Defining an activity

Activity Group

Select the activity group to which the activity belongs.

Currency

Select a currency code to identify the activity's base currency. For posting activities, you may use any currency code. For summary activities and contract activities, the currency code must match the base currency code assigned to the activity group. The activity group's base currency is the default setting.

Default Account

Select the General Ledger company, accounting unit to default in transactions for this activity. As an option, you can also select the account and subaccount.

Note: These defaults are used for transactions that originate in Project Accounting, or in transactions that are interfaced from non-Lawson systems. The defaults are not used for activity-related transactions that originate in other Lawson applications.

Status

Select the status code for the activity. Use Status (AC02.1) to define a new status code, if necessary.

Account Category

Select a default account category to use in transactions that originate in Project Accounting, or in transactions that are interfaced from non-Lawson systems. Account categories are defined using Account Category (AC05.1).

Date Range

Specify the activity's start and end dates. The date range entered here must fall within the activity group's date range.

Note: This date range controls the dates you can use when creating activity budgets and activity transactions. The dates for activity budgets must fall within the specified date range. When you post transactions to activities, the transaction's posting or transaction date must fall within the date range, depending on how the Date Edit option is set on Activity Group (AC00.1).

Note: You can override this date range by system code on Period of Performance (AC10.6).

Billable, Contract

If you use the Lawson Billing and Revenue Management application, then select to identify if the activity is billable. You can recognize revenue against a billable or contract activity only.

Invoice Group

If you use the Lawson Billing and Revenue Management application, then select which Invoice Group is used to create and print invoices.

Invoice Groups are defined on Invoice Groups (BR06.1). Use invoice groups to create and print one invoice for each contract within an invoice group or create and print one invoice across contracts for a single customer.

Output Measure

Specify a numeric activity output measure and description. The output measure is used on Output Measure Analysis (AC93.1 and AC493) to calculate per unit costs and revenues for the activity. For example, if you want to measure activity costs by a specific number of full time equivalents (employees), then specify the number of FTEs in the output measure and use FTE as the description.

User Analysis

Select default user analysis values to use in activity transactions that originate in Project Accounting. You can specify the values or use the Define (F6) feature to open the User Analysis Entry sub-form. See the Strategic Ledger User Guide.

Long Description

Specify a longer description for the activity. If you leave this field blank, then the short activity description is set as default.

Level Type

Select whether the activity is a summary (S), posting (P), or contract (C) activity.

The contract level type is used for Billing and Revenue Management only.

Effective Date

When you are defining a new activity, leave this field blank. If you are reorganizing your activity structure, then specify the date the new level address will be effective.

Level Address

Specify the level addresses for the activity. The level address identifies the activity's location in the activity group, and is used for consolidating and rolling information up the activity structure.

Note: You must establish highest level summary or contract activities first, then lower level summary activities or contracts, then posting activities last.

New Level Address

When you are defining a new activity, leave this field blank. To move an activity to a new location in the activity group structure, specify the activity's new level address.

Award

Select Yes (Y) for any activity that is an award or award-related. Select Yes for posting activities that exist below an award activity in the activity structure.

Sponsored Effort

Select Yes (Y) if the activity should be included on the Certified Effort report in the sponsored award section. If the activity is cost share or non-sponsored, then select No (N).

Salary Cap

Select Yes if the activity is subject to a salary cap and the activity is a posting activity. Sponsored and cost share activities may be subject to salary cap.

Select No for summary or contract activities, even if they are award activities. Also select No for any posting activity to which earnings in excess of the salary cap will be charged.

Salary Cap Schedule

If the activity is subject to salary cap, then select the applicable salary cap schedule.

Only posting activities can be associated with a salary cap schedule. Salary cap schedules are used in labor distribution templates to automatically cap salary distribution percentages when an activity is subject to salary cap.

If an employee's salary exceeds the salary cap, then the percentage charged to the activity is reduced and a new distribution line for the overage is created automatically.

Salary cap schedules are also used to produce the Salary Cap Alert Report (GM412). Salary cap schedules are defined using Salary Cap Schedule (GM05.1).

Use Current Cap

Salary cap schedules store annual salary cap amounts for multiple effective dates. Use this field to indicate which salary cap amount is used to determine whether an employee's salary exceeds cap.

Select N or blank (the default) to use the salary cap amount in effect on the activity's start date.

Select Y to use the newest, active salary cap amount in the salary cap schedule.

Overage Activity

When salary cap rules are applied in a labor distribution template, the system reduces the salary percentage in the distribution line for the activity subject to salary cap and creates a new template line containing the GL account and activity to which the excess salary, or overage, should be charged.

Select an activity to which overage will be charged on the labor distribution template. If you leave this field blank, then the salary cap overages are not charged to any activity or account category.

Note: You cannot choose a mandatory or committed cost share activity as an overage activity.

If an overage activity is selected, then you can select an overage account category to which excess salary will be charged on the labor distribution template.

If you leave the account category field blank, then the overage distribution will use the overage activity, but the account category will come from the labor distribution line that initiated the overage.

Overage GL Account

When salary cap rules are applied in a labor distribution template, the system reduces the salary percentage in the distribution line for the activity subject to salary cap and creates a new template line containing the GL account and activity to which the excess salary, or overage, must be charged.

Select a GL company, accounting unit, account or subaccount to which overage will be charged on the labor distribution template. If you leave this field blank, then the overage is charged to the GL company in the labor distribution template line from which the overage is initiated.

Overage User Analysis

When salary cap rules are applied in a labor distribution template, the system reduces the salary percentage in the distribution line for the activity subject to salary cap and creates a new template line containing the GL account and activity to which the excess salary, or overage, should be charged. If your organization uses Strategic Ledger, then the system can also charge the overage to a user analysis.

Select a Strategic Ledger user analysis to which overage will be charged on the labor distribution template.

If you leave this field blank, then the overage is charged to the user analysis (if any) on the labor distribution template line from which the overage is initiated.

Encumbrance Fringe Rate

Specify the encumbrance fringe rate for the activity. Grant Management defaults this rate onto labor distribution lines to be used to calculate a commitment for this fringe percentage.

Note: The encumbrance fringe rate can also come from a rate assigned to employees on Employee (HR11.1).

Fringe Encumbrance Acct Cat

Specify or select the account category for fringe. Grant Management defaults this account category onto labor distribution lines for the fringe commitment records.

Note: The fringe encumbrance account category can also come from an account category assigned to employees on Employee (HR11.1).

Fringe Encumbrance Account

Specify or select the account for fringe. Grant Management defaults this account onto labor distribution lines for fringe commitment records.

Note: The fringe encumbrance account can also come from an account assigned to employees on Employee (HR11.1).

Location

Select an asset location. This location will default when you create asset information on Activity Asset (AC10.3).

Locations are established in Asset Management on Location (AM07.1).

Division

Select an asset division. This division will default when you create asset information on Activity Asset (AC10.3).

Divisions are established in Asset Management on Division (AM08.1).

Use these guidelines to specify the field values:

Budget Checking

The activity group budget checking value displays. You can override it with one of these values:

• Use Period Edit (2) to perform the edit using the active period-to-date budget.

• Use Annual Edit (3) to perform the edit using the active year-to-date budget.

• Use Total Edit (4) to perform the edit using the active life-to-date budget.

• Use No Edit (1), the default, if you do not wish to enable budget edits.

If budget amounts are validated, then the system validates whether actuals plus commitments are less than or equal to the budget plus the budget tolerance. The edits are performed in the applications you select on System Codes (GL01.4).

Note: Period Edit and Annual Edit options are not valid with a Life Only budget.

Level

The activity group edit level displays. You can override it with one of the following values.

• Use Activity-Acct Cat (1) to perform the edit using the budget for the activity and account category specified in the transaction.

• Use Activity (3) to perform the edit using the total budgets for all account categories in the activity specified in the transaction.

• Use Activity—Summary Account Cat (4) to perform the edit using the budget for the summary account category in the activity specified in the transaction.

• Use Contract Funding (5) for Grant Billing Activity Groups. The contract funding budget edit compares project costs to the contract budget amount stored on the Multi-Funded Contract (GM20.1). This edit allows you to define a budget at the Project/contract level. Other budget edits require the entry of budgets at the posting activity account category level and are maintained in Activity Budget (AC20.1). If the contract funding budget edit is selected at the Activity Group level (AC00.1), then it can not be overridden at the posting level activity (AC10.1).

Note: You cannot define budget edits for this activity if the default budget edit level that displays (derived from the activity group) is 2 Activity Group.

Tolerance

Specify the percentage by which the budget can be exceeded. For example, to allow budgets to be exceeded by 5 percent, specify 5.00.

Estimated Maximum

Specify the budget maximum for the activity. This is informational only, and shows a message during activity budget entry when the total activity budget exceeds the maximum.

Note: You can specify an estimated value for contract and summary activities also, but only posting activities can be subject to activity budget editing.