Some companies prefer to manage Setup and Operation from a locked cost price estimate. The estimate is then distributed across the project period once, locked, and all later adjustments are made in the Forecast column. That way you keep the original plan as a fixed benchmark throughout the project.
The concept is optional and is enabled in the module settings. If you are new to Setup and Operation, we recommend reading the main article on Setup and Operation first.
1. Getting started with Setup and Operation
To start using the module, AIMZ needs to know which production codes (prod. codes) are to be used for Setup and Operation.
Go to Prod. codes and tick all prod. codes that belong to Setup and Operation (you can select a whole group at once).
Click the button in the left margin and choose Create expense items.
AIMZ then creates one expense item per prod. code and distributes it evenly across the project period that was defined when the project was created. The distribution can be adjusted later. See also Create several expense items at once.
2. Set the forecast settings
Go to Settings in the top right corner of the Setup and Operation module:
Tick «Enable use of locked cost price estimate».
Tick «Unique production code for each expense item» if you only want to track one expense item per prod. code.
Make sure «Forecast» is selected to control the final forecast (referred to in the main article as «Forecast controls the final forecast»).
This is how the settings should look:
3. Distribute the cost price estimate per expense item
The first step is to spread the cost price estimate across the months of the project:
Select the from and to period.
Automate invoice import to the expense item — choose which ledger accounts should be linked automatically. See Automatic invoice matching with ledger accounts.
Distribute the estimate month by month.
Once the estimate has been distributed, it is important that you lock the cost price estimate. The forecast is then set equal to the cost price estimate. All further changes are made in the Forecast column — the distributed cost price estimate must always stay fixed.
Note: if the cost price estimate is unlocked and then locked again, the forecast figures are overwritten by the cost price estimate.
This is how it looks before the cost price estimate has been distributed and locked:
This is how it looks once the cost price estimate is locked:
4. Complete months
As each month passes, the month must be completed and closed. The assumed forecast is then replaced by posted figures from the accounting system. The forecast is recalculated and consists of posted figures for all completed months, plus the distributed forecast (assumed spend) for future months.
The difference between what was accrued — the forecast before the month was completed — and the posted figures for the prod. code is called Deviation. The deviation can be distributed across future months:
Click Edit above the table, in the top left.
Click the three dots in front of the figure in the Deviation column.
Choose how you want to distribute the deviation across the coming months.
When the deviation is distributed, the final forecast is kept as it was before the month was closed.
5. Change the forecast going forward
You can adjust the forecast for future months at any time, regardless of whether a period is about to be closed. There are two ways to do this:
Directly in the table: click Edit above the table, in the top left. You can then change all months that have not been completed. Make your changes and click Save in the top left.
In the expense item dialog: hover over the name of the expense item and click the edit button on the left side of the cell.
Three rules of thumb
Lock the cost price estimate after distribution — and leave it alone.
Make all ongoing changes in the Forecast column, except when completing months.
When completing months: if you want to keep the final forecast unchanged, distribute the deviation for each expense item in the table.