V9 Jobs and Workflow Administrators Guide DOCUMENTATION Phone: 01981 590410 Fax: 01981 590411 E-mail: information@praceng.com
CHANGE HISTORY ORIGINAL DOCUMENT AUTHOR: MICHELLE HARRIS DATE: APRIL 2010 AUTHOR DATE CHANGE MICHELLE HARRIS JULY 2010 UPDATE TO 8.2 MICHELLE HARRIS JULY 2011 UPDATE TO 8.2.2 AND REVIEW MICHELLE HARRIS NOVEMBER 2011 UPDATE TO 8.3 MICHELLE HARRIS MAY 2012 UPDATE TO 8.3.3 MICHELLE HARRIS JULY 2012 UPDATE TO 8.4.0 MICHELLE HARRIS NOVEMBER 2012 UPDATE TO 8.4.1 MICHELLE HARRIS JULY 2013 MINOR UPDATES MICHELLE HARRIS JULY 2014 UPDATE TO V9 MICHELLE HARRIS OCTOBER 2015 UPDATE TO 9.3 MICHELLE HARRIS MAY 2016 UPDATE TO 9.5 MICHELLE HARRIS MARCH 2017 UPDATE TO 9.6 Chapter: Change History 2
CONTENTS Change History... 2 Overview... 6 What is Workflow?... 7 Job Templates and Master Tasks... 8 Master Tasks... 8 Job Templates... 9 Job Details... 10 Job Jurisdictions (Tax Type Jobs only)... 10 Job Management... 11 Job Rates... 11 Job Dates... 12 Job Roles... 12 Job Tasks... 12 Job Budget... 14 Job Billing... 15 Applying Jobs to Clients... 16 The Client Jobs Page... 17 Applying a New Job to A Client... 19 Creating a job from a template... 19 Creating a Job Manually... 19 Editing an Existing Job... 20 The Job Details Page... 20 Additional Information... 26 Job Questionnaires... 28 Creating Questionnaires... 28 Edit Questionnaire... 28 Chapter: Change History 3
Preview Questionnaire... 28 Edit Questions... 28 Edit Applies To Details... 29 Delete Questionnaire... 31 Creating Questions for Use on Questionnaires... 32 Applying Questionnaires... 33 Managing Jobs... 34 Staff Jobs List... 34 Job Pickup Page... 34 Global Standard Job Management... 34 Global Tax Job Management... 35 Workflow Portfolio... 35 View Tasks For This Job... 36 Workflow Status Summary... 37 Department Schedule... 37 My Portfolio Schedule... 39 Job Tracker Portfolio... 39 ETC Portfolio (Estimate to Complete)... 39 Bulk Job Admin page... 39 Bulk Client Admin... 40 Client Workflow Diary... 40 Staff Department Diary... 41 Staff Diary... 41 Staff Dashlets... 42 Jobs Dashlet... 42 Tasks Dashlet... 42 Job Control Dashlet... 42 Chapter: Change History 4
Job Portfolio Dashlet... 43 Client Dashlets... 43 Standard Jobs Dashlet... 43 Messages... 43 Other... 45 Job Roles... 45 Staff Grades... 45 Job Complexity... 45 Task Class... 46 Timesheet Admin settings... 46 Services... 46 Organisation... 46 Chapter: Change History 5
OVERVIEW This administrator s guide has been written to provide an explanation of the concept of Jobs within Practice Engine, and in its set up and use within an organisation. Jobs can be applied at varying levels from the very simple to the very complex. This document aims to provide information relating to all features that are available within Practice Engine. It is suggested that the Jobs process is started with simple models and built up rather than the reverse. Chapter: Overview 6
WHAT IS WORKFLOW? Workflow is a process or set of processes that define a sequence of tasks/activities within an organisation. If used to its full extent it can aid in the simplification of business processes and can also be used as a resource allocation and scheduling tool. Practice Engine Workflow is used in conjunction with the Jobs pages within the client section and allows for the management of jobs and tasks assigned to individual clients. To understand workflow within Practice Engine you must first understand the client services hierarchy. Each client is assigned services and each service can have jobs attached. When entering time it is required that a job is selected to charge against, even if it is the Generic job. A job is an instance of an activity/ process against the service that it is attached to e.g. the Audit service can have a job called Audit 2015. Each job can have a sub level of tasks attached to it. Tasks are all the things that must be done in order to complete the job e.g. the Audit 2015 job can include tasks such as Contacting the client to gather information and Preparing Client Information. A job that contains tasks will only be complete once all the tasks are complete. Workflow, concentrates on the second half of the above diagram. Although jobs and tasks can be created freely on each client, workflow is designed to simplify the procedure. The same job can be completed for many of the clients on the system; these jobs will consist of the same tasks. The same job and its tasks would have to be created separately for each of these clients. Chapter: What is Workflow? 7
Workflow works by creating a template of a job and its tasks. This means a job and its tasks only have to be created once. The Job Template and its Master Tasks will then be assigned to the required clients. The job and its tasks can then be edited to suit requirements; more tasks can be added or removed. The job and the tasks can be given datelines, responsible staff members, budgets and feedback that can be sent to the job partner/manager constantly informing them of the jobs progress. In addition, tasks are highlighted on both the staff dashboard and within the staff diary. JOB TEMPLATES AND MASTER TASKS For workflow to be effective the business processes of an organisation need to be reviewed and created into Job Templates and associated Master Tasks. An organisation can have as many of these as are necessary. Job Templates and Master Tasks need to be fairly generic in nature. They can be customised to the specific requirements of the client when they are applied at the client level. The starting point in this process is to create a set of Master Tasks that can then be used on the Job Templates. MASTER TASKS New master tasks are created from the Master Tasks Definition page on the Admin menu task pad under System Maintenance. To create a new Master Task, click the Add Task button. Enter the task Subject then select the Classification and enter any Notes. Classifications are used to categorise jobs. These come from a category list that is maintained within Categories Etc. (Please refer to the System Admin Administrators Guide for further information on creating and maintaining job classifications.) Feedback can be either sent to the job partner or manager or both (NB: These can be the same as or different to the client partner / manager). Using the Send To dropdown selection, select who will receive the feedback by choosing Partner, Manager, Both Partner and Manager, or No One. Feedback can be sent in the form of an email or a PE message. Using the Send By dropdown selection, choose how you would like to feedback to be sent None, PE Message, or Email. The task can be given an importance level. The available levels are low, medium and high and can be selected using the Importance dropdown. The task Duration is the number of hours the task is expected to take to complete. The task Code field is used to classify the task. This can then be used in reporting if required. Click on the Save button to save the new master task. The task will now appear on the master tasks list. Clicking on the Cancel button will discard the new master task. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 8
Master tasks can be edited by clicking onto the required task. This will open the Master Task Details form. Master Tasks can be deleted by clicking onto the Delete icon ( task. ) on the right hand side of the JOB TEMPLATES Following the previously illustrated structure, a job template needs to be created and then Master Tasks can be applied. Job Templates are created by using the Job Templates Definition page on the Admin menu -Task Pad under the System Maintenance section. The Job Templates page lists the current templates, and allows for the creation of new templates. Filter options allow specific templates or services to be selected. To edit existing templates, click onto the template name that requires editing. The Job Details will be displayed for editing. A Copy function allows a template to be copied to be used as a base for a new template. To create a new template click onto the New Template button. A New template form will be displayed. Enter any information regarding the job template as described in the table below: Field Service Job Code Description Select the service to which the Job Template is valid for. A mandatory field that must be unique. Attaching [YYYY] to the code of the job template will populate the job code when it is attached to the client with the year. The year is derived from the year field on the job details dialog. Job Name Job Value Partner Manager In Charge Enter the name for the job template. The name of the template must be unique. Attaching [YYYY] to the name of the job template will populate the job name when it is attached to the client with the year. The year is derived from the year field on the job details dialog. (Note: This defaults to the year prior to the Year End date of the client for tax return jobs.) Using [TTTT] will append the tax year to the job name. It is also possible to use [YY] and [TT]. A field to indicate the potential fee of the job. Enter the name of the Partner who will be responsible for this job template. Enter the name of the Manager who will be responsible for this job template. Enter the name of the In Charge staff member who will be responsible for this job template. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 9
Includes Tax Return Fiscal Year Return Form Manage As Recurring Job Frequency A check box to indicate whether the template should include Tax Return details. Selecting this displays additional information regarding the Fiscal Year, Return Form and Management options. Available if Tax Return is selected. Indicate the Fiscal Year that the template is defaulted to. Available if Tax Return is selected. This is a mandatory field. Select the Tax Type that the job template is to be used for. Available if Tax Return is selected. Options include Standard Tax Job or Complex Tax Job with Tasks. A checkbox to indicate whether the job is to be recurring. If this is checked an additional Frequency option will be displayed. Available if Recurring Job is selected. The frequency of the recurring job. The options that are available are Manual, Annually, Semi-annually, Quarterly, Monthly, Biweekly and Weekly. Click onto the Create button to create the new job template. The template will then be displayed in the list of templates. The list of templates allows the templates to be marked as Active and also to be associated with services. Click into the appropriate field to either activate/ deactivate the template or to attach it to a service. Further details can be added to the template after it has been created. Click onto the Template name in the list of templates to display the full job details options. The additional options are detailed by section below. Make sure that any changes are saved for each section of the job template details. JOB DETAILS Job Class Office Department MasterFile The Job Class is a drop down selection that allows the job templates and subsequent jobs to be classified. Select the Office that the job will be attached to. This can be used for reporting purposes and in restricting staff access to certain jobs. Select the Department that the job will be attached to. This can be used for reporting purposes and in restricting staff access to certain jobs. This is text field that can be used to record the location of the master file for the job. This field is for information purposes only. JOB JURISDICTIONS (TAX TYPE JOBS ONLY) This section will list the jurisdictions that are attached to the tax form initially selected. Additional jurisdictions can be added. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 10
JOB MANAGEMENT Job Estimate Complexity: Staffing Type: Time Entry Permission Estimate to Complete Roll button This is the job value that is entered initially when setting up the template. It is the expected fee for the job This is a category controlled list that indicates the level of complexity of the job. This can then be used to determine the level of staff that should be allocated to the job. The complexity options can be customised under the Admin menu Categories etc Categories. This field is for use with the Tax Return Tracking system and indicates whether the tax return should be assigned to the first available person or assigned to a designated staff member. This provides the ability to restrict who can enter time against the job either Anyone can enter time or Only people in roles can enter time. Indicates whether an Estimate To Complete (ETC) is allowed. If Estimates To Complete are allowed then entering time to the selected job or task will display the budgeted time, the actual time to date and allow entry of the estimate of the remaining time. An ETC icon will then be shown on the user s timesheet where they are able to update the ETC information. Only applicable for actual jobs, not templates. JOB RATES Rates for this job Also called Rate Types. This is a feature at the Client, Service and Job level that will calculate WIP values based upon the set Rate Type. There are four possible rate types that can be applied to jobs: Standard (default) this will apply the staff members charge rate to any WIP on the Client, Service or Job. % of Standard this will apply a percentage value to any WIP on the Client, Service or Job. This allows for the WIP to be either discounted or charged at a premium without being dependent upon the staff member having an appropriate charge rate. Flat Rate this will apply a flat charge rate to any WIP regardless of the staff member s charge rate. Custom rates by grade or staff this will apply a rate based on either the staff member attached to the rate or the grade associated with the rate. This Special Rate is only available at the Job level. Note: If a rate type is applied at all three levels the Job level rate type will take precedence followed by the Service rate type and finally the Client rate type. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 11
JOB DATES Job Period Deadline Other The start and end dates for the job period will be populated based on the client s Year End date (on Client Details page under the Client menu). If no Year End date is populated against the client this date can be manually entered. Dates to indicate when the job must be started and finished by. Other dates, such as Target Start and End dates that are important for the job. JOB ROLES Job roles allow you to define the list of staff who will be working on a specific job. Roles need to be set on the template so that they are subsequently available when a job template is applied to a client. The list of roles themselves are set up and maintained within Categories Etc. Select the role from the drop down and click onto the Add button. Repeat for all roles that are to be added to this template. Make sure the changes are saved Multiple staff can be associated with a single role when the job is applied to the client. JOB TASKS Tasks can be created against the job template by either adding a quick task, a master task or a detail task. A quick task is created by entering the task subject and clicking onto the Add Task button. A Master Task or a Detail task can be added by selecting the appropriate option from the drop down next to Add Task. If Master Task is selected, a list of available Master Tasks is displayed. Select the Master Tasks that are to be added to the template and click onto Add Selected Tasks. DETAIL TASK Adding a detail task allows for the inclusion of additional information on the task as detailed below: Subject Status On Hold Priority A description of the task. The status of the task. The status field should be changed to reflect the state of completeness of the task. Indicates whether the task has been placed on hold. This is for information purposes only. The level of importance the task has. This is for information purposes only. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 12
Staff Role Analysis Estimated Value Estimated Hours Task Code Notes Due Date Period: Due Date Interval: Due Date From: Due Date Fixed: Due Date: Start Target: Date Started: Date Completed: Scheduling: Parent: Predecessor: The staff member expected to perform the task. If multiple staff are to work on the task, this field can be used to indicate the staff member who is in charge of the task. The schedule button is then used to assign all other staff who are to work on the task. Allows a specific role to be associated with the task. The charge code the staff member s time is to be charged at. The value of the task (Charge Rate x Hours). The length of time in hours that the task is expected to take. This field can be used to store a task code that can then be used for reporting purposes. Any additional information relating to the task can be added here. Options of Days, Weeks and Months. Used for the automatic calculation of task dates. The number of units from the due date period. The item that the due date of the task is to be based on This is ticked if the due date has been confirmed and is not likely to change. The system will ignore all recalculations of this date when this option is selected. This is the due date as calculated from the job details and will be visible the next time the task is viewed. The due date can also be typed in freely and will not be updated or recalculated if the Due Date Fixed option is selected. The target start date for the task. The date the task was started. This can either be entered manually by the staff member or will be updated from the timesheets entries that are assigned to the task. The date the task was marked as completed. A check box to allow Automatic Scheduling. Automatic scheduling will apply a schedule to the staff member assigned to the task to the value of the budget hours. If the budget hours are more than the daily hours for the staff member, the schedule item will span multiple days. A Parent task encompasses a number of other tasks. It is assumed that when the Parent task is complete then all the child tasks are also complete. A Predecessor is the task that should be completed before another one starts. If a task is marked as complete that has a predecessor, the predecessor will also be marked as complete. The tasks will be added to the job template and can then be modified or moved up/ down in the task order by dragging and dropping them in to the required order. Tasks can be removed from the template by selecting the task and clicking onto the Delete ( ) button. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 13
Note: Further information can be applied to the tasks when the job template is applied to the client. JOB BUDGET Budget Job Budgeted Hours Budgeted Value Select how the job budget should be set. The options are By Job In Total, By Role in Total, By Task in Total, By Task By Role, By Staff By Date, and By Task By Staff By Date. Available if By Job In Total is budget option selected. This is the initial budget hours for the template. Available if By Job In Total is budget option selected. An initial budget value for the template. All other options will allow lines to be added for Roles, Tasks or Staff as described below. The various budget options that are available are: By Job In Total - Total figures for the number of hours and the value for the job can be entered. By Role In Total The total number of hours for each role is entered. The Value is calculated based on the default charge rate that is set against the grade attached to the role. By Task In Total Allows total figures for hours and value to be entered against each task on the job. By Task By Role Allows a budget figure to be entered for each role on each task of the job. By Staff By Date A budgeted number of hours can be set against each staff member who will work on the job. The date is used to add the budget into the schedule if the Sync Budget with Schedule is checked. By Task By Staff By Date A budgeted number of hours can be set against each task and a staff member assigned to that task. The date is used to add the budget into the schedule if the Sync Budget with Schedule is checked. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 14
JOB BILLING Billing Narrative Billing Attention This text box allows a default fee narrative to be entered against the job template. This fee narrative will then be created on all fees for the job. This requires that the narratives for the fee are created using the Build Fee By Job option. This text box allows a default name to be entered. This default name will then be created on all fees for the job. This requires that the fee is a single job fee. The Delete button will allow the job template to be deleted. Templates cannot be deleted once they have been applied to a client. To stop unwanted templates being used in the future they should be marked as Inactive by using the Template Status dropdown. Changes to the template need to be saved against each section that is changed. Chapter: Job Templates and Master Tasks 15
APPLYING JOBS TO CLIENTS When entering time into Practice Engine timesheets it is a requirement that a Job is selected against the selected service. From V9.5 onwards, jobs became a mandatory level. If jobs are not being used, a service will have a job called Service Name Work to be used as the mandatory job. An engaged and active service can have many jobs attached to it. Note: If jobs are not used or not created for certain services, time can still be charged to the service by selecting the system job named Service Name - Job. This feature is the default but can be switched so that mandatory jobs are used. This facility is controlled through the Transaction Settings area in the Categories Etc page within the Admin menu. MANUAL JOBS: The creation of individual jobs and tasks against a particular client s engaged service. Each job and its attached tasks are set-up from scratch and cannot be applied to other clients. TEMPLATE JOBS: A job template is created with no client specific details at all and can be applied to any client(s) as required. Manual jobs are best for one-off or client specific jobs and tasks, whereas Template Jobs are ideal for jobs and tasks completed regularly and that are required on more than one client. The following section deals with the creation and use of manual jobs as well as how to apply job templates to clients and add client specific details. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 16
THE CLIENT JOBS PAGE The Client Job Details page can be accessed from either the Client menu, or by using the Client Jobs option from the Action menu on the Client Search. The Client Job Details page provides a grid view of the jobs associated with the client. The default view is of all Active jobs, but this can be changed by selecting either All or Inactive refiner at the top of the page. Specific jobs can also be searched for using the Search field. The search facility will search on text data within any columns that are displayed within the grid view. The columns can be sorted into ascending or descending order. There is also the ability for each user to select the columns that they would like displayed in the grid view. Additional columns can be selected by clicking onto the Columns button. A Select Columns dialog will be displayed allowing the user to choose the columns to be displayed. The data in these columns can then be used in the search facility. The columns that are available are: Column Job Id Client Code Client Short Code Group Service Job Type Job Name Partner Manager In-Charge Is Job recurring? Job Status Job Work Status Job Complexity Date Created Period Start Period End Finish Target Current Due Date Date Assigned Description The job s unique identifier within the database. The Client code that the client that the job is assigned to. The Client that the job is attached to. The Client s short code. The group that the client belongs to. The Service that the job is attached to. The Job type as specified in the Job Header table. This field is hidden within the job details. The name of the job against the client. The partner responsible for the job. The manager responsible for the job. The Staff member In Charge of the job. Indicates whether the job is recurring or not. This column shows the main job status of Not Started, In Progress etc. Displays the associated Workflow Status if the job status is set to In Progress. Displays the complexity of the job if being used. This field will show the date that the job was first created. The Job s Period Start date as set on the Dates panel of the job. The Job s Period End date as set on the Dates panel of the job. The date entered into Other End within the dates panel of the job. The date entered into the Deadline End date. The date that the job was forwarded onto a staff member. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 17
Date Accepted Next Action Date Job Code Job Species Current Staff Tax Form Tax Year Job Office Code Estimated Fee Budget Hours Budget Value Actual Hours Actual Value Billed WIP Written Off WIP Rollover Status Rack Description The date that the job was accepted by the staff member. The next due date which is based on Task dates, Deadline and Other dates. The job code assigned to the job. This is an alpha numeric identifier that must be unique to the client. This field indicates whether the job is a Standard job, a Standard Tax Job or a Complex Tax Job. The staff member that the job has been assigned to. This will only be updated if the staff member has accepted the job. The Tax Form that the job is based upon. The Tax year for the job. The office that the job belongs to. The Estimated Fee for the job. The total of the budget hours for the job. This is always provided as a total figure regardless of the budget type selected. The total of the budget value for the job. The number of actual hours that have been worked on the job. The WIP value of the actual hours that have been worked on the job. The amount of WIP that has been billed from the job. The amount of WIP from the job that has been written off. Indicates whether the job has been rolled over or whether it can be rolled over. N/A indicates a job that has not been set as recurring. Indicates which Rack the job has been assigned to, if racks have been set up. (Tax Jobs) New jobs can be added by clicking onto the New Job button. Existing jobs can be viewed and edited by selecting the job and either clicking onto the Open Job action link or by clicking onto the job name, which will open the job as an Inline view. Editing can be done with either method. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 18
APPLYING A NEW JOB TO A CLIENT When applying a new job to a client, click onto the New Job button. By default, the system will assume that the job is to be created from a template. A manual job can be created by clicking onto the Create Job Manually link. CREATING A JOB FROM A TEMPLATE The new job is created by first selecting the Service that the job is to be applied to. The list of available templates will be updated to display only those relevant to that service. Select the Template required for the new job. The Job Timing will be populated based on the client s year end details and the Fiscal Year/ Tax Year set against the template, but this information can be edited at this stage. The Tax Year will only be displayed if a Tax Job template has been selected. The Job Management section requires that the Job Estimate is completed. This is the expected value of the fee for the job. The Job Partner, Job Manager and Job In Charge can also be set here. By default the Job Ownership fields will be set to be the same as the Service Ownership details on the client. Finally, enter the Job Name. This will already display the template name, and may display the fiscal year. The job name must be unique to the client. Click onto the Create button to create the job. The Jobs List for the selected client will be displayed. Further information can then be added to the job by opening the Job Details pages. CREATING A JOB MANUALLY Jobs can be created without the use of a template. These are useful for one off jobs that either do not need much information or are specific to the client. Click onto the Create Job Manually link. A Manual Job Setup page will be displayed. Select the Service to which the job is to be applied and enter a unique Job Code. The Auto button will auto create a job code based on the next numeric code available. If the job is to be a recurring job, check the Recurring Job checkbox and select the frequency that the job is to recur by. If the job is to include a Tax Return check the Include Tax Return box. The Return Form type will be displayed and will need to be selected. Finally choose how to manage the Tax Job as a standard tax job or a complex tax job with tasks. Enter/ Edit the Fiscal year as required. Enter a value for the job in the Job Value field. This is the expected fee for the job. Set the Job Partner, Manager and In Charge. These will default to the Partner, Manager and In Charge that are set on the service that has been selected. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 19
Finally, enter a Job Name. This must be unique for the client. Click onto the Create button to create the job. The Jobs List for the selected client will be displayed. Further information can be added from the main job details pages. The default budget type for manual jobs can be set within Transaction Settings within Categories Etc. The budget type can still be changed when the job is applied to the client. EDITING AN EXISTING JOB Existing jobs can be viewed and edited by selecting the job and either clicking onto the Open Job action link or by clicking onto the job name, which will open the job as an Inline view. Editing can be done with either method. THE JOB DETAILS PAGE The Job Details page displays the full details for the job. For Tax jobs there will also be a section for the Job Jurisdictions that are applicable to the job. If a Job template has been selected some of the basic job detail fields will already be populated, however, it is essential to check all details carefully as it is at this level that client specific details can be added or edited. The job details are displayed as sections within the page. If opening using the Open Job link rather than the Inline View, a menu of the section headings is displayed on the right hand side of the page and can be used to quickly jump to the section that requires editing. The Inline View will display the menu on the left hand side. JOB DETAILS The following information is available within the details section: Field Name: Job Code: Job Status: Description The title of the job. A unique identifier for the job. The jobs current status. The available statuses are: Not Started indicates that the job has not been started. This status will change automatically when time is entered to the job. In Progress indicates that the job is In Progress Complete marks the job as having been completed. No further Time or Expense entries can be made against the job but the job can still be billed or written off. Closed indicates that the job is finished and there is no longer a WIP balance against the job. The job will not be shown in any job lists. Pending indicates that the job has a questionnaire that requires submission and/ or approval. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 20
Workflow Status: Current Staff Forward: Office: Department: Master File: This refers to the progress of the job. Workflow statuses can be defined in Categories Etc Special Categories Work Statuses - Statuses and each service can have different statuses applied. This will only appear once the Job Status has been changed to In Progress. Displays the staff member that the job is currently assigned to. This is updated based on the forwarding of the job. This button allows the job to be forwarded onto another staff member. The default drop down will display any staff associated with a role on the job. This can be changed to a staff search field by clicking onto the edit icon next to the staff field. The notes field can be used to put a brief note for the staff member it is being forwarded to. The Office that the job belongs to. This can be used to restrict staff viewing the job. The Department the job belongs to. This can be used to restrict staff viewing the job. This is text field that can be used to record the location of the master file for the job. This field is for information purposes only. JOB MANAGEMENT The following information is available within the job management section: Field Job Estimate: Partner: Manager: In Charge: Complexity: Staffing Type: Time Entry Permission: Estimate to Complete: Description This field displays the expected value of the fee for the job. This displays the Job Partner assigned to the job. If the job partner is to be changed, remove the existing partner and start typing the name of the partner to be added. An autocomplete list will be displayed with possible partners. Select the partner who is to be added. As for the Job Partner. As for the Job Partner. The In charge can be any staff member who is to have responsibility for the job. This is a category controlled list that indicates the level of complexity of the job. This can then be used to determine the level of staff that should be allocated to the job. The complexity options can be customised under the Admin menu Categories etc Categories. This field is for use with the Tax Return Tracking system and indicates whether the tax return should be allocated to the First Available person or Assigned to a designated staff member. This provides the ability to restrict who can enter time against the job either Anyone can enter time or Only people in roles can enter time. Indicates whether an Estimate To Complete (ETC) is allowed. If Estimates To Complete are allowed then entering time to the selected task will display the budgeted time (the original ETC), the actual time to date and allow entry of the estimate of the remaining time. An ETC Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 21
Recurring Job: icon will then be shown on the user s timesheet where they are able to update the ETC information. This information will also be displayed and is editable from the ETC portfolio. A checkbox to indicate whether the job is to be recurring. If this is checked an additional Frequency option will be displayed. Frequency: The frequency of the recurring job. The options that are available are Manual, Annually, Semi-annually, Quarterly, Monthly, Biweekly and Weekly. Roll button: This button will display the Roll Job forward dialog. Options on this dialog allow: Keep Current Staffing On Roles this will create the new jobs with the same staffing as the current job. Automatic Budget this will create a budget for the new job based on the previous jobs actuals. Task Scheduling this provides options to create a task schedule based on the current job s schedule. Options here include Don t Schedule, Replicate Schedule, Schedule to Staff and Schedule to Grade. SCHEDULE BUTTON This button in the Job Management section opens the Schedule page for the selected client. The view displays 2 weeks, and the view can be scrolled to earlier or later dates using the Day and Week buttons. By default, the view will only display rows for scheduled staff. However, the check box Show All Rows will display a row for each staff member attached to the job either as Partner, Manager, In Charge or against a role. The Show Availability check box displays an Availability view at the bottom of the screen. This view allows for available staff to be searched for, with filters against Office, Department and Grade. For a detailed explanation please refer to the section within Department Schedule. Existing schedule items can be edited or deleted by double clicking onto the item. Existing items can also be moved to different days or staff by dragging to the new day or staff member. Items can be copied by selecting the item and using the Clipboard option that will appear in the top right hand corner, with the instruction to Drag to copy. New schedule items can be added using the Add Schedule button. This will display the Schedule Editor. Type the staff member s name to be added to the schedule. Select the associated Task if being used. Enter any Notes these may be used to prompt the staff member about the work involved, or can be used as the narrative on the timesheet. Set the Date that the schedule is to apply to. Enter the corresponding Hours and allocate the staff member to a Role. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 22
Remember to save the changes that have been made using the Add button. JOB RATES The following information is available within the job rates section: Field Rates for this job Description Also called Rate Types. This is a feature at the Client, Service and Job level that will calculate WIP values based upon the set Rate Type. There are four possible rate types that can be applied to jobs: Standard (default) this will apply the staff members default charge rate to any WIP on the Client, Service or Job. % of Standard this will apply a percentage value to any WIP on the Client, Service or Job. This allows for the WIP to be either discounted or charged at a premium without being dependent upon the staff member having an appropriate charge rate. Flat Rate this will apply a flat charge rate to any WIP regardless of the staff member s charge rate. Custom rates by grade or staff this will apply a rate based on either the staff member attached to the rate or the grade associated with the rate. This Special Rate is only available at the Job level. Note: If a rate type is applied at all three levels the Job level rate type will take precedence followed by the Service rate type and finally the Client rate type. JOB DATES The following information is available within the job dates section: Field Job Period Deadline Other Actual Description The start and end dates for the job period will be populated based on the client s Year End date (on the Client Details page under the Client menu). If no Year End date is populated against the client this date can be manually entered. Dates to indicate when the job must be started and finished by. This will be reflected in the Current Due Date field on the Jobs List pages. Other dates, such as Target start and end dates that are important for the job. This will update the Finish Target date on the Jobs List pages. These dates will be auto populated when the job is started and marked as complete. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 23
JOB ROLES Job roles allow a list of staff to be defined who will be working on a specific job. This can be used in conjunction with the Time Entry Permission to restrict who can enter time to the job. Roles can also be used when budgeting against the job. Any roles that have already been set against the template will be displayed here. Additional roles can be added if required for a specific job. Type the name of the staff member to allocate staff to a role. Repeat for all staff that are required against a specific role. It is also possible to set who the Primary Staff member is against a role. This is for information purposes only. JOB TASKS The Job Tasks section will not be available for Standard Tax Jobs. The job tasks section will display any tasks that have already been added from the template. These tasks can be edited, deleted and new tasks added. Any budget information and actual WIP information allocated against each task will also be shown. Budget figures will be displayed against the task, but can only be edited from the Budgets panel. New tasks can be added to the job by entering a task subject and clicking onto the Add Task button. Alternatively a detailed task or master task can be added using the drop down of the Add Task button. Tasks can be edited by clicking onto the edit ( ) icon, which can be found next to the Actual value. This will display the Task Details page where any task details can be added/ amended. Remember to click onto the Update Task to save any changes. Further information relating to the details that a Task holds can be found in the Job Tasks section covered previously in this document. Options to move between tasks are available using the Next and Previous buttons. Tasks are deleted by clicking onto the Delete ( ) button next to each task. JOB BUDGETS The Job Budget section will display any budgets that have been set against the Job, Role, Staff Member or Task depending the on budget type that has been selected. Values can be changed by clicking into the Hours and Value fields. The Value will be calculated automatically for the Role In Total budget type and the Staff budget types. The various budget options are described below: By Job In Total - Total figures for the number of hours and the value for the job can be entered. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 24
By Role In Total The total number of hours for each role is entered. The Value is calculated based on the default charge rate that is set against the grade attached to the role. An Estimate to Complete field will also be displayed if the job is set to use Estimates to Complete. The initial budget figure will create the initial Estimate to Complete figure. By Task In Total Allows total figures for hours and value to be entered against each task on the job. An Estimate to Complete field will also be displayed if the job is set to use Estimates to Complete. The initial budget figure will create the initial Estimate to Complete figure. By Task By Role Allows a budget figure to be entered for each role on each task of the job. By Staff By Date A budgeted number of hours can be set against each staff member who will work on the job. The date is used to add the budget into the schedule if the Sync Budget with Schedule is checked. By Task By Staff By Date A budgeted number of hours can be set against each task and a staff member assigned to that task. The date is used to add the budget into the schedule if the Sync Budget with Schedule is checked. It is also possible to Import a budget from a prior recurring job using the Import button. An Import Budget dialog will be displayed, if the job has been rolled from a previous job, providing a choice to import the budget based on Actual Time or the prior year s budget. It also provides the facility to adjust the budget by a percentage. JOB HISTORY The History section provides an area where information pertaining to status updates or any other important information can be recorded New notes can be created and existing notes can be edited from here. System created notes (due to status update etc) cannot be edited. To add a new note, select the Add Note button. JOB BILLING This section provides a place to assign a particular billing address and Attention Of for the job. The billing address itself is set up on the Other page of the main client details. A default fee narrative can also be entered here. This narrative will then be used when billing the job and the Build Fee By Job option is selected on the Fee Narrative tab of the fee wizard. JOB QUESTIONNAIRES This page will display any associated questionnaires with the job. Selecting the required questionnaire will display the questionnaire details for completion. Once the questionnaire has been completed it can be submitted or closed. Any job where the questionnaire has not been completed or approved in the case of mandatory questionnaires will appear under the Pending status on the main Jobs page for the client. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 25
Questionnaires can be Viewed and Approved from the Questionnaires page on the Client menu. Click onto the Job tab and expand the Job to display the questionnaire and its status. Expand the line and then right click onto the questionnaire to access a context menu with options to View the questionnaire, Approve or Delete the questionnaire. Note: Mandatory questionnaires MUST be approved before time and expenses can be entered against them. QUESTIONNAIRE APPROVAL After selecting Approve the Questionnaire from the Questionnaires page, a Questionnaire Approval window will be displayed where the questionnaire details can be viewed and the actions of Approve, Reject or Return can be applied. If a questionnaire is returned, the questionnaire will be available for editing and resubmitting from the Questionnaire tab of the job. If the questionnaire is rejected it can be modified and resubmitted as required. Reasons must be supplied if the questionnaire is to be rejected or returned. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The full job details page, when opened using the Open Job link on the client s job page, also displays four additional buttons Print, Fee, Delete and Time Entry. PRINT This button will generate a job cover sheet. FEE The Fee button provides a facility to create a single job draft fee. A Job Billing dialog is displayed providing options to select the type of bill that is to be created: Option Manual Draft Interim Bill Progress Bill Description This is the default setting that will display the standard fee wizard, but with the Single Job Fee selected for the job. This option will create an interim fee for the amount entered into the value box on the dialog window. The value of the fee will be created as an On Account entry. The draft fee can then be accessed from the client dashboard or the Fee Portfolio. This option will create a progress fee for the amount entered into the value box on the dialog window. The fee will use WIP to the value of the amount entered and carry forward any remaining WIP. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 26
Final Bill The draft fee can then be accessed from the client dashboard or the Fee Portfolio. This will create a single job draft fee that can be accessed from either the client dashboard or the Fee Portfolio. The actual fee process is the same as elsewhere within Practice Engine. DELETE The Delete button allows the job to be deleted. TIME ENTRY The Time Entry button allows time entries to be created for the job. Clicking onto the Time Entry button opens a new timesheet entry and completes the Client and Job fields. A timer function is also available to record the amount of time spent on a particular task. Chapter: Applying Jobs to Clients 27
JOB QUESTIONNAIRES This section explains the use of questionnaires, how they are created, configured, completed and approved. Questionnaires can be applied to jobs to provide additional control over the creation of new jobs. They can be used to gather additional information or to comply with regulations surrounding the execution of the job. CREATING QUESTIONNAIRES Questionnaires are created from the Questionnaires page on the System Maintenance section of the Admin menu Task Pad. This page allows questionnaires to be created and maintained for linking to jobs. New Questionnaires can be created by clicking onto the New Questionnaire button, which will display a dialog box containing fields where a Description can be added, the Width and Height of the questionnaires can be set, a Watermark can be applied to the questionnaire and the questionnaire can be marked as Active. Note: The watermark should be the file name of the image to be used as the watermark. The image must reside in the <PracengRoot>\Images folder on the server. Existing questionnaires can be maintained by right clicking and accessing the context menu attached to each questionnaire. The options that are available are Edit Details, Preview Questionnaire, Edit Questions, Edit Applies To Details and Delete Questionnaire. EDIT QUESTIONNAIRE Selecting this option allows the main description, size, watermark and Active? to be edited. PREVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE This option will display the questionnaire and its associated questions for previewing whilst it is being designed. EDIT QUESTIONS This page allows questions to be associated with questionnaires as well as the ability to edit certain fields of existing questions that are attached to the questionnaires. The text of the question must be edited from the master question itself. The initial display shows questions already attached to the questionnaire. Right clicking on an existing question gives the options to either Edit Question or Delete Question from the questionnaire. Chapter: Job Questionnaires 28
A new question is added by clicking onto the New Question button. A Select Question dialog window will be displayed. A question from the master question list can be selected by clicking onto it the Add Question dialog will be displayed to allow you to configure the question details. Field: Question: Field Order: Mandatory: Expected Value: Required Question: Required Value: Equals or Not Equals: Description The text of the question. If the question is one from the master questions list the text cannot be changed here. The order that the question will appear on the questionnaire. Marks whether the question has to be answered. If the question has been marked as mandatory it is possible to insert the value/ answer that is expected The required question can be used to indicate that this question should only be enabled if the selected Required Question has been answered. The Required Question is a drop down field of other questions within the questionnaire. If the required question has been set, then this field can be used to make the question available only if the required value has been met. A tick in this checkbox indicates that the answer to this question must equal the required value. Alternatively a new question can be created by clicking onto the Create New Question button. A Create New Question dialog window will be opened. Please refer to the section Questions For further information. EDIT APPLIES TO DETAILS Questionnaires can be applied to various entities Assurance, Jobs, Fees and Clients, and these conditions need to be configured and applied to each questionnaire. Right clicking on the questionnaire and selecting Edit Applies To Details gives the option to add Applies to details to the questionnaire. Clicking onto the New Applies To button will display the Edit Applies To Details dialog: Chapter: Job Questionnaires 29