If you have many clients for whom you’re completing similar projects, you can create project templates to copy to clients. This saves setup time and effort. Templates can be added, edited, copied, or deleted.
When entering a template, enter the project information. The template can be budgeted and detail budgets can be added. Budgeting templates and adding detail are optional. But remember budget information will be copied to each client along with the template.
To set up a template
1. Select Setup Project Templates on the Project Management navigation bar. 2. Click New.
If you want to edit an existing template, select the template and click Edit.
Adding project information to the template
1. Enter the Template Name.
2. Enter a description for this project template. This will help you distinguish between templates with similar due dates.
3. Select the Project Type. The project types on this list were set up in Project Type Setup in Project Management (or on the Lists menu found on the navigation bar in Administration). 4. The due date is the date the completed project is due. This date defaults based on the
information entered in Project Type Setup, but can be changed.
5. The Start Date is the day that you intend to start work on the project. This date defaults based on the information entered in Project Type Setup, but can be changed.
6. The Target Date is the date targeted for completion of the project. This date also defaults based on the information entered in Project Type Setup, but can be changed.
7. If you would like employees to be able to associate time and expenses with this project while in Time Entry, select "Prompt employees to select project when entering time." Doing so will allow you to track budget to actual hours and amounts.
8. Click OK to save the template or continue to add budget information to the template.
To add template budgets
1. Enter the hours required to complete the project.
2. Enter the revenue amount that will be generated by the project. 3. Enter the employee (if any) that will be in charge of the project.
4. Click OK to save the template budget information. If you would like to add detail or assign employees to this template budget click Detail. Keep in mind that any budgets or detail entered, including employees assigned, will be copied to every project that is created using this template.
To add detail to templates
Project Position Setup on the navigation bar (or from the Lists menu found on the navigation bar in Administration).
3. Enter the hours required to complete this portion of the detailed budget.
4. If you want to assign a specific employee to this template, select an employee. Once the employee is selected the employee’s skill level automatically appears. Remember that once you assign this employee, the employee will be assigned to every project created from this template. 5. The Start Date is the day that you intend to start work on the project. This date defaults based
on the information entered in Project Type Setup, but can be changed. This date will be used as the beginning date if scheduling employee hours.
6. The Target Date is the date targeted for completion of the project. This date also defaults based on the information entered in Project Type Setup, but can be changed. This date will be used as the end date if scheduling employee hours.
7. If you do not want to assign a specific employee but know the skill level required for this project, select the appropriate skill level.
8. Select the team responsible for the project. (Teams are entered from Create Lists/Setup Project Teams.)
9. Enter the service code for the project if you want detailed tracking. If you want a broader scope, enter the category or subcategory.
10. The amount is the revenue generated by this portion of the detail. If you selected a time-based service code and assigned an employee, the amount will automatically be calculated as the hours times the rate based on the service code.
If you selected an expense-based service code, category, or subcategory the amount is not calculated. Enter the revenue amount that will be generated.
11. Click Save to save the detail information. The detail information entered will display on the Detail Recap window.
12. Click New to continue adding detail to the project template.
Copying templates to clients
1. Select Copy Template to Clients from the navigation bar.
2. Select the Project Type of the template you want to copy. A list of all templates for that project type will display.
3. Select the template you want to copy to clients and click Copy Template to Clients. 4. Select the primary sort from the navigation bar upon which the client list will be built. The
choices are Client, Primary Partner, Secondary Partner, Responsible Person, Manager, Bill Manager, Tax Reviewer, Tax Preparer, Entity Type, Work Type, Line of Business, and Department. Select the secondary sort to narrow the list. The secondary sort field will be determined by the primary sort criteria.
(For example, if your primary sort is Primary Partner, select the partner’s name as the secondary sort. Clients assigned to the selected primary partner will display.)
5. Select the client(s) and click Copy to copy the template to the selected clients.
To select a group of clients, click the first client in the group. Holding down the SHIFT key, click the final client you want to be included. To select multiple clients at random, hold down the CTRL key while clicking with your mouse.
6. You will be notified if the project already exists for the selected client(s). You can choose to overwrite the existing project or to leave the project, and not to copy the template.