Configuring Cost Categories (Simple Model)

Cost category types define the types of cost a program's projects track, and how each is recorded — which series are entered, whether actuals replace earlier values, and how variance from budget is shown. In the Simple Model, cost category types are set up on each program, under its Configuration > Program Items > Costs.

This article covers the Simple Model. For the Advanced Model, see Configuring Cost Categories (Advanced Model).

How Simple Model costs differ

In the Advanced Model, an administrator sets up cost classifications, cost groups, and cost categories separately, for the whole organization. In the Simple Model, a single cost category type covers the classification and category at once, for one program. Cost category types belong to the program they're created on, and aren't shared with other programs.

Cost groups work across both:

• Shared cost groups are set up by an administrator under Administration > Cost Group & Category, and are available to every program.
• This Program cost groups are created on the program, from a cost category type's Cost Group field, and are only available to that program.

Enabling costs for a program

To enable costs:

1. Navigate to your program, then to Configuration > Program Items > Costs. The Costs Overview opens, listing the program's cost category types with how many costs use each.

   

2. Turn on Enable Costs.

   

Creating a cost category type

To create a cost category type:

1. On the Costs Overview, click New Cost Category Type.

   

2. Enter a Name.
3. Select a Color.
4. Select a Cost Group. To create one for this program, select New Cost Group.
5. Where you selected New Cost Group, enter its Name.
6. Configure the remaining settings, described below.
7. Click Create.

   

A new cost category type starts with Budget, Forecast, and Actual enabled, and Replace Forecast with Actual Values turned on.

Cost category type settings

• Show Cost Group on Cost Profile — shows the cost's group on each cost's page.
• Enabled Series — which series users record for these costs: Budget, Forecast, and Actual. At least one must be enabled. Next to each, Prevent Modification stops that series from being changed once entered — typically used where values are imported from another system.
• Replace Series Behaviour — what happens once an actual is recorded for a period:
  • Replace Budget with Actual Values — the actual replaces that period's budget.
  • Replace Forecast with Actual Values — the actual replaces that period's forecast.
• Variance — color-codes Actual and Forecast values by how far they are from Budget, on the cost ledger's bowler chart. Needs Budget and either Actual or Forecast to be enabled. Set a Favourable Direction — usually Lower is Better for costs — and the Thresholds for each band. Both work as described in Configuring Cost Categories (Advanced Model).

Editing a cost category type

To edit a cost category type:

1. On the Costs Overview, click the edit icon next to the cost category type.
2. Change the settings as needed.
3. Click Save.

Editing or deleting a program cost group

Program cost groups are only managed from a cost category type's Cost Group field. Select the group, then use the edit icon next to the field to rename it, or the delete icon to remove it. Renaming a group renames it for every cost category type that uses it. Shared cost groups can only be changed under Administration > Cost Group & Category.

Properties tab

The Properties tab sets which fields costs of this type have. It's available once the cost category type has been created.

• Standard Fields — built-in fields: External identifier, used by integrations to match each cost with its record in another system. Turn on Active to use it.
• Additional Fields — custom fields. Turn on Active to use a field on these costs, and drag a field to change its order. Click Add Shared Field to use a field created in Administration, or New Custom Field to create one for the program.

For both, Include on Create shows the field on the form when a cost is created. It's set separately for each cost category type. Fields not included on create can still be filled in afterwards.

For shared and program fields, field types, and the settings that belong to the field itself, such as Required, see Custom Fields (Simple Model).

Default cost category type

The Simple Model doesn't use default classifications. When a user creates a cost on a project, the program's first cost category type is preselected on the form.

Deleting a cost category type

To delete a cost category type:

1. On the Costs Overview, click the edit icon next to the cost category type.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Click Delete….
4. Amplify lists every project that has costs of this type, with a link to each. Check the list before you go on.
5. Confirm.

The cost category type and its costs are deleted straight away. Where it was the last type in its cost group, the group's widgets are removed too. Each project's start and end dates are then recalculated, in case they depended on the deleted costs, and the program's figures are refreshed.

Every program needs at least one cost category type, so the last one can't be deleted.

For creating costs and recording their values, see Managing Costs.