company name when you see the customerID.
Add/Edit Customer Buttons
Pressing either of these buttons will open the Addressbook to add or edit the customers information for this Project. Once Added or Edited in the AddressBook, click the Copy and Paste ID button to jump back to the Project.
Duplicate Button
Pressing this button will duplicate the information for the current job phase and allow for quick entry of a new phase of the job.
Explode Lines Button
If you have multiple Line Items in the Line Items screen, and you press the Explode Lines button, it will take each Line Item entry and explode it out to its own phase of the job, including stockbills, materials lists, and labor estimates, if there are any for those Line Items. The line items from the original phase are left intact for things like shipping and project finished goods and things like that. This is helpful because a lot of times when they are different products, you really do want to track them seperately. They need to have their own schedule and materials, etc.
Terms
This is a text field for payment terms and is for customers who needs some extra tracking inside of BusinessMaster, where they don't necessarily want to track it only in their accounting packages. Terms is really an open field, and can be used by assigning codes to stand for different terms. For example, "A" could stand for 100% on deliver, "B" could stand for 50% down and 50% on delivery, and "C" could stand for 50% down, 40% on deliver, 10% on completion of installation. Using Terms here is a shortcut way to put in this kind of information. This is helpful when doing progressive billing because things like "Net30" aren't going to apply here.
BillingMethod
A 7-digit Text field for Billing Details. Using a convention such as M for Mail, F for Fax, H for Hand Deliver, you could use the sequence "MMM" for 3 mail billing stages, or "FFM" for Fax the first 2, and Mail the last. This is another open field that can be used to assign codes to represent different billing methods. An example of a billing method is "FFF", where it is would be used in conjunction with our "C" term above, and stand for "Fax, Fax, Fax" for faxing all three billings to the customer. Another example is "MH", which could stand for "Mail, Hand Delivery" for delivering the billings.
Priority
This field is used if a customer wants to set a priority for all phases that are scheduled in the same week, sorted numerically.
Sold By
This field can be used for the salesperson or account representative who sold the order to enter his or her initials here.
Add Manual Button
Pressing this button makes it possible to manually add a new job and phase number, instead of having the system assign it automatically.
Edit Phase Num Button
Pressing this button makes it possible to change the phase number that is otherwise locked.
Here is a screenshot of the Customer/Header Information:
Here is a screenshot of the bottom bar of the Projects Manager:
Sales/Prod <Top>
The Sales/Prod section is for Bidding, Pricing, Shipping information, Specification Tracking, Production Scheduling and for checking Job Statuses.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Sales/Prod section of the Projects Manager:
Customer PO
A field for the Customer Purchase Order number, if customer supplies one.
Pricing Categories
These are pricing breakdown categories. The Labels for the Pricing Categories can be customized to whatever you decide, and then there is a Total Price field to indicate the Total Price for the Job. The Labels are defined in the Preferences. The four Pricing fields added together should match the Total Price as indicated in the TotalPrice field. These Prices are primarily used for Job Costing. For example, I could see my TotalPrice on a job is $10,000 as indicated in the TotalPrice field, and see from the Project Data that my total costs were $9000. Therefore I know that made $1000 for this Job. These Pricing fields can help you sort out how much you have forecasted in different aspects of a Project/Sale. These are the Sales Dollars represented in a Project. Pressing the UpdateTotal Button makes the Total Price the sum of the four Pricing Categories. The TotalPrice is also used as a Job Costing measuring stick to tell whether you are billing enough on your jobs.
Estimated Profit
This is a new feature that gives you the Total Profit estimate for the Job based on the Estimated Materials cost Total from the Materials screen, and the Estimated Labor cost Total from the Labor Depts screen. Click the Update Costs button when you want to refresh the numbers. This feature is not intended to supplant Job Costing. It is just an initial indicator of what kind of profit you can expect from the Job, if it is being estimated accurately, and conversely, it can help you to recognize when jobs are not being estimated accurately.
Shipping Info
The Ship To Address for the customer is imported automatically when the Header Information is entered, if the Customers shipping information is present in the BusinessMaster Addressbook. If it is not present, and you want the Customer shipping info here, it must be manually entered, or you add the Ship To info for the Customer in the AddressBook and then click the "Import Ship To Button."
Import Ship To Button
Imports the Shipping Address from the AddressBook if it has been added on the fly.
Ship Via
This is the drop down menu for selecting the Shipping Method.
Customer Notes
This is an open field for entering internal company notes pertaining the Customer.
Job Specs
Underneath the Customer Notes are 12 Specification fields. The left column of 6 fields is for Numeric Specs, and right column of 6 fields is for alpha/numeric Specs. The Labels for the Specs can be customized to whatever you wish in the Preferences. Anything you type in the Spec fields will be available in the Dropdown Selection menu for future entries, to help keep the Spec variables you want to track consistent. Jobs can then be compared against one another as an aspect of Job Costing and determining what aspects of your jobs are profitable and unprofitable.
Bidding Info
The first fields at the top are for bidding information; the BidReqDate is the request date for the bid. The BidDueDate is the Due Date for the bid. The BidCompleteDate is the Completion Date for the bid. The FirmPrice checkbox is a Status box to indicate when the bidding prices are considered to be firm in the system.
Transferred to Finished Goods
Transferred to Finished Goods and its partner field, "Inv Loc" can be used when the Projects Manager is being used to build Production Items. This process is similar to a Production Work Order in BusinessMaster, but allows for more flexibility for semi-custom scenarios like when the Bill of Materials actuals change during production. If you are building something standard or for stock, that has a Bill of Materials in the ItemMaster, that is built in a typical production manufacturing method, then this feature can be set up and used to Transfer Line Items to Inventory at a specific point in Production. This happens either by setting the transfer to happen according to a Time Punch toward a Labor Department, or when the Completed Stage is checked off for the job.
Designed Milestone
This Checkbox serves as a milestone to indicate when the Job has been Designed.
Detailed/MRP Milestone
This Checkbox serves as a milestone to indicate when the Job/Phase has been Detailed and Qualified for MRP. Unless this Detailed/MRP checkbox has been checked off, the Job/Sales Order will not be included in MRP runs. This is to make sure that the jobs being considered in MRP have been qualified. Once checked, the Job/Phase is date stamped in the
Purchased Milestone
This Checkbox serves as a milestone to indicate when the Job has had the necessary Materials purchased.
Production Stage Dates
The Production Stage Dates are the fundamental building blocks for top level Production Scheduling in BusinessMaster. This is a central screen where data is entered that corresponds to your production schedule. You may go in and not know everything about a job, but you can enter in general dates you expect to start a job or install it. As the job progresses you will refer to this screen, and update these dates to keep your schedule accurate. (Another screen in BusinessMaster that is useful for managing your Production Schedule is the Pricing Worksheet.) A row of 6 Production Stage Date fields are located at the bottom of the Sales/Prod screen. These are for Production Milestone Dates that all of your jobs have to go through. We call them "Stages" because of the relationship these dates have with the specific Production Departments on the Labor collection side of the program.
Production Stage Labels/Headings
The middle four Department Headings/Labels can be customized in the Utilities/Preferences/Production section, to more accurately represent your Production Schedule. The names of these fields should fit your basic process for all jobs in your shop at a top level of production. The first and last stages are fixed with their "Start" and "Complete" labels and these Labels cannot be customized. This is due to their integration in the rest of the program. These Stages can mean different things, depending on your production process, but the Labels for these two are fixed. For some people checking off the Start Stage tells a customer that the Project is in the Design Department, whereas another customer may say that checking off the Start status means that the project has left Design and is actually being Cut or Assembled. So there are many ways for the "Start" field to be used, but the bottom line is the Start Stage will mean a customer is starting something on a project, and the Complete Stage will mean that nothing more will be done on the project, or if there is, it will be a rework.
Production Stage Status CheckBoxes
Each stage has a date to be Started By, and a Completion Status Box indicating whether the Stage has been completed or not. If the specific Stage has not been completed and the date is within seven (7) days from today, the background will be yellow. If the date is earlier than today and not completed, the background will be red. These color codes basically tell you which section is behind or on schedule and where action needs to be taken immediately. Additionally, when you check off a completion box, you will see beneath the stage a Grey Box that lists the Actual Date the stage was checked off as completed. Once the stage has been checked as completed, the only way the Schedule Date or Completion date can be edited is from the Scheduling Updates Manager.
Bump/Push Buttons
Beneath each Production Stage Date field is a Bump/Push button. These buttons are for adjusting the Production Schedule for your jobs. When you click this button for any of the 6 stages, a box will pop up asking how many days forward you would like to bump production. When you select a number of days, the system will Push that date up the selected number of days, and adjust the remaining scheduled Start Stages accordingly.
Master Stage Report Button
You can run this report from the Production Stages screen. It shows all the phases for the current job that is being displayed. So we are looking at the production status here of the job as a whole, broken down by phase numbers This is convenient when there are many phases for a particular job to get a quick report for viewing all the specific stages of production for that job.
JobMaster Report Button
You can also run this report from the Production Stages screen. It is a one page master report that is only for the specific phase being evaluated. It shows the Description, the Ship To, the Specifications that are set up, and shows the Production Stages for this phase. This can serve as a print out for your Production Manager to indicate whats being made and it's status. This print out could be attached to shop drawings, and things like that.
Here is a screenshot of the Sales/Prod Screen:
Line Items <Top>
Because a Job Phase is also a SalesOrder, you can assign Line Items for shipping and Invoicing from this screen, with conventional Sales Order methods. Each Job Phase can have Line Items with the typical sale of products and goods that come off the shelf.
If you are manufacturing Finished Goods for instance, you could have an unlimited number of line items listed in the Line Item screen, all going to a Finished Good. This is untypical for most Work Order systems. Most systems only allow you to build one Work Order per line item at a time. You could build a Work Order from 14 line items here and our system accomodates that. This is an innovative aspect of BusinessMaster.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Line Items section of the Projects Manager:
Line#
The Line Item Number. This is only a reference number, and is assigned automatically, or you can change Line#'s manually to reorder items in the list.
QtyOrd
This is where you enter the Quantity Ordered for the line item.
Qty B/O
This field reflects the Quantity placed on Back Order and is updated to the Quanity Ordered while adding the current line. Upon exiting QtyOrd, the system will insert the QtyOrd into this field.
ItemPart#
This is where you select Items from your list of items in the ItemMaster.
Description
The description of the Line Item, as it is in the ItemMaster. Descriptions can be edited per Order and will not change the default descriptions as they exist in the ItemMaster records. If you would like to have a larger description field in which to write your descriptions, simply double-click on the description field. This will give you a larger popup field in which to write your description. When you are done writing your description in the popup window, double-click that window to get back to the Line Items.
Large Format Descriptions
The Description field for Line Items can be customized to always display in a larger format, so that you can view more of the text. This is helpful when you have a long descriptions or need to write long descriptions for PO's and Sales Orders, and need to be able to view them. You change the format in the Preferences, by placing a check in the Large Format S/O and P/O checkbox on the Options screen.
ItemPart# Drop Down Menu
The drop down menu for selecting parts gives you additional information. It shows the Part#, Description, Inventory Location, Current Inventory, and SODemand (The demand of other Open Sales Orders for the Part). The Inventory Quantities and Projected Demand are updated automatically every time the Projects Manager is opened, if the Update Local ItemMaster Option is checked off in the Preferences. Click here for a screenshot of the Menu.
ItemMaster Button
Clicking this button takes you to the ItemMaster for the Line Item being added. You can then edit the Item and then click the Copy and Paste Button from the ItemMaster to get back to your Job Phase/Sales Order. You may need to reselect the Line Item for your changes to be displayed.
Export Button
Pressing this button will export all line items into the Materials and/or Stockbill Screens. If you have Bill of Materials and Stockbills set up in the system, then Line Item lists from this screen can be exported out to the other screens for this Project or Job Phase. To do so, enter a line item that has a Stockbill and/or a Bill of Materials. Simply click the Export button. You will get a popup verification box asking if you want to export costs. If you click yes, then the costs will be present in the Materials list. If you click no, then there will be no costs in the Cost fields for the Materials that get exported to the Materials list. (Depending on how you are handling your jobs, you may or may not want costs listed.) The system will populate the Stockbill and/or Materials screen with the appropriate amount of components, based on your quantity ordered.
PlaceWO Button
Pressing this button will create a WorkOrder for the current BOM Line Item.
UOM
The Unit of Measure for the Line Item being sold.
Price
The Sale Price of the Item from the ItemMaster. You can change this field after entry and it doesn't change the default as listed in the ItemMaster.
ExtPrice
The Sales Price times the Quantity Ordered, inlcuding any tax or discounts.
CustPartNum
A field for referencing a customer part number, if applicable.
CustDate
The date the customer is requiring the item.
MastDate
The Production Schedule Date for the MRP Report. The date the Product will be ready to ship.
DropShip
The drop down menu for selecting the Vendor that will be dropshipping the item(s).
Amt
The amount of the line item being dropshipped.
Print Quote Button
Brings up the the stock BusinessMaster Quote or Estimate for the Sales Order/JobPhase. You can print it, email it, fax it, etc. Click here for a screenshot of this report.
Print Reports Button
Brings up the Sales Order Requirements Report, which is like a picking ticket for production manufacturing. Its a pull ticket that shows what needs to be put together for this order to ship to the customer. A costed Sales Order Report is also generated for the Phase or Sales Order. This can be used as a Confirmation to send to the customer. Click here for screenshots of these reports.
DropShip PO Button and Vendor List Menu
Creates a PO to the selected Vendor, referencing the Job Number, with the Customers shipping info entered. The PO Manager comes up when you click the button, with the new PO unplaced.
Make Packing Slip Button
Opens the Packing Slip Manager with the current Sales Order information.
Make Invoice Button
Prints an Invoice for the current Sales Order. To use this feature, select the Inventory Location to pull the items from, then pressing this button will automatically create a Packing Slip, Debit Inventory for the Line Items, and create an Invoice for the Sales Order.
InvLoc
This is a drop down menu for selecting the Inventory Location ID when making an Invoice using the Make Invoice button.
Update Total Button
Updates the SubTotal to the sum of all the Line Items Extended Prices.
Subtotal
Displays the SubTotal of the Order when you click the Update Total button. Double-clicking this field updates the Total Price field with listed SubTotal amount and displays a confirmation.
TaxAmt
Displays the Tax amount for the current Subtotal when the Update Total button is clicked. It only works when the Customer is flagged as taxable, and the Preferences are setup with a Default Tax Part and Percentage. Then you would click the Add Tax Link button and it would add a new line with the default Tax Part and the Tax Amount listed.
Add Tax Line Button
Creates a Tax Line for the Order. Will automatically enter the amount if the Tax% is entered in the Preferences, and the customer is flagged as Taxable.
Add Discount Button
Adds a Discount Line to the Order, as long as a default Discount Part is in the ItemMaster and has been selected in the Preferences.
Here is a screenshot of the Line Items Screen:
ItemPart# Drop Down Menu Screenshot
Click here to go back to the description.
StockBill <Top>
A stockbill represents an actual cut list. If you're currently using a software program that gives you a cut list then this is not necessary. The Stockbill screen provides for things like Cutlists and Work Instructions that can be associated with Projects and Phases of Projects. Many manufacturers have automatic design programs that do this kind of thing for them, but if they don't have them, they may want to put in what their instructions of cutlists are. The stockbill is where you enter instructions on how to build the project or phase. It helpful when things need to be built to certain dimensions. The stockbill does not transact inventory and can be associated with Items as templates and be imported into projects.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the StockBill section of the Projects Manager:
Ln#
This field is for reference only. You can change the Ln#'s if you want to sort them in a different order.
Qty
The quantity here will be set automatically if you imported the stockbill from a template. If entering manually, its the quantity needed for the number of items you are creating.
Part# Button
Once an Item has been selected, click on the Item then click this button and it takes you to the ItemMaster for viewing and editing the item. Click the Copy and Paste button in the ItemMaster to get back to the StockBill screen in the Projects Manager.
Print Button
Click this button when your StockBill is ready to be sent to production. Click here for a screenshot of this report.
Desc Menu and the Import Button
You may also import a Stockbill Template by pulling up an Item that has an associated stockbill template from the Stockbill Desc drop down menu. Then click the Import button and select the quantity you would like to build for this project.
The Export Summary button
Can be used once the stockbill is set up with the quantity and dimensions for each item, and it will load up the materials list in the Materials screen with the correct calculations of raw materials needed to complete the neccessary production.
T/W/L
Dimension characteristics for the item, Thickness, Width, and Length.
Date
The completion due date.
Files
Any type of image or file can be associated here for the Line Item. To do so, click inside the field to the right of the Date field. Then click the Insert Object button. Browse for the file and click the OK button when finished. Click here for more detailed instructions on associating files.
Notes
Enter in instruction notes here, or whatever may be pertinent.
Stockbills from the Line Items Screen
You can build stockbills from the Project Line Items screen. If there is a stockbill for the line items in your project, press the Export button from the Line Items screen and it will export or explode out the stockbill, materials list and labor estimates to the corresponding screens, automatically calculating for the quantity of the Line Items as well. Click here for more information on how to use this feature.
Stockbill templates are created and managed in the ItemMaster. Click here for more information on ItemMaster Stockbills.
Here is a screenshot of the StockBill Screen:
Materials <Top>
The Materials List serves three functions; (1) It allocates inventory to the job and debits inventory correctly, (2) It creates a job costing scenario so that you can understand a breakdown of your direct material charges and non-direct labor charges, and (3) It generates a materials demand for inventory forecasting, and purchase order planning.
You can generate Purchase Orders for your materials on the fly from this screen. You can Import materials lists from several different design packages, import them from BOM's, exploded out from Line Items, or materials can be entered in manually, or lists can be copied from other jobs. Every time a Line Item is entered in manually, the ItemPart# field will show you the correct on-hand current inventory and give you the default description. You can change the description on an as needed basis. It will show you the standard cost for that item. It will put in the start production date and associate your lead time with that part to tell you whether or not you can purchase this product in time, based on your production schedule. The Materials screen is the Bill of Materials for the Project Phase. It lists what is being used to build the product. There is a Quantity, Item Number and Action Date for each material that is needed to build the product for the specific phase. It lists as costs or charges against this project of phase anything that is not direct labor, like contracted labor or anything you're not paying an employee for. The Materials screen is for managing the job costing side of the job, and is used in inventory demand forecasting as well. It is the key form for the majority of time spent managing jobs.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Materials/Cost section of the Projects Manager:
QtyOrd
The quantity of the Item that is needed for the Job/Phase.
Open
The amount of the QtyOrd that has not been debited from Inventory yet.
ItemPart# button
Pressing this button opens the ItemMaster for the selected item. This is helpful when you are adding an item to the Materials list that isnt in the ItemMaster. When in the ItemMaster click the copy and paste button, and it will drop the newly created item into the materials list for you. Also, if you have zero cost items in the Materials list that need updating, use the Update SO Materials No Cost button at the bottom of the ItemMaster screen after you update the standard costs, and it will update your materials to the newly added cost.
ItemPart#/Description
The menu right beneath the ItemPart# Button is where you select your materials. The drop down menu tells you the ItemPart#, Description, Inventory Location, and Current Inventory Quantity. Click here for a screenshot of this menu.
Search button
Pressing this button opens the ItemMaster to search for an item based on its description.
Print Button
Clicking this button generates 5 Materials reports, that focus on Materials Inventory and Costing.
Import Button
This button is for importing Bills of Materials into your material list. This is a useful way to quickly populate your materials list or a project, using BOMs as templates to work from.
Click here for a simple How To on Importing a BOM.
Click here for information on how to create a BOM.
Export Button
If you are a manufacturer who invoices your customers for time and materials and you don't know what your line items are, but you know what you are building based on your materials list., then you can invoice a customer for the materials. To do so just click the export button and it will take all the materials in your materials list and export them to your line items list for invoicing. This provides your customer the itemized list of used materials, and what the sales prices are rather than costs as listed in the materials list.
Total Materials Cost Field
The Total Materials Cost field is located between the Export Button, and the Tx Column. In the screenshot below the Total Materials Cost is $6,519.10. This Total Materials Cost is the Estimated Materials Cost for the Estimated Profit feature on the Sales/Prod screen.
TX
The tax field indicates whether or not Tax is applicable to the Item, which is important for Job Costing analysis.
Inv
This field indicates the inventory location where the item is being taken from. The Inventory Location that will be listed by default is the Inventory Location that is assigned to the Inventory Code of the item. If you want a Material to come from another Location, you will need to select it here prior to the Materials being debited.
Date
By default this Date field will be blank until a Start Production Date has been entered for the Job/Phase. Once a Job/Phase has a Start Production Date, it will be listed here.
St
Items that are checked off in this column are Stock Items. Items that are not checked off are not Stock Items. Items are set to be Stock/Non-Stock in the ItemMaster.
LT
This field indicates the Lead Time for the item, as it is set in the ItemMaster Mfg Data.
Action
The Action field lists the calculated Action Date for the Item. It uses the Production Date and Lead Time as listed in the corresponding fields to flag items that need action taken on to get them purchased and received, and to get the project done on time. If the date in the action field is red, this indicates that based on the the Start Production Date and the Lead Time, that item will not be available in time, unless it's already on order, or you already have the item in stock. Obviously it is mostly going to be non-stock items you need to look out for. So a quick check of the Materials list will tell you which NonStock items (that aren't checked as Stock) have Action Dates that tell you to check your Purchasing needs. If you know you need to purchase the item(s), then you can start PO's for the item(s) from the Materials screen using the PO button.
PO Button
If your Items have default Vendors, you can check off the Line Items you want to place PO's for, then click the PO button. This enters PO's with JobMat in the OrderPlacedBy field. You then need to manually check off the PO as Placed when you are ready to place the order.
Place WO Button
Clicking this button creates an unplanned Work Order for the Line Item. You must go to the Work Order Manager to plan this Work Order. After you click the button, you will get a Confirmation screen saying that the Work Order was created for the line item.
Here is a screenshot of the Materials Screen in the Projects Manager:
ItemPart# Drop Down Menu Screenshot
Click here to go back to the description of this menu.
Materials History <Top>
From this screen you can go into every completed project, or Projects that have had their materials debited, and look at what materials were actually used. This is helpful when you realize you made a mistake and need to change the Actuals on a job. In that case you could reflect this adjusting the QtyUsed on the Materials History screen, which in turn will credit or debit Inventory for the difference. The visibility this screen provides effects Job Costing and helps keep it accurate. This functions basically as a report.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Materials History section of the Projects Manager:
Ln#
This is here for reference. You can change the numbers here to list them in a different order if needed.
QtyUsed
Once the Materials have been debited, they show up here and the QtyUsed is the amount that was open on the Materials List.
Item Menu and ItemPart# Button
Pressing this button opens the ItemMaster for the selected item. This is helpful when you are adding an item to the Materials list that isnt in the ItemMaster. When in the ItemMaster click the copy and paste button, and it will drop the newly created item into the materials list for you. Also, if you have zero cost items in the Materials list that need updating, use the Update SO Materials No Cost button at the bottom of the ItemMaster screen after you update the standard costs, and it will update your materials to the newly added cost.
Estimates vs. Actuals Button
Pressing this button generates the BusinessMaster Project Materials Analysis report. When your materials have been debited and are present on this screen, this report will show you the estimated materials costs and quantities versus the actual materials costs and quantities per item and totals for the JobPhase. Click here for a screenshot example of this report.
Total Cost Field
The amount in this field is the Total Cost for the Materials that were used on this Job/Phase.
Tx
This field indicated whether the Items are taxable or not.
Inv
This field indicated the Inventory Location the materials were debited from.
Date
This field indicates the Date the materials were debited from Inventory.
Std
The Standard Cost for the Materials.
Avg
The Average Cost for the Materials.
Here is a screenshot example of the Materials History screen in the Projects Manager:
Purchased <Top>
This screen is for viewing all the Open Purchase Orders that have been placed and associated with the particular Phase. They get associated by either placing PO's that have been made from the Materials screen, or by Referencing the Job on Placed PO's. If you have Placed PO's for the Job that are referenced to the Phase though either of these ways, then these open PO's will be listed in the Purchased screen. If they are listed here then you know you don't have these materials in yet and you can make the necessary adjustments based on this information. If a PO that was referenced for the Phase is not listed here, then it has been received.
Here are descriptions for the fields found on the Purchased screen:
PO#
The PO Number of the PO placed against the Project. Note: You can double-click this field to open the listed Purchase Order.
Vendor
The name of the Vendor that the item is being purchased from.
B/O
The quantity on Back Order for the PO.
ItemPart#
The Item Number from the PO line item, which is the Internal Num from the ItemMaster.
Description
The description, as it exists on the PO.
Start Date
This field lists the Start Production Date. This date is required to get accurate color coding for the Promise Dates.
Promise Date
This column lists the Promise Dates from the Vendors. You can reference the Promise Date here to flag you about supply problems. If the promise date for the PO is after the Start Production date, then it will be flagged in Red. If they are within a week, they will be yellow. If the Promise Date is before the Start Production Date, they will be green. (Screenshot needs to be updated to reflect this accurately).
Here is a screenshot of the Purchased Screen in the Projects Manager:
Production W/O <Top>
This screen has the same features as the Work Order Manager. From this screen you can view, create and edit Work Orders that are associated with the Job Phase. You can use either the Work Order Manager, or this Prod W/O screen for creating Work Orders.
Click here for more information on the fields and buttons found on this screen.
Click here for more information on How To create and edit Work Orders in BusinessMaster.
Here is a screenshot of the Production Work Order screen in the Projects Manager:
Labor Departments <Top>
Each Job Phase can have its own set of Labor Estimates. These estimates are basically quantities of Hours, in their specific Departments, with specific Functions, on or by certain Dates. Each department has a Started and Completed schedule and the system can also tell you who and what computer updated that status. You can also apply Notes to each Labor Department here. By multiplying out the quantity of Hours by the standard Burden Overhead Rate for that Department, you will get a standard Total Cost for the Labor required for the product. You can import from a known template, you can build the Labor Estimates manually, or it can be exploded from the Line Items screen. This screen is for doing Labor Costing against jobs and is a tool for Department Level Scheduling. This screen is for companies that need to get more detailed in job scheduling than what the Production Stage Scheduling provides for, and need to get to the Department Level of scheduling their jobs.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Labor Departments section of the Projects Manager:
Ln#
This is just a reference field.
Hrs
The number of hours estimated for the Department.
Dept
The Department being estimated.
Function
The Function within the Department being estimated.
Job%
The Job% is the percentage of the Price of the Job that this Department represents. The Price is based on the Total Price as indicated on the Sales/Prod screen.
Date
You can enter an estimated completion date here, or an estimated start date.
Started and Completed Status Boxes
The Labor Departments screen keeps track of the status of each entry whether it is Started and/or Complete, as well as Who checked off the started and complete buttons. The first time somebody clocks in to a job from this screen, and checks of the Started status, the system automatically enters in the date in the Updated field, and enters the "Started" status in the UpdatedBy field. This way anyone looking at this screen knows the specific Department has started working on this phase. When the Complete Status gets checked off, the system dates and time stamps the entry and automatically entered who checked it off complete. The Started status is done by automatic time collection. The Completed status is based the Profile Name that the Workstation is logged in under, which typically will be the department leads computer. You can check on the Dept-Status screen to see if a Department has been Started/Completed, and see their percentages to completion. Click here for more information on Department Statuses.
Updated/UpdatedBy
The Updated field gets updated automatically when the Started/Completed statuses get checked off. UpdatedBy gets updated to say "Started" when the Started Status is checked off, and is automatically populated with who checked it off as completed.
Import Button
If you select an Item that has template Labor Requirements entered in the ItemMaster Labor screen, then you can click this button and it will import them as Labor Estimates for that Item.
Labor Cost
The Labor Costs are the Department Hours for each listing times the Department Burden Overhead Rates.
Total Cost
This field totals all the LaborCost fields for the Job Phase. This Total Labor Cost here is the Labor Estimate Cost for the Estimated Profit Total on the Sales/Prod screen.
PriceAt%
This field indicated the Price in dollars based on the Job% entered in the Job% field for the record.
Notes
The Notes field is for describing and tracking what is being done in that particular department for the Job/Phase.
Here is a screenshot of the Labor-Depts screen in the Projects Manager:
Department Statuses <Top>
The Department Statuses Screen shows the Job/Phase current Labor collected and/or Processed against the Labor Estimates from the Labor-Depts screen. It indicates in real time the status of the Labor that has been estimated against the phase, in summary. It is integrated with Labor collection and takes the total Labor that you have processed (ProcLabor + WIPLAbor=TotalHrs) and subtracts it from the Estimated Labor Hrs to give you the Estimated hours left for the phase. If you are over your Estimated time in hours, the EstHrsLeft field will be flagged with a red background. It also indicates whether or not the labor for the particular department is completed or not. Basically, if it's checked Complete in the CompleteYN field, you know it's not going to get any worse as far as the amount of hours it's taking to complete the work for that Department. If it is not checked off, you don't know how much worse it's going to get.
Here are descriptions for the fields found in the Department Statuses section of the Projects Manager:
Hrs
The number of hours worked so far in the Department against the Job/Phase.
Dept
The Department worked against the Job/Phase.
Function
The Function within the Department worked against the Job/Phase.
LaborCost
The Labor Cost based on the Hours worked and the Burden and Overhead Rate for that Department.
ProcLabor
The amount of hours worked so far that have been Processed.
WIPLabor
The amount of hours worked so far that have been not been Processed.
TotalHours
The Total of Processed and WIP Labor worked so far.
EstHrsLeft
The amount of Hours left that have been estimated for the Department against the Job/Phase.
%ofEsthrs
The percent of the Estimated Hours that have been worked so far for that Department against the Job/Phase.
CompleteYN
If the Estimated Hours for the Department against the Job/Phase have been Completed, and the Complete Box has been checked off on the Labor-Depts screen, then the box will be checked. If the Complete Box on the Labor-Depts screen has not been checked, then this box will be unchecked.
Click here to view the Labor Estimate Status report that reports on this data.
Here is a screenshot of the DeptStatus screen in the Projects Manager:
Labor Actuals <Top>
Each phase tracks Actual Labor collected against it coming from either a manual system such as time sheets or from our integrated Labor Collection system. Each punch has the Date, the Employee ID, Department, Function, Regular Hours, Overtime Hours and Double Time Hours. Whether you enter in the data here manually, or your system is set up to collect Labor records automatically, it requires that your Labor Departments and Employees are set up correctly. Click here for more information on setting your system up for automatic Labor Collection.
Here are descriptions for the fields found on this screen:
Totals
The first field is the total number of RegHrs, based on the RegHrs column beneath it. The second is the total number of OTrs, based on the OTHrs column beneath it. The third field is the total number of DTHrs, based on the DTHrs column beneath it. The Total$$ field is the total dollars based on the Employee pay rates.
Date
The date the hours were worked.
EmpID
The Employee ID for the hours that were worked.
DeptID
The Department ID for the the hours that were worked.
Func
The Function within the Department for the hours that were worked.
RegHrs
The Regulartime Hours for the hours that were worked.
OTHrs
The Overtime Hours for the hours that were worked
DTHrs
The Doubletime Hours for the hours that were worked
WkBeg
The date the hours were worked.
PayDate
The PayDate for the hours that were worked.
Here is a screenshot of the Labor Actuals screen in the Projects Manager:
Files <Top>
Each Phase can have an unlimited number of Files associated with it by using the Plans form. Word and Excel documents can be viewed on screen. Files types that are not directly supported will show an icon. Double clicking the icon or screen will open the file. Use this form to associate files from your computer or network with jobs. Click here for instructions on How To associate files with Jobs.
Here is a screenshot of the Files screen in the Projects Manager:
Actions <Top>
The History screen is for tracking details associated with job Phases, and for setting follow up dates for reporting and forecasting interaction and history about Phases. Keep records for any important information associated with a phase of a job. This is important because a lot of times things happen on a specific job you are doing and not necessarily directly with the customer. This is a convenient place to document the job, whether its conversations with the customer, or whatever you can conceive of.
Here is a screenshot of the History screen in the Projects Manager:
Billing <Top>
This screen is for setting up the Progressive Billing against the particular job phase, which is part of Project Accounting. The entries in this screen show the billings that are to be sent out against the job phase. This screen can be turned off (hidden) if necessary by setting up user level security.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Billing section of the Projects Manager:
Pricing Categories
The Pricing Info from the Sales/Prod screen is listed at the top of the Billing Screen for reference. You cannot edit the Pricing Information directly from this screen.
TotalAmt
This field reflects the total amount of all the billing amounts for the job phase.
BalDue
This field tells you what has been requested but not received. This way you can keep people out of the accounting program and still give them knowledge of the financial status of a job phase.
ToReq
This field tells you what billings are left to request for the job phase.
Num
This is just a reference number for the Billing.
Date
The date of the Billing.
BillingDescription
The BillDescription will refer to an Item in the system, labeled "Deposit" for example, or PB-1-xxx for Progressive Billing, etc.
Note#
The Note field here refers to which Invoice Note that will be used for this billing. There are seven to choose from, that are customized in the Preferences. 1 is always deposit, 2-6 are intermediary billings, and 7 is usually the final billing. Every time you do a billing you will select the note you want to use.
Amt
The amount field is for entering the amount you are going to bill for.
ProdStage
The production stage you are going to accomplish this billing by. So when a phase hits the selected stage, you will want to accomplish the particular billing. You can run reports that will tell you what stage your different billings are at.
Requested Status
ReqPmt Button
Pressing this button checks off the Requested check box and indicates that this billing has been sent out, and generates an Invoice in the system.
PmtRec Status
Check this box when the payment has been received. This is not an accounting issue. We do not post into the accouting program from this screen though we are working to have this functinality in 2004. For now, this checkbox field is to keep record here of the payment received, because of the Total Amt, BalDue, and ToReq fields. These are status indicators that are very important for manufacturers who do a lot of progressive billing.
PaymentAmt
The amount of the Payment received against the Billing.
Pmt Date
The Date of the Payment received against the Billing.
InvoiceNum
The Number of the Invoice that is generated when the Req Pmt button is clicked. (Double-clicking this field takes you to the Invoice.)
ID
The Billing ID for the Billing/Invoice.
PaymentExported
When this status box is checked off, you know that the payment received against the Billing has been exported to your accounting program.
Here is a screenshot of the Billing screen in the Projects Manager:
Booking <Top>
This form allows you to Book Revenue for projects. This screen can be turned off (hidden) if necessary by setting up user level security.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found in the Booking section of the Projects Manager:
Pricing Categories
The Pricing Info from the Sales/Prod screen is listed at the top of the Booking Screen for reference. You cannot edit the Pricing Information directly from this screen.
SalesCategory
The GLAcct# for the Booking.
ProdStage
The Production Stage set up for this project/Phase by which the Booking should be accomplished.
Description
A simple description to help you understand what is being Booked.
Amt
The Amount of the transaction.
ToBook Status
A Check off box to flag this line to be processed as a transaction.
Book
This button will create a Journal Entry transaction to be exported to your accounting program. When the transaction has been processed, the Booked field will be checked, and the Date will be entered.
Booked Status
Indicates that the Booking has been exported to your accounting program.
Date
The date the Booking was exported to your accounting program.
Here is a screenshot of the Booking screen in the Projects Manager:
Pricing Worksheet <Top>
The PricingWorksheet is a live dynamic worksheet for real time planning and management of the jobs in your production schedule. It lists the JobPhases, OrderTypes, Notes, Priorities, the Production Stages of your jobs and what their dates are, and the Pricing categories as defined in the Sales Info screen in the Projects form. With this worksheet, you can view, modify, filter, and sort jobs by the available criteria, and then report on your jobs based on the different views the Worksheet provides. The dollars, dates on the jobs can be edited directly from this form. This is a convenient way to filter jobs and manage production scheduling in real time. Reports can be generated from this form and you can also jump to specific jobs in the Projects form.
Here are descriptions for the fields and buttons found on the Pricing Worksheet:
JobPhase
The JobPhase from the Projects Manager Customer/Header Info.
Type
The Order Type from the Projects Manager Customer/Header Info.
Notes
The Notes from the Description field from the Projects Manager Customer/Header Info.
Priority
The Job Priority from the Projects Manager Customer/Header Info.
Production Stages
The 6 Production Stages from the Projects Sales/Prod screen.
Pricing Categories
The 4 Pricing Categories and Total Price from the Projects Sales/Prod screen.
Refresh Button
Refreshes the data to check for any changes from elsewhere on the network.
Preview Report Detail Button
Generates a Detailed report showing you the JobPhases that are in the different Production Stages, starting with Unscheduled Jobs, and then showing the Pricing Category Breakdowns. Click here for a screenshot of this report.
Preview Report Summary Button
Generates a Summary report showing you the Production Stages, starting with Unscheduled Jobs with their the Pricing Breakdowns. Click here for a screenshot of this report.
Edit Job Button
Click on a JobPhase and it will open this JobPhase in the Projects Manager.
Click here for some examples of using the Pricing Worksheet in conjunction with the available Filtering tools.
Here is a screenshot of the Pricing Worksheet (with only Completed Jobs listed):
Production Labor Worksheet <Top>
You can use this form to build a Pivot Table to look at Department Level Scheduling to see what the status of a department is against a job. You can see what the statuses of all your jobs are here on a Deparment Level. (S=Started, N/S=Not Started, C=Complete and Blank=Not Applicable). This Pivot Table can get very sophisticated. It can also be exported out to Excel to be manipulated and customized there as well.
Here are screenshots of the Production Labor Worksheet. This first picture is the unconfigured Production Labor Worksheet:
This second picture is an example of a way to set the Worksheet up for viewing Department Level Production Statuses. It Shows the Jobs that are started but not Complete by department:
Project Materials-Serial <Top>
If you are using serial numbers for your materials then you can debit your materials on a Project by serial number from two places in BusinessMaster, either in the Materials Screen of the Projects Manager, or the Projects Materials-Serial Manager that is accessed from the Projects Main Menu.
Click here for more information on the Projects Materials screen.
Click here for more information on the Projects Materials-Serial screen.
Here is a screenshot of the Projects Materials Screen (The Serial Transaction section is not present on the Materials screen unless the Serial Module Code has been entered in the Preferences):
Here is a screenshot of the Projects Materials-Serial screen that is accessed from the Projects Main Menu:
Scheduling Updates <Top>
The Scheduling Updates Manager displays the dates that the 6 milestone Production Stages were checked off in the system against Jobs. With this tool you can go into Jobs and look at their scheduling dates to see the scheduled versus the actual dates that Stages were checked off as completed, and them change them as necessary. This helps managers look for and indentify discrepencies in the Production Schedule.
This is the only screen where you can uncheck the complete status, once a stage has been checked off as complete.
Companies typically password protect access to this screen with user level security, so that only Admins can access it.
Here is a screenshot of the Scheduling Updates screen:
