Project Tasks: General Information

In MYOB Acumatica, each project can consist of one project task or multiple project task. A project task is the smallest identifiable piece of work that is a part of the project, and you can select a billing rule for each project task to determine how it will be billed. In the following sections, you will find information about creating project tasks.

Learning Objectives

In this chapter, you will learn how to do the following:

• Create a project task for a particular project
• Configure the rules of the project task completion
• Configure a project task to be billed separately from other project tasks
• Set a project task as a default for a project

Applicable Scenarios

You create a project task in the following cases:

• When you are configuring a new project from the beginning
• When you need to add a new project task to an existing project

Project Task Creation and Settings

Each project task is linked to a particular project and has a unique identifier. Project tasks are always defined within the scope and limitations of a specific project; a particular project task may have additional limitations within the scope of the project. You create new project tasks in a project by adding a row for each task to the Tasks tab of the Projects (PM301000) form. You can then review the settings of the project task on the Project Tasks (PM302000) form.

For a project task, you can define the following settings, which are specific to the task and do not extend to the project:

• Date range: You can narrow the date range of the task, as long as it remains within the start and end dates of the project. The start and end dates are specified for informational purposes and do not affect any processes performed for this project task.
• Billing rule (and optional rate): By default, the system assigns to the added project task the billing rule that is specified on the Summary tab of the Projects form for the project. Billing rules are defined on the Billing Rules (PM207000) form.

  If complex billing rules have to be configured for billing the project task, you also need to assign the appropriate rate table to the project task.

• Separate billing: You can select the Bill Separately check box on the Summary tab of the Project Tasks form to make the system create a separate invoice for the project task.
• Allocation rule: You can define the allocation rule for a particular project task.

  By default, the system assigns to a newly added project task the default allocation rule of the project which is specified on the Summary tab of the Projects form.

• Method of calculating task completion percentage: You can define the project task to be completed manually or based on the budgeted quantity or amount.
• Visibility settings: The project task may be visible only in the parts of the system in which the associated project is visible. You can leave these default visibility settings, or apply additional visibility limitations for the project task.

In addition, you can specify that a particular project task is the default task of the project, so that the system will populate this task automatically in all related documents in which a user will select this project.

Statuses of Project Tasks

A project task can be assigned one of the following statuses:

• In Planning: The task is a draft; this status is automatically assigned to a new task. This project task cannot be selected in any documents except for employee activities on the Activity (CR306010) form, purchase orders on the Purchase Orders (PO301000) form, and subcontracts on the Subcontracts (SC301000) form. However, these documents can be processed further only after the Active status is assigned to the project task.
• Active: The task is active and available for selection on data entry forms. The documents in which this project task is specified can be processed. An active task can be assigned the In Planning status.
• Completed: The task is completed. If needed, it can be activated again if the corresponding project has not been completed.
• Canceled: Task execution has been stopped before task completion. If needed, a canceled task can be activated again if the corresponding project has not been completed.

Insertion of Default Project Tasks in Document and Transaction Lines

When you create a project-related document, you must specify a project task for each document line. If you have specified one of the project's tasks as the default one for the project, the system will automatically insert this project task in the lines of documents when you select the project, thus speeding data entry.

When you process an AR invoice or AP bill related to the project, the system may automatically generate additional GL transaction lines—for instance, to include a discount or freight charge. To automatically associate these transaction lines with specific project tasks, you need to map particular general ledger accounts to specific project tasks within the project in the Default Task for GL Account table on the Defaults tab of the Projects (PM301000) form. In the automatically generated transaction lines posted to the GL account mapped to a project task, the system will specify this project task by default.

When you select a GL account mapped to a project task in the Account column in a line of a project-related AR invoice on the Invoices and Memos (AR301000) form, the system will automatically specify the mapped project task in the line. If the account is not mapped to any project task, the default project task (if one is specified for the project) is inserted in the line.