Using budgets for a project

You can use the Planning functionality to define, analyze and modify a project budget. A project can be based on elements or activities.

If the project budget is finalized, you can use Budgeting to derive a second budget, called a control budget. You can modify a finalized budget using adjustments and/or extensions.

These budget types can be used for projects:

  • Element-based budget: For a budget based on elements, you must:
    • Create elements to represent the main parts of your project.
    • Position the elements in a hierarchical structure.
    • Specify the budget lines of cost objects for the elements. For example, hours worked on a ship haul is a labor line.
  • Activity-based budget: For a budget based on activities, you must:
    • Create budget versions to keep track of changes in your top-down budget.
    • Distribute amounts to activities that are created in Planning.
    • Assign the earned value method (EVM)-related data, to determine the budget amounts that can be released.
    • Generate the planned value.
  • Purchase budgets: You can create one or more purchase budgets to procure cost objects with long delivery times, thereby averting the step-by-step process of project budgeting and execution.
  • Control budget: When the project budget is finalized, you can create a control budget that can be used for:
    • Generating planned orders in the Requirements Planning.
    • Recording progress with the Project Progress.
    • Recording actual costs in the Project Accounting.
    • Generating invoices for customers in the Invoicing preparation.