Glossary [guide]

This guide is designed to present you with the terms and their definitions within Workamajig. You can use this guide in an effort to get familiar with the system.

For example, you might have referred to projects as jobs, tasks or even as campaigns in your previous system or process. However, in Workamajig a project is very specific and designed to accomplish certain things. So while the labeled name of the project cannot be edited in our system, this guide can help you in your transition by understanding what a project actually is. 

Project management

The following terms are used to describe the different aspects used when managing projects and associated items in Workamajig.

Campaign

It is a way to have an umbrella over multiple projects with different deliverables that are linked together. All transactions are still entered at the project level, however, campaigns allow you to roll up costs into one view. You can even estimate and bill at the campaign level.

Project

This is often referred to as a job jacket. It is a pliable compilation of workflow and data management, complete with a start date, specific goals and tasks, defined responsibilities, a budget, and an end goal date, where multiple parties are involved.

Schedule

It is made up mainly of tasks that need to be accomplished on the project to complete one phase and start work on another. May also be referred to as a timeline.

Task

Often referred to as a milestone, goal, or phase of the project. It contains the pre-assigned service (labor) to be completed and billed within that portion of the project. These can be assigned to a team or individual use to complete.

Predecessor

This is where tasks can be linked to not allow the completion of one or many tasks until one or several tasks are themselves completed.

Assignment

This defines who the specific person, service, and allocation of time are designated to within a task. A single task can have multiple assignments.

To-do

These are noted as additional details to be done within the constraints of a single task on a project. Think of them as a checklist item that can be assigned to those within the task.

Activity

It is a communication tool. They are used to document “touch points” regarding clients, vendors, opportunities, projects, and leads. Note that activities are not billed or tracked within the schedule. However, you are able to notify multiple people and link the activity to projects, contacts, companies, etc… to increase the visibility of the necessary information your staff needs to perform.

Conversations

This is the new term for all communication in the Platinum interface. It houses the activities and To-dos within it, but the conversation can be about pretty much any type of transaction.

Deliverable

Sometimes referred to as an art/digital review. This feature allows you to send out a file for commenting and approval.

Transactions and items

This term refers to what a billable transaction is comprised of (i.e. Labor or Expense). This includes Services, Purchase Items, Expense Report Items, Insertion Items, and Broadcast Items.

Services

Is the labor category of work to be performed as designated by the system or project. The rates of services can be adjusted at the project or service rate level and can be based on a percentage change or gross amount.

Purchase items

The main list of expenses used by the organization. Some will keep this simple and add the details when entering a transaction, others make multiples of similar expenses to have a more detailed list of expenses so that each has a unique description predetermined. Each item can have a pre-determined expense and sales account. This is an efficient way to do billing and account since your project team just has to use the relevant item name that is set up.

Expense report items

Similar to purchase items, however, these are solely for the use of expense reports that can be entered by each employee. These expense reports can then be converted to a vendor invoice for payment back to the employee.

Media (insertion & broadcast) items

Used to track your media purchases to specific types and GL accounts. At this time they are divided into broadcast and print Items.

Billing items

Is used to organize your different services and roles (labor), purchase items and expense report items on a client invoice.

Billing

These are the terms related specifically to the ways you can bill client invoices in Workamajig.

Time and materials

When you bill the client all transactions (time & expenses) will be billed at their determined rate per project and/or client setup

Fixed fee

This term refers to when you have a fixed amount for the project, regardless of what it may cost you. So while you are not billing the actual transaction on an invoice like in time and material, you can still determine the sales based on the estimated services and expenses.

Retainer

It is a fixed billing arrangement between you and your client. They include billing the client on a regular basis for a fixed amount in exchange for services performed for them. Can include either labor or expenses as part of the retainer fee.

Advance billing

It is when you require a deposit from your client prior to starting a job.

Prebill

This is where an order is billed to the client prior to the vendor invoice coming in.

Invoice Layouts

Based on how you generate the invoice, you can then apply a layout to the invoice for what the client sees based on the detail of the invoice.

Billing manager

This is a client/project option that allows you to forward billing worksheets to one person for approval after they have been reviewed by the account manager.

Accounting

Refers to all things accounting and you may have a bookkeeper or controller who manages this.

Client invoice

This is the client's bill. It can be generated in various ways based on client setup.

Vendor invoice

This is the vendor voucher.

Receipts

Monies received from the client. Can be applied to a client invoice.

Payments

Used to pay a vendor invoice. Can also be manually created to cut checks or recognize transactions already paid for.

GL accounts

Some refer to this as the chart of accounts.

GL companies

This is a term and feature of Workamajig that can be used to separate the financials of multiple agencies owned by one conglomerate. This allows for separate reporting and taxes.

GL Offices

Tracked at the project level. A way to separate your corporate P & L by multiple offices within the building or as separate physical locations. Can then run the report by all or some offices.

GL departments

Tracked at the transaction (labor & expense) within a project. Then you can run your corporate P & L to see all or some department's transactions.

GL class

When office and department don't fit the mold. The class can be applied at the project or invoice or line level manually to get the reporting needed.

Accrual basis

This is where the system can automatically account for a transaction that is still in process (client invoice waiting for a receipt). Where money is recognized in one form until the transaction has been fully applied and completed. This applies mostly to prebilling orders and advance billing.

Cash basis

This acts more like a cash register, where only money in (receipts) or out (payments) affects your GL balances.

Companies

Refers to a record of data in the system, this record can be a client and/or vendor. It can also be a personal business reference as well. 

Clients

When a company is flagged as a client in Workamajig, this allows you to create projects for them, generate invoices and enter receipts.

Vendors

When a company is flagged as a vendor in Workamajig, you can then generate orders, vendor invoices and payments for them.

Parent company

A way to designate multiple divisions of a large company or organization, where each requires specific billing and setup needs.

Overhead company

This is an option reserved for your own company. Where you make yourself an overhead company so that you can create projects for yourself, but have the project costs calculated as overhead for your billable clients.

Divisions

A way to define sections of the client company for project tracking purposes. Billing remains connected to the main client level.

Products

A way to further define sections of the client company for project tracking purposes. Can be used at the client level or client-division level. Billing remains connected to the main client level

General

This section has terms and features that don't necessarily fit in the categories above, yet you may come across these terms in the system and wonder what they mean and how they function.

Platinum vs Classic

Platinum in the new interface of Workamajig. The Flash interface, or Classic, is no longer getting updated and will be available to use so long as it can. Regardless of which interface you are currently using, your records in the database remain the same.

Standard reports and custom reports

The system comes loaded with a slew of reports that a typical agency will want to use. Such as Profitability and budget analysis reports. However, the system does let you create your own custom reports based on specific areas of data.

Budget

This is the term used for the monetary layout of an approved estimate within a project.

Lock (in a project schedule)

Locking a project schedule makes it so other users cannot make changes to the project while in this status. However, those with higher levels of security rights can still make changes.

Finalize (in a project)

It takes a snapshot of your actual start and completion dates and populates the original start and completion dates. These original dates never change, allowing you to see what the project schedule originally started out as.

Show on schedule (in a project)

It is a scheduling component that is on by default. If unchecked it takes away the ability to assign people to tasks.

Track budgets and expenses (in a project)

This is to track tasks you can estimate for that track time against like time entries, labor entries or expenses. If this is something you would track then you want to check this box. You either want to track at the summary or detail level but you cannot do both.

Allow time on all timesheets (in a project)

This is an override to enter their time against their task whether they are assigned to it or not.

Custom fields

When the available options don't allow for your unique requirements, one can always explore adding custom fields at a variety of levels within the system to generate the reporting needed.

Leaving a comment? If you would like us to respond to you directly regarding your comment, please make sure to include your name and email address in the comment field.