Project dashboard [in-depth guide]
Guide contents: Title info | Setup | Project details | Contact information | Dashboard sections | Resources
When you first open a project, you are taken to the project dashboard. It is a way to see an overall account of how the project is doing and navigate to detailed areas of the project. You can see summarized financial information, along with basic client contact information and project communications, and a log of what has occurred on the project as a whole.
Title info
Project number, project name, and client ID
- Shows the project number/name and client ID. This is controlled by default from Transaction preferences. Refer to the Project & campaign numbering methods [in-depth guide] for more info.
Favorite
- Clicking the "Star" will make the project a favorite for you. Then, when you go to the Projects page, there will be a tab named favorites, which you can click on to see all favorited projects listed there.
- Clicking Print will give you various options of what you want to be printed in a PDF job jacket.
More
Gives you access to System Settings, Refresh Project Financials, and Delete.
- System settings: This is where you can control which dashboard items & project details are visible.
- Refresh project financials: This can recalculate the project financials numbers with what is currently in the system. In case things have changed so rapidly that the overnight refresh has not run yet.
- Delete: If the project has no financial transactions applied yet, then it can be deleted if necessary. But once a single transaction has been created, the project cannot be deleted.
Setup
Schedule
- Opens up the Project schedule screen. (see Project schedule overview [in-depth guide] for more info).
Estimates
- Opens up the estimates list for the project. You can then create or print estimates (see the Estimates overview [in-depth guide] for more info).
Project settings
- Gives you access to the project setup, which includes the name & details of the project, along with billing & accounting options.
- An optimized intake workflow will fill in these details for you based on your client setup & project templates.
Project
This screen is used to define the ownership, timing, connections to campaign/opportunities, key people and description of the project. All fields can be edited throughout the lifespan of the project.
Schedule
This screen is used to define project schedule controls including working days and status information,
NOTE: Override Company Schedule Options: This setting allows you to override the Transaction Preferences settings regarding task dates for the individual project.
Accounting
This screen is used to define the financial settings of the project.
Billing Options
This screen is used to define the billing method, labor rates and other billing related settings for the project.
Billing Schedule
This screen is used to define Advance Bill and Revenue Invoices value and timing. Typically used for Fixed-Fee projects. For Time & Materials this allows to setup Advance Bill value and timing only.
Media
This area is used to set media markup and show connections to media estimates. Order defaults are only used if not using a 3rd party media buying platform.
Custom Fields
This screen is used to edit custom field information.
Team
- Gives you access to the users who are on the project team.
- While you can add and remove users to the team, you cannot remove team members who are also assigned to the schedule.
- The Subscriptions tab allows you to set the default email-to list for conversations, to-dos & files. You can also set default notification & approver settings for deliverables.
- There is also an auto-assign option to push the team member with matching services to your approved estimates budget in the schedule. Be very careful with this option, as it will wipe out what's currently assigned in your schedule. So be sure to read the New project and Estimates overview guides thoroughly to understand how this works.
Project details
Project status | Specs | Change request | Misc costs | Files | Deliverables | Daily feed | Conversations | To-dos | Budget | Billing | Transactions | Quotes | Purchase orders | Broadcast orders | Insertion orders | Burn chart
NOTE: Some of these section can appear in either the Project Details or the Dashboard Sections, depending on your System Settings.
Project status
- This is a clickable link to change the status of this project. The project status can control things such as if the project is active, or allows time & expenses to be entered or changed (see the Project status codes [in-depth guide] for more info).
Specs (if not shown on right)
- Opens the Spec Sheet list for this project (see the Define spec sheets [in-depth guide] for more info).
Change requests (if not shown on right)
- Opens the Change Request list for the project (see the Change request [in-depth guide] for more info).
Misc costs
- Opens the Misc costs screen for this project.
Files
- Opens the Files screen for this project (see the Project files [in-depth guide] for more info).
Deliverables (if not shown on right)
- If enabled, opens the deliverable board for the project (see the Deliverables overview [in-depth guide] for more info).
Daily feed (if not shown on right)
- Opens a screen of all the project transactions and changes, by date & user.
Conversations (if not shown on right)
- Opens a screen of all the project conversations (see the Project conversations [in-depth guide] for more info).
To-dos
- If to-dos are enabled, then this will open the To-do board for this project. For more info refer to the To-dos [in-depth guide].
Budget
- Opens the budget screen for the project. For more info, refer to the Project budget [in-depth guide].
Billing
- Opens the Billing screen to edit transactions and generate an invoice for the project. For more info, refer to the Project Billing guide.
Transactions
- Opens the Transactions report view, but is limited to the transactions of the project you are currently looking at. To report on all project transactions, use the Views > Projects > Transactions.
Quotes
- Shows open quotes for the project only. Use the views to locate closed quotes. For more info, refer to the Request for quotes overview [in-depth guide].
Purchase orders
- Shows the open purchase orders for the project only. Use the views to locate closed orders. For more info, refer to the Purchase orders overview [in-depth guide].
Broadcast orders
- Shows the open broadcast orders for the project only. Use the views to locate closed orders.
Insertion orders
- Shows the open insertion orders for the project only. Use the views to locate closed orders.
Burn chart
- This is a visual representation of the project allocations vs. actuals (see the Burn chart [in-depth guide] for more info).
Contact information
Allows you to see key info up front. Plus you can click on the Client or Contacts name to open their records for more info.
Client - Shows the client's name. Also, you can click on the blue text of the name to open the client record.
Primary contact -Shows the primary contact's name. Also, you can click on the blue text of the name to open the contact record.
Email -Displays the email address of the primary contact above.
Account manager -Display the account manager assigned to this project.
Dashboard sections
Daily feed | Spec sheets | Deliverables | Recent conversations | Custom fields | Project snapshot | Project profitability | Team
Daily feed
- The project feed details most changes that have occurred on the project.
Spec sheets
- Shows the spec sheets that are entered on the project for quick access.
- For more info, refer to the Define spec sheets [in-depth guide].
Deliverables
- Shows all deliverables made for the project and their current round/approval status.
- For more info, refer to the Deliverables overview [in-depth guide].
Recent conversations
- Shows the most recently added or replied to conversation thread at the top.
- For more info, refer to the Conversations overview [in-depth guide].
Custom Fields
- If using custom fields, only the ones that are populated will appear here.
- For more info, please refer to the Custom fields overview [in-depth guide].
Project Snapshot
NOTES:
- This section is hidden by default.
- The calculations on this page are performed each evening during the server reset. Click the Apply button from the snapshot options to have the project recalculate immediately.
The project snapshot is a module summarizing the current financial information of the project. Divided into two major sections, project summary & project profitability, it allows a user to see, at a glance, where the project stands in terms of budgeted vs. actual time costs and billings. It also displays the to-date figures for the projected profit & actual profit of the project.
This guide will provide users with the formulas used to obtain the figures or the location from which the figures are derived.
NOTE: When comparing the actuals on the project dashboard vs. what you see in a billing worksheet the results can differ. This can occur when you prebill an order, but do not yet have the vendor invoice entered.
Options
You can define how the financial information of the project is displayed, including allocating overhead on the project level.
- Include unapproved transactions: Includes time & expenses that have not been approved in the calculations.
- Include sales tax: includes sales tax from Invoices in the calculations.
-
Allocate overhead by: Select how you want to allocate overhead on the project:
NOTE: The allocated overhead amount is not displayed in the Actual profit area of the dashboard. It is only included in the calculation for operating profit (AGI - total inside costs). For the actual amount, see Reports>Financial Reports>Project P&L (detail)- Hours=(total client hours/total hours) (total overhead $) >>(total project hours/total client hours)(client overhead $)
- Labor cost=(total client labor cost/total labor cost)(total overhead $) >> (total project labor cost/total client labor cost)(client overhead $)
- Total bill=(total client billing/total billing)(total overhead $) >> (total project billing/total client billing)(client overhead $)
- None:
-
Realized rate method:
- From labor billed:
- From total billed:
- From labor income accounts:
Hours
This area provides a comparison of the project budget vs. actuals. The budgets are based on all approved estimates & change orders for the project. Hours are based on all approved and unapproved time entries. Billing is based upon approved invoices only.
- Total budgeted hours: Sum of all labor hours from approved estimates & change orders.
- Less Total Actual Hours: Sum of all timesheet hours logged against the project. Hours shown are determined by the setting in the Snapshot Options area, approved or approved + unapproved.
- Remaining budgeted hours: Equals total budgeted hours - total actual hours.
- Projected average hourly rate: Equals total labor $ amount from approved estimate(s) & change order(s) at gross / total labor hours from approved estimate(s) & change order(s).
- Realized average hourly rate: Equals total labor $ amount billed or marked billed to date / actual hours.
- Total allocated hours: Equals total number of hours that have been allocated across all tasks.
- Future allocated hours: Equals total number of hours allocated to future tasks.
- Currency:
Amounts
Includes unbilled, billed, and marked as billed transactions.
- Budget from approved estimates: Sum of all gross labor & expenses from approved estimate(s) not including taxes.
- Budget from approved change orders: Sum of all gross labor & expenses from approved change order(s) not including taxes.
- Total approved budget: Equals budget from approved estimates + budget from approved change orders.
- Less total actual billable: Total approved budget – total actual billable amount. NOTE: Total amount does not include open unbilled order amounts. You can match this number in the project budget analysis report using the "[inside costs gross] + [outside costs gross] + [labor gross]".
- Remaining budget amount: Equals total approved budget – total actual billable amount.
- Currency:
Billing
- Total advance billings:
- Open unapplied advanced billings: Sum of all approved client invoice lines, where the invoice has been marked advance billed, from orders linked to the project that have not been reconciled to the vendor invoice. Click on the edit icon to see a list of Invoices associated with this figure.
- Total standard billings: Sum of all approved client invoice lines generated from transactions. Click on the Edit icon to see a list of Invoices associated with this figure.
- Total amount billed: Sum of all approved client invoice lines generated for the project, including the unapplied amount from the advance billing invoice, fixed fee, and standard billing invoices.
- Total approved budget: sum of all approved estimates and change order estimates
- Remaining to bill on estimate: This is a calculation of total approved budget - total amount billed.
- Revenue to recognize: This is a calculation of the total approved budget amount - total amount billed on the project.
- Currency: defines the project currency
Project profitability
NOTES:
- This section is hidden by default.
- While the budget screen adds open orders gross unbilled, the dashboard section does not.
Estimate
- Hours: The sum of all hours contained in all approved estimates and change orders.
- Total labor: The sum of labor gross amounts.
- Labor contingency: The sum of all labor contingency amounts contained in all approved estimates and change orders. calculation = (labor gross)(% contingency entered on single estimate).
- Gross expenses: The sum of gross expenses contained in all approved estimates and change orders.
- Total: Sum of total labor + gross expenses.
- Net expenses: The sum of net expenses contained in all approved estimates and change orders.
- Gross profit (AGI): Calculation of total - net expenses: %= AGI/total.
-
Labor at net: The sum of labor cost contained in all approved estimates and change orders.
NOTE: labor cost is set on the individual services/roles via Admin>System setup>Time and Billing>Services: Hourly cost. - Net profit: Calculation of AGI - labor at net: % = net profit/total.
- Sales tax:
- Total with tax:
- Projected hourly margin: Calculation of net profit/hours.
- Currency: If using multi-currency, this will appear.
WIP
NOTE: This section is based on the actual unbilled transactions regardless if you are posting work In progress (WIP) or not. So you may see differing numbers between this screen and your WIP analysis report.
- Labor: Total of unbilled labor gross.
- Inside costs: Total of unbilled misc costs and expense reports gross.
- Outside production costs: Total of unbilled vouchers net.
- Outside media costs: Total of unbilled media vouchers net.
- Total WIP: Calculation of labor + inside costs + outside production costs + outside media costs.
- Currency: If using multi-currency, this will appear.
Actual
This section displays figures based on posted transactions only. This area will include journal entries entered against the project. These will not be reflected in the Project budget screen.
- Revenue: Sums all posted GL transactions related to "Revenue" GL account types for the project (invoices, receipts, WIP posting and journal entries).
- Outside costs: Sums all posted transactions related to "COGS" GL account types for this project.
- AGI: Is the "agency gross income" and its calculation is based on the following = "revenue - outside costs".
- Direct expenses: Sums all posted transactions related to "expense" GL account types for the project.
- Inside expense cost: Sums misc cost (net) and approved expense reports that have not been converted to a voucher for the project.
- Inside labor cost: Sums all approved time entries. Calculation: (# of hours)(hourly cost from employee record).
- Operating profit: Calculation = AGI - (direct expenses + inside expense cost + inside labor cost).
- Other income: Sums all transactions posted to the other income account for the project.
- Other expenses: Sums all transactions posted to the other expense account for the project.
- Overhead allocation: Looks at the system's entire lifetime to calculate this project's overhead allocation. Would be the same as running the project profit & loss with a date range of all.
-
Net profit: Calculation =operating profit + other income - other expense.
NOTE: The following calculation settings will depend upon the selection made under Options: Realized rate method. -
Realized average hourly rate:
- Labor billed: Calculation = labor billed / actual hours, where labor billed = sum of billed hours x billed rate from time entered against the project. This does NOT include hours marked as write off.
- Total billed: Calculation=total billed / actual hours, where total billed = billed amount + advance billed open; billed amount = sum of the total amount of all invoices for the project.
- Labor income accounts: Calculation = total amount in labor income accounts / actual hours, where labor income accounts total = journal entries + invoiced labor tracked to "labor income" GL accounts.
- Realized average hourly cost: Calculation= total labor net / total actual hours.
- Realized average hourly margin: Calculation = realized average hourly rate - realized average hourly cost.
- Currency: If using multi-currency, this will appear.
Write off
This area shows a summary of transactions that have been marked as Write off on the project. All figures are based on billable/gross amounts.
%: The % displayed for each section is based upon the total write-off amount on the project: calculation = section write-off total / total write-off amount.
- Total labor at written off at gross: Sum of all labor marked as write-off on the project.
- Total outside costs written off at gross: Sum of all vendor invoices marked as write-off on the project.
-
Total inside costs written off at gross: Sum of all gross expense report & misc. Cost transactions marked as write-off on the project.
NOTE: Expense reports that have been converted to vouchers for reimbursement will be seen in outside costs. - Total write off amount: Equals total labor written off at gross + total outside costs written off at gross + total inside costs written off at gross.
- Currency: If using multi-currency, this will appear.
Team
- This shows you a list of the team members on the project and their contact info.