Projects Window Reference (Oracle Projects Help)


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Projects Window Reference

This section describes the fields you can enter when you create a new project in the Projects window. For more information about options you specify at the project level, see: Project and Task Options.

Number

Unique identification number of a project. You use this number to find and identify the project throughout Oracle Projects. You can manually enter a project number, or let the system automatically generate one for you. The project numbering method you set up in the Implementation Options form determines how to create the number.

For audit trail purposes, you cannot modify a project number after you charge expenditure items, requisitions, purchase orders, or supplier invoices to the project.

Note: Unlike projects, project templates are always numbered manually. The Project Numbering implementation option, which determines whether projects are numbered automatically or manually, does not affect numbering of project templates.

Name

A short, unique, descriptive name of a project. Use this name to find and identify a project throughout Oracle Projects.

Project Type

The project type determines how Oracle Projects processes costs (expenditure items) for a project. The type you choose provides many defaults and controls for project entry and processing. You must choose a type from one of the following project type classes:

Use an Indirect project type to collect and track expenditure item costs and labor hours for overhead activities, such as administrative and overhead work, marketing, and bid & proposal preparation. You can also define indirect projects to track time off including sick leave, vacation, and holidays

Use a Capital project type to collect and track costs and labor hours for asset development activities which you plan to capitalize as one or more assets. See: About Capital Projects

Use a Contract project type to collect and track costs, labor hours, revenue, and billing for services performed for and reimbursed by a client

Note: Only Oracle Project Billing supports contract projects. See: Billing.

For audit trail purposes, you cannot change a project type after you create customer invoices for the project, or charge expenditure items, requisitions, purchase orders, or supplier invoices to the project.

Organization

The managing ("owning") organization of a project. Use the organization for reporting and AutoAccounting purposes. You can choose any organization that has the following characteristics:

The organization belongs to the project/task organization hierarchy assigned to the operating unit.

The organization has the project/task owning organization classification enabled.

The project type class is permitted to use the organization to create projects. This permission is determined when you define the organization.

The organization is active as of the system date.

See: Organizations in Oracle Projects.

Changing the Owning Organization

For audit trail purposes, there are controls over modification of the project or task owning organization.

When you attempt to change the organization on a project or task, the Verify Organization Change Extension is called to determine whether the change is allowed. The default logic in the extension does not allow the change if either of the following conditions exists:

transactions have been charged to the project or task

revenue has been generated for the project or task

draft invoices have been generated for the project or task

You can override the default logic in the extension in one of the following ways:

Have your System Administrator assign the function Projects: Org Update: Override Standard Checks to your responsibility. See: Function Security in Oracle Projects.

Modify the logic in the Verify Organization Change extension. See: Verify Organization Change Extension.

If the change is allowed, Oracle Projects displays a dialog box when you save or exit the record. The dialog box asks if you want to recalculate the expenditure items on the project. If you check the Recalculate check box, the current date is used as the effective date of the change.

Note: If your user responsibility excludes the function Expenditure Inquiry: Adjustments: Recalculate Cost and Revenue, Oracle Projects does not display the dialog box and does not mark the items for recalculation.

Changing the Owning Organization on Multiple Projects and Tasks

If you need to change the owning organization on multiple projects and tasks, you can use the Mass Update Batches window to create a batch of projects and tasks to update. See: Mass Update Batches.

Start Date and Completion Date

The duration of a project. You cannot charge an expenditure item if the date falls outside the project dates of that project. You can leave both dates or just the end date blank; you must enter a start date if you want to enter a completion date. See: Overview of Expenditures and Transaction Controls.

Status

Indicates the current status of a project.

Oracle Projects provides several predefined project statuses. You can define additional project statuses in the Project Statuses window. Status Controls for each project status allow you to set up permissions or restrictions on actions for each project status.

For example, you can control whether new transactions can be charged to a project with a certain project status. The same is true for revenue accrual and invoicing. See: Project Statuses. In addition, you can run costing for uncosted transactions that have already been charged to a project that now has a Closed status. See: Transaction Controls.

The Starting Status for the project's Project Type determines the default value of this field.

Change Status

To change the status of a project, you choose Change Status. When you enter a status change for a project, Oracle Projects uses the following rules to determine if the status change is allowed:

The project must have class codes entered for all required class categories. See: Project Classifications.

If the project is a contract project, the project must have at least one customer, and the total billing contribution must equal 100%. See: Customers and Contacts.

Each project customer for the project must have at least one billing contact defined. See: Customers and Contacts.

The project must have a project manager assigned to it.

In addition to these rules, Oracle Projects provides a client extension, the Project Verification Extension, that you can use to define additional rules you want to apply for changing the project status of a project. See: Project Verification Extension.

Public Sector

Use the Public Sector check box to indicate whether a project is a private or public sector project. Use this for reporting and AutoAccounting purposes.