Progress Claim Numbers can be automatically generated for each project and invoice in Abtrac.
Category Archives: Jobs & Projects
Transfer Projects
In Abtrac you can transfer a project from one client to another using the project transfer function.
This feature is most commonly used where:
- a project has been assigned to an incorrect or duplicate client
- or where a project managed via a referral/intermediary client can now be managed directly.
It is not possible to merge two projects/jobs belonging to the same client.
This article is for AbtracOnLine, follow this link for the Abtrac 5 version
Employee Charge Rates
Employee Charge Rates in AbtracOnLine can be as simple or as flexible as required.
This article explains how to set up default charge rates, multiple rates for employees and how to hide rate details from timesheet users.
Employee Charge Rates: Specific Rates
Employee Charge Rates in Abtrac can be as simple or as flexible as required.
It’s possible to enter unique charge rates for specific clients, jobs, projects, tasks, stages or activities. These unique rates will override the default charge rate for the specified employees (or in the case of activities the rates will apply for all employees)
Here’s how to ensure you have the right charge rates in the right location for your billing requirements.
There’s a bit of a hierarchy as to which rate is applied when, read on for details.
Actual vs Budget Reports
Once you’ve started using Tasks for your projects and timesheets you can learn from them over time.
Tasks(also known as Stages, Phases or Matters) can be used to see how good staff are in getting through work allotted to them, as well as how good you are in your estimates.
You can analyse data entered against tasks either as hours worked or a budget amount.
Even if you don’t have a budget or estimate for a task (be it a variation, or something that you are charging at an hourly rate) it’s a good idea to assign the item of work as a task to your project. You can leave the hours and fee value equal to zero.
Later on you can look at the actual time and cost assigned to the task and get a better idea of budgeting for the next job of the same type. Or you can use the tasks to simply know approximately how much time these variations to jobs typically take (and how they can affect staffing and scheduling of other jobs).
After using Abtrac for about 18 months, one of our clients, told us “I work out the budget very scientifically and then I add on 30%”.
He’d learnt after using Abtrac for that period of time that he was under-quoting and thus writing off to that extent on nearly every project.
We’d recommend reading this article about Actual vs Budget reports in conjunction with our Creating and Managing Tasks article, and also this one here which includes a glossary of the data within the Actual vs Budget reports.
Actual vs Budget Reports: Data Glossary
Before you start using Actual vs Budget reports it’s useful to understand where the data they display comes from. We’ve included a definition for the relevant columns, (including an example calculation where applicable) in this article, to be read side by side with Creating and managing tasks, and Actual vs Budget Reports.
Creating and managing tasks
A Project Task is the bit of the job you are working on – and can budget against. (Sometimes they are called Stages or Phases)
Tasks are the most efficient and effective way to measure and manage your projects.
Generally your project tasks will match those items detailed on your original fee proposal letter.
If you’re not sure whether you should be using tasks or activities then this article is a good place to start.
This article refers to the process of creating and assigning tasks in AbtracOnLine follow this link for the Abtrac 5 version
There are quite a few key details to get your tasks set up and working they way you need them.
If you’re new to tasks and budgeting in Abtrac then it’s a good idea to read through this article from start to finish, but we’ve also summarised the key components below for quick reference:
Where to enter project budgets, as fee estimates, percentages or building the scope with detailed estimates by employee
How to set up templates and clone frequently used tasks when creating new projects
Configuring the layout of the Tasks screen
.
Making Tasks Mandatory in Timesheets
.
Renaming Tasks to Stages – Phases – or something else
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Scope Creep Notifications. How to enable a warning on timesheets when task budgets are exceeded
For project management and billing estimates
And reporting on variations by using the Actual vs Budget by Project, Task and Additional Values report
Click on the links above, or read on for details
Tasks or Activities, Which should I use?
One Frequently asked question from new Abtrac users is whether to use Tasks or Activities in their timesheets.
Here’s the difference between the two: Tasks are Quantitative, Activities are not.
Tasks are where you enter the budget for the job.
Tasks are also sometimes called Stages or Phases.
They should be exactly the same as budget items on the fee agreement you document to the client.
You give each task an estimate of both time and fees, and then analyse them later using reports such as Actual vs Budget by Task, or Invoice Preparation Information Report. These reports compare your proposed amounts, time spent, and amount invoiced.
You can learn from them over time to see how good staff are in getting through work allotted to them as well as how good you are in your estimates. If necessary you can modify your thinking and estimating to more correctly budget the next job based on what you’ve learnt from previous jobs.
Examples of Tasks (depending on your line of work): Concept Design, Feasibility Study, Developed Design, Media Monitoring
Activities are not Quantitative.
If Tasks are the bits of the job you’re working on, Activities are what you’re doing on each bit.
Really activities are to save you typing the same comments over and over again.
There are limited reports based on activities other than those used when reviewing timesheet entries and preparing descriptions for invoice lines.
Activities are generic across all jobs whereas tasks and the values associated with them are very much specific to a particular job, especially when there are variations and extras on a job by job basis.
Examples of Activities (again depending on your line of work): Office Work, Travel, Research, Meetings, Site Visit
Possible Projects to be made non-current
In AbtracOnLine from Reports > in the Clients and Jobs section > Abtrac will provide a list of Possible Jobs to make Non-Current.
This extra data check ensures you are only making non-current jobs that are definitely no longer in use.
Invoice Addresses
Abtrac addresses can be as simple or as flexible as required. Here’s how to ensure you have the right address details in the right location for your billing requirements.
Addresses can be stored at the Client, Project and Invoice level. There’s a bit of a hierarchy as to which address is shown on your invoice, it works out like this:
Abtrac Billing Address Relationships and Process
Search, Browse and Find Contacts
In the desktop version of Abtrac, Abtrac 5 there are three options for finding Client and Project details.
Find Contact is a quick and simple pop-up, useful when you know what you are looking for.
The Search screen allows you to preview a wide selection of Clients, Contacts and Projects data. It also links to the Projects Snapshot Summary which is a handy quick view of the latest timesheets, invoices, notes and work planning for a project.
Browse Projects is focused more at the project than the client level and includes current WIP details and Project Listing reports.
Back to basics – Project Status
Abtrac’s Project Management suite has plenty of fields available to build a detailed, real-time analysis of your projects progress and profitability. It’s something that sets us apart from our competitors.
But before you get carried away with Milestones, Scheduling, Tasks and Budgets…spare some time for the humble Project Status.
It crops up in quite a few reports, and you’ll probably find it pretty handy.
Keep it simple when using project status, between 3 – 6 options are usually plenty. Something basic like “Approved, In Progress, On Hold, Completed” is often useful. Rather than micro-managing the status; you can add more detail in the Tasks(Stages) screen if needed.
Teams or Departments, Which should I use?
In Abtrac both Employees, and Projects can be assigned to a specific Team or Department for reporting purposes. The main difference is…
- A Team is assigned to an Office, and as such can be filtered in reports by office.
- A Department is a stand-alone group that both employees and projects from multiple offices can belong to.
Both groups can be created and maintained from the Administration screens.
Non-Chargeable work – tracking administration and leave as projects
When you set up Abtrac we recommend you create a non-billable client for your own company.
For this client enter all the administrative and leave jobs that your staff may use, and any projects that you’d like to track time against.
Continue reading
Fee Proposal Letters (Letters of Engagement)
When creating proposals or letters of engagement you can use Abtrac to populate your letter details. Including outlining your budget, and breaking down the project into tasks (or stages). These fee estimates and other Client and Job details can then be mail merged to a template document and sent to the client.
