Record Budget Hours for Timesheets

Job Costing allows you to record the assigned budget values for each cost category which can later be used for comparison with the actual values / costs assigned to the job.This new feature extends this facility to allow the recording of budgeted hours to a job which can later be used for comparison with the actual time spent.

A new menu option is available to enter the budget timesheets, this screen operates in a similar manner as the standard timesheet entry asking for the job, cost code, hours and rates.

Budget timesheets do not ask for an Employee Code (except if used as the cost code at detail level) as they will not be updated to payroll. It does however allow for entry of a ‘mark-up’ value so that the budgets updated to the job record allow for a ‘margin of error’.

Standard timesheet entry updates the actual hours, values and (optionally) costs on the job record and creates timesheet (type 1) transactions on the job costing transaction file. In a similar manner budget timesheet entry updates items for budget hours, value (the existing budget fields) and, again optionally, costs to the job record and creates budget timesheet (type A) transactions on the job costing transaction file.

The Budget Timesheet transactions can be viewed from the Job Enquiry within Job Costing and the Ledger Enquiry for Job Costing can also view these transactions. The standard transaction reporting options exclude the budget transactions; however, the Job Statement option (which, as discussed later, is extended in this release to allow for four statement reports) can include the budget timesheet transactions.

Additional items are required on the job records file to hold the accumulated budget hours and costs.To restructure the database select Installation from the main menu followed by Application Manager and then Restructure a Database. Choose the Job Costing application and elect to update the live files before choosing the Job File. Move down to blank entries and press <Enter> to insert new items.

BUDGET-HRS-N K, L Holds the budgeted hours for the nth cost category. The Job file is pre-configured to allow up to nine categories by default so a minimum of nine fields is likely to be required. However, the system can allow up to thirty categories – create the number of items required but all items need to be consecutive within the database.

BUDGET-HRSTOT * Define a calculated field to sum up the range of budget hours items.Use the #Dnnn #Dnnn formula to reference the range of budget hour fields.

BUDGET-CST-N K, L Holds the budget costs for the nth cost category. As with Budget Hours you would normally create nine items in total but up to thirty can be required depending on configuration. Again all items must be consecutive.

BUDGET-CSTTOT * Define a calculated field to sum up the range of budget hours items using #Dnnn #Dnnn formula.

Once the required data items have been created press <ESC> and choose to update the changes to the database. When prompted confirm to extract any existing records and table values. Once update to the main file is complete you will be prompted to update the base file – select as required and, if choose to update, repeat the changes above at the same item positions.

The new items on the Job File need to be referenced within the Datafile Database Profiles.To update the profiles select Installationfrom the main menu followed by Application Manager and Set Database Profiles before selecting the Job Costing application. The profiles for the Budget Hours items are set within the Job Budget Hours parameter screen, the profiles for Budget Costs are set within the Job Budget Costs parameter screen.

Items numbers are referenced on the left-hand side of the screen; <F4-Select> is available to match the item to the profile as required.

To enable the budget transactions option a new parameter has been added to the Job Costing System Profiles. To update the profiles select Installation from the main menu, lock out the system, and then select System Profiles and the Job Costing application.

Optional parameters for the budget timesheet transaction entry are available within the Application User Facilities for Job Costing including an option to set a default mark-up percentage and an extra input item. To update these settings select Installation from the main menu followed by Application Manager and then Application User Facilities. Select the Job Costing application followed by the Enter Cost Details parameter screen and move to the second screen of features.

Extra Input on Budget Timesheet – select additional item from the job costing transaction file to be input during timesheet entry – only X and ?-item types are allowed.

Default - if using the extra input for a ‘flag’ entry then you can enter a default value to be used for the extra item. If using X-item of more than one character leave this blank.

Default Mark-Up % for Budget Timesheet – enter default mark-up value for the budget timesheets.

A new menu option is required to input the budget timesheets. Sign-on as the CONFIG user-id and select Application Menu Design, input the menu pathname to update (JC.D03 is the usual main job costing menu) and then select whether you wish to update the left or right hand menu. Move down to a blank entry, enter the text ‘Enter Timesheet Budgets’ and press <Enter> to input the parameter details.

Any authority level and password settings recorded in the Security & User Manager for Job Costing transactions generally and more specifically timesheet entry apply for budget timesheet entry also.

Article ID: 196
Created On: Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 10:47 AM
Last Updated On: Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 10:50 PM

Online URL: https://kb.datafile.co.uk/article/record-budget-hours-for-timesheets-196.html