Project Progress

The Project Progress module is used to measure, record, and monitor the progress of a project.

  • Progress

    You can use Project Progress to register and control the project data during the course of the project. The Monitoring part of the module combines information from Project Progress to generate project monitoring reports and financial statements. These reports are based on quantities and amounts, and can be presented for any project level. There is a wide range of selection criteria to ensure that the right data is received by the right people; for example, including or excluding expected costs (commitment accounting), current or accumulative period, and with or without final result forecasts. Budgets and performed costs are compared with the actual data. You can view the consequence of this comparison. You can also see the estimated cost at the end of a project during its execution.
  • Physical progress

    You can track the physical progress of the project by monitoring the progress of the elements and activities at the cost object level, for all cost types.

    You can perform the following tasks:

    • Generate physical progress master data: You can create master-progress data for elements and activities at the cost object level. You can only generate master data if both the project and the elements and/or the activities for that project meet the required conditions.
    • Generate physical progress by element/cost object: You can globally change the progress for a range of elements. You can then monitor the result in the Project Progress module. You can maintain the progress of elements if both the project and its elements meet the required conditions.
    • Generate physical progress from planning: You can copy the progress of the activity (planning) to the activity and element progress (production). In addition, cost objects are copied from the control data.
    • Print physical progress: You can print a form that shows progress details for elements and activities. You can then use this form for recording details on-site. You can enter the current progress in the work center manually, either daily or weekly.
  • Costs

    During project execution, you can record the actual costs. Cost recording can be performed in Project or in Financials, or be the outcome of logistical processes like procuring goods or services, and then transferred to Project. You can specify the level at which the project costs are recorded. .

    To track the progress of the costs, you can use these features:

    • Costs: You can view, compare, and maintain the costs incurred for a project for all cost types. You can view the cost transactions that are not yet processed to Financials. If costs are the result of actions in Financials, Manufacturing or Order Management, these transactions are automatically created and processed. In addition, cost transactions that are manually entered can also be maintained.
    • Using commitments: To keep your project control up-to-date you must ensure that the right costs and future costs are entered, for example, your monthly reports. Commitments are financial obligations that represent future costs. When costs are incurred, the commitment is replaced by the actual cost. Commitments can be booked in two ways: manually and automatically. This depends on the specified parameters. The commitments are booked as soon as the purchase order is created and/or the goods receipt is registered in Procurement. you can track soft commitments, and hard commitments. You can also print the actual costs and commitments, and compare them.
    • Cost history: You can view and maintain the history data of project and contract costs for the different cost types.
    • Cost forecast: To generate or view the cost forecast on your project, you can use either cost objects or cost types. If you use cost objects, you can maintain the cost forecast for all cost objects related to elements and activities. If you use cost types, you can only maintain the cost forecast for activities. You can use a forecasting method to predict changes to the budget, or to predict extra costs or to predict the total project cost. These forecasts are displayed in performance measurement and monitoring.
  • Revenues and revenue history

    You can manually register project revenues or the revenues can be registered through project invoicing. If a project invoice is posted to Invoicing, project revenues are available in Project. In addition, you can maintain the forecast deviations of the revenues by element and activities against the contract, which allows you to monitor the result in the Monitoring module. You can enter revenues in different currencies. To register revenues, you first must record cost control periods for the project. The control period is used for registering the revenues. You can modify the project revenues coming from the Invoicing module. You can also enter additional revenues. You must confirm the revenues and then process the registered revenues to the project history and to Financials. You can also view and maintain the history data of revenues. This includes invoice data and posting data.
  • Financial result

    You can view the financial results of the project costs, revenues, and profits. You can view over/under billing, and over/under costs, as well as revenues. You can also track interim financial results and IFRS WIP balances.
  • Extension transactions

    You can track the progress of the project extensions. These type of extension transactions are supported:

    • Fluctuation settlement: Use this extension type to indicate the price fluctuations' influence for invoicing purposes. You cannot define this extension type for Cost Plus projects and for projects with Invoicing Method set to Unit Rate. There are two types of fluctuation settlements: Index fluctuation settlements and Price fluctuation settlement.
    • Provisional amount: Use ths extension type if you do not know a certain part of the project costs when you develop your project. You can settle the differences with the provisional-amounts budget and the actual costs at a later stage.
    • Quantities-to-be-settled: Use this extension type to invoice the difference between the budgeted quantity and the actual quantity for a range of cost objects. Use this type when you are unsure of the quantities that you will spend in the project.
  • Processing progress

    You can approve all the transactions related costs, commitments, and revenues for the project. You can post confirmed transactions to the project history, and to Financials (by using the accounts that are selected in the Financials Integration). You can also globally confirm costs, revenue transactions, and interim results. Costs are transferred to Invoicing and to project history. You can also undo the confirmed transactions.
  • Project Hours

    Using the Post Project Hours Transactions option you can log detailed or aggregated cost transactions for People Project Hours that are being processed from People. You can determine whether to create one cost transaction in Project for one line in People or to create a cost transaction for each calendar day.
  • The Employee Company field in the Cost Transactions (tpppc2100m000) and Financial Transactions (tpppc2100m100) sessions, is used for maintaining the hours and expenses data. This field is mandatory when an employee is linked to the cost transaction.
  • Overheads

    You can differentiate the internal and external overheads using the applied and billing rates.
  • For cost-based contracts, the user must be allowed to bill these costs to the customer. You can use the Applied rate (internal) and the Billing rate (external) to calculate the overhead costs.

  • The applied rate is used to calculate the internal overhead costs for the contract/ project. These overhead costs are included to the cost on the contract/ project.
  • The billing rate is used to calculate the external billable overhead costs. These overhead costs can be invoiced to the business partner.
  • Overhead Cost Forecast

    In the Overhead Forecast (tpppc6106m000) session, the overhead cost forecast can be defined to calculate the estimated costs at completion, percentage of completion, and profit percentage, which helps in analyzing the interim results effectively. Overhead cost forecasts are included when calculating the Estimated to complete value (ETC), in the Progress Payment Requests (tppin0170m000) session. Overhead costs are also included in these sessions:
    • Global Approving (tpppc4200m000)
    • Print Cost Forecast by Cost Object (tpppc2416m000)
    • Generate Interim Results (tpppc3250m000)
    • Generate Cost Forecast by Cost Object (tpppc2216m000)
    • Display Financial Analysis (tppss0701m000)
  • The Cost Forecast Entry (tpppc2615m000) session is used to maintain the cost forecast entries for the various cost types such as material, task, equipment, subcontracting, sundry costs, and overhead specified for the project.
  • Base for Performance Obligation

    When calculating interim results:

    • If the Base for Performance Obligation is set to Transaction Price in the Contract Lines (tpctm1110m000) session, the transaction price is used as the base to calculate the interim result. The Transaction Price (when applicable) is used to determine if there is a profit or loss and also used to determine the maximum expected revenue.
    • When a project is linked to multiple Contract Lines (CLINs), the Transaction Price is used as the base to calculate interim result (at least one of the CLIN's Base for Performance Obligation must be set to Transaction Price.)
  • SAB 74- Revenue Recognition Method

    You can modify the revenue recognition method for a project or contract. For reporting, you can generate interim results for alternate settings. So that the alternate scenario result can be compared to the primary result for financial reporting according to SAB 74 (Accounting standard). The Alternate setup is optional and can be used as a basis for additional reporting.
  • Project Cost Distribution

    In Project, the financial transactions originating from a financial document (for example a journal voucher) are split as cost or revenue transactions. Now, based on the specified option in the Transaction Types (tfgld0511m000) session in Finance, either the Cost Entry Overview (tpppc2811m000) session or Cost Entry (tpppc2605m000) session is used to split the project costs.
  • Revenue Recognition : Change Method

    It is now possible to change the method of revenue recognition for a contract or project with the status Open. For example, new regulations might result in a change to the revenue recognition method.

    The method to be used can be changed, without affecting the revenue calculations, until an interim result is approved and processed. With this release, a change is allowed even after the approval but in a controlled process. To change the interim results methods, you must select the Change Interim Results Method option from the Actions menu in Contract Interim Results (tpctm0180m000) and Project Interim Results (tppdm6103m000) sessions. A warning message is displayed, if interim results already exist. When you generate interim results with a new interim result method:

    • The already posted interim results are settled and reposted.
    • Unprocessed interim results are deleted.
  • Revenue Recognition : Scenarios

    To accommodate reporting, for example because of the SAB-74 requirement, scenarios using a Primary and Alternate revenue recognition setup can be created. The Primary setup is used for processing the revenue to Financials and therefore for all financial reporting. The Alternate setup is optional and can be used as a basis for additional reporting. This can be useful in the transition period to the new accounting regulations (SAB-74/IFRS-15). It is possible that during the process to handle the disclosures, an analysis by the customer could result in additional finance postings (manual journal entries). An option to switch between the Primary and Alternate setup is also available.

  • Revenue Recognition : ERF calculation based on EAC

    The Earned Revenue Factor (ERF) calculation was always based on the budget, never on the Estimate At Completion (EAC). For Percentage of Completion a choice was available. Calculation based on EAC now also exists for the ERF calculation.

  • Revenue Document Lines

    A new option is added to the cost, financial and revenue transaction to view the Revenue Document Lines that is linked to the transactions. This option is applicable only if the posting type of the transaction is Cost of Sales Recognition or COS Invoiced (Project).

  • Progress Setting for all Projects

    Infor LN now allows the calculation of the Earned Value (performed budget/allowed cost) for the Time and Material and Cost Reimbursement project to be performed in the same method as the Fixed Price project.

  • Forecasting by cost type

    Forecasting by cost type and indicators for the availability of forecasts is now also added to the Cost Forecast Entry.

  • Forecast updates based on percentage

    Forecasts can now be updated with a percentage value to speed up the process of forecasting. The Estimate to Complete (ETC) can be updated with the percentage that is specified in the Generate Cost Forecast by Cost Object (tpppc2216m000) or Generate Cost Forecast by Activity/Cost Type (tpppc2226m000) sessions.

  • Link to XM expense report in Cost Transactions

    XM expense report can be accessed from the cost transactions that is linked to the project.