Power Framework features spreadsheet-like functionality to capture Project forecast and actual costs by cost categories and broken down into time periods.
Investment Grid Feature Summary
The Investment grid is accessed via the Investment tab of the Project.
Investment Overview
The Investment grid allows cost figures to be captured against Cost Sub-categories that have been configured in a parameter table. These are grouped by Cost Category, which themselves are attached to Budget Categories (as explained in Parameter Set-Up).
Amounts are either entered straight into this grid or may be displayed as totals of detailed transactions that may come from other sources (such as Resource Demand or transaction imports from a Financial Accounting system).
The time periods shown are determined by the Start and End date of the Project as entered in the Summary tab of the Project.
Budget Allocation By Programme
Forecast and Actual totals at Budget Category level are visible to the Programme that a Project is attached to. The Programme Manager will allocate appropriate budget to the Project accordingly (as described in Investment, Programme), and both the Programme and Project Manager can monitor variances.
The following columns are available in the grid (and can be individually shown or hidden via the column selector on the right). All are time-phased, with monthly values at the lowest level.
(Yellow highlight denotes input field)
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Comment |
| Budget | Showing the budget allocated to this Project by the Programme at the Budget Category level as described in Investment, Programme (cannot be changed here). |
| Forecast | Forecast amount for Cost Sub-category. |
| Actual | Actual amount for Cost Sub-category. |
| Cost |
This is calculated as the Actual (if entered), else it is the Forecast. Cost, therefore, represents the ‘Cost to Complete’ of the Project, made up of actuals for past periods plus any forecasts for remaining future periods. |
| Var. (Budget/Actual) | Variance between Budget and Actual (at Budget Category level). |
| Var. (Budget/Forecast) | Variance between Budget and Forecast (at Budget Category level). |
| Var. (Forecast/Actual) | Variance between Forecast and Actual (at Cost Sub-Category level). |
Working with the Investment Grid
Customise Your Worksheet: Reduce Rows
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When you first use the Investment feature for a new Project, it is a good idea to remove any rows from the canvas that won’t be needed for the Project. Use the Filters on the right, and untick any unwanted categories, starting with Budget Categories at the top of the hierarchy, then Cost Categories and Cost Sub-Categories. These filter selections will be stored with the Project. What you are left with is just those rows that are relevant, making it easier to work with as you have fewer rows to navigate. |
Customise Your Worksheet: Select Columns
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Use the column selector on the right to hide any columns you don’t need. For example, for a new Project you will be focusing on creating the cost forecast. So hide any other columns, just leaving the Forecast column selected. Select Variance columns only when you need to review how the Project is tracking against Budget or Forecast. |
Working with Yearly/Quarterly/Monthly Figures
Figures can be entered at Yearly, Quarterly, or Monthly level.
To switch the whole grid between these use the buttons. You can also use the Expand > or Collapse < buttons next to Years and Quarters to expand/collapse them individually.
If you enter an amount at yearly level, then it will be distributed to quarters/months within the year.
If you enter an amount at quarterly level, then it will be distributed to months within the quarter.
Remember that you can use copy/paste as explained in Navigation and User Interface.
Cost Transactions
Cost Sub-categories can be flagged as being’ Transaction Based’. In this case, amounts attached to them in the Investment grid are shown with a blue background. This signifies that these cells cannot be changed here, as they are the total of one or multiple Cost Transactions.
In the example below, Cost Transactions have been generated by Resource Demand entries for the Project (see The Project 'Time Window'). The user can now click on the Forecast total shown to review the detailed transaction(s) that it is based on:
Cost Transactions can also be imported from other sources, as explained in Cost Transaction Import.
Individual Cost Transactions can be entered (if manual entry is permitted) via the Add button:
Bulk Update
Bulk Update allows for multiple rows to be edited at once. Select multiple Cost Transactions to be edited, then click Bulk Update.
Note: This feature is only available for rows that are NOT Resource Demand.
The following selection appears:
Select either Update Date or Update Cost Sub-Category, or both:
To change the dates for all rows, select either Move by Months (to move the transactions by a certain number of months), or Move To (to specify an exact new date for the transactions.
Click SAVE to update multiple rows.
NOTE: Dates cannot be moved beyond the Project Time Window.