Project Types in Microsoft Dynamics GP

The Project Accounting module in Dynamics GP is a very robust application enabling users to monitor the financial results of a project. One of the best features with this module is that it ties in with all the other modules within Dynamics GP. Therefore, if an invoice needs to be posted it can be done in the same system. For a company to use the Project Accounting module correctly it must first understand its current project structure and what is required in terms of KPI’s and reporting. Once this has been decided the company will have to choose the project type to use for this project. There are three types of projects in Dynamics GP:

Cost Plus – Customer pays for the actual project cost plus an added margin percentage

Fixed Price – Customer pays a fixed fee for the project

Time and Materials – Customer is billed for all costs that are incurred on a project

WebSan Solutions has launched the Project Accounting Webinar Series, aiming to take your skills to the next level, whether you are a total beginner or an advanced user in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Why do you need Project Accounting?

By taking an ordered and logical approach to your project accounting and training methods, you will be able to cut financial costs to your overall business activity.

Also, through logical project accounting and fundamental organisation techniques, you will be able to quickly see a marked improvement in expenditure and customer satisfaction.

Each month our Project Accounting Webinar Series will cover one of the following topics:

Once a project is finished, user should close out that project within Dynamics GP.  This helps to avoid errant postings to the project & ensures accurate reporting.

To close a project within Microsoft Dynamics GP, first set the status of your project to Completed within the Project Maintenance window.  Then, navigate to  Project > Transactions > Project Closing to access the Project Closing window.  Within this window, select the Contract Number that the completed project belongs to.  All the completed projects for that contract should then appear in the listing below.  To close a project, check the box under the Close column & select Process.

Users should note that even though a project is set to status of Completed, there may be additional transactions that may need to be completed prior to closing the project.  If additional transactions are required, the box under the C* column will be blank.  To obtain a listing of the transactions yet to be completed for a 'Completed' project, select the blue arrow beside the Project number field within the Project Closing window.  This will open the Project Closing More info window wherein users are presented with a check list of all the tasks required prior to closing the project.

[caption id="attachment_1505" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Project Closing[/caption]

There are times when users may have completed check list items, but they do not display within GP as completed.  If this occurs, it is good practice to run the PA Reconcile Utility.  This utility will search through the GP transaction tables to verify what activities have truly been completed.  To access this window, select Project > Utilities > PA Reconcile.  Select a data set to reconcile and then click Process.  The utility is fairly quick depending on the volume of data within your Dynamics GP environment.