Understanding Project Creation
When a customer requests quote information for the product that you propose to produce for the customer, the first step is to set up a project. You have two options for creating a project. You can create a new project using the Add/Revise Project program (P31P011), or you can copy an existing project and change the project header information, as appropriate. After you define all the global project information, you can add task and schedule information, as well as financial estimates. This essential information helps you understand the activities that are required for a project and the costs that you may incur when you perform these activities. Without this information, you might have difficulty providing the customer with a realistic quote that enables you to complete the project at a profit.
Projects are stored as records in the F4801 table. When you set up a new project, you must provide this required information:
Project description
Branch/plant
Order status
Order type
Planned start date
Planned end date
The Add/Revise Project form enables you to add additional information, such as a business unit and a customer number, on the Project Information tab. The branch/plant provides the default value for the business unit if you do not enter a business unit. If you use the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Job Cost system with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Engineer to Order, you can enter a business unit that is different from the branch/plant. If you enter a business unit that does not exist in the system, and you have selected the Job Cost Interface option, you can add a new record to the Extended Job Master table (F5108). You must provide a customer number to generate a sales quote from the Project Quotes program (P31P100). You can also use the customer number to retrieve cost information, such as tax rates.
On the People tab, you can provide information about some of the people who are involved with the project, such as the manager and supervisor, and specify an email distribution list for status change notifications and project alerts.
The Project Attributes tab contains important processing information. You can determine whether the system commits inventory before or after the Quote Accept stage of the project. You can avoid allocating inventory and making financial commitments until you have assurance that the project will actually proceed. You can also specify whether the system overrides the originally entered estimated costs with the planned costs after you attach the parts list and routing instructions to a task.
If you are planning to use the Job Cost features of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Engineer to Order, you must activate the Job Cost Interface option on the Job Cost tab and enter a GL class code. A subsidiary is required for every task. The JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Job Cost system uses only planned costs, and the project must be moved to the Quote Accept status before JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Job Cost can be used.
The Project Status tab on the Add/Revise Project form displays information about the stages of a project. When you complete each stage, the system activates the corresponding option, such as Quote Is Accepted. The options on this tab are locked from input and are for information only.
On the Order Information tab, you can specify order information, such as item number, quantity, and unit of measure. On the Sales Order tab, you can specify a billing method for the project. The program also provides many category codes that you can use for reporting.