SQLSoft Course MBS-8376 Microsoft Great Plains Project Series
Table of Contents
Introduction
Audience
At Course Completion
Prerequisites
Microsoft Certified Professional
Exams
Student Materials
Course Outline
Introduction
The 3-day Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains Project series course explores
project management from an accounting perspective. This course shows you how
to create Contracts, Projects, and Cost Categories, and you receive information
about how to budget. You also learn how to enter costs for projects and perform
both Time & Materials and Progress Billing. During this class, we discuss
nearly every feature in the Project series module of Microsoft Great Plains.
By attending this class, you should gain a thorough understanding of these
Project series topics. This course will also teach you how to define default
values that automatically populate data fields and gather the information you
need to make better business decisions by exploring powerful inquiry and lookup
functions.
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Audience
People who would like to learn features and procedures required to effectively
use Microsoft Great Plains Project Series. Project series training is recommended
for anyone who plans to implement, use, maintain, consult, or support Microsoft
Great Plains. The class is targeted toward data entry clerks, administrators,
office managers, CEO's, and consultants who need to understand the technical
aspects of Project series and gain foundational knowledge of the application
functionality.
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At Course Completion
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:
- Perform all Project series related data entry functions including customer
invoicing and cost transactions (Timesheets, Employee Expenses, etc.).
- Perform maintenance on Project series documents and maintenance records
such as customers, employees, and vendors
- Configure Contracts, Projects, and Cost Categories.
- Set up and configure Billing Cycles to facilitate automated billing.
- Create and assign rate tables to manage cost and billing rates.
- Create and utilize Contract and Project Templates.
- Utilize reports and inquiry windows in Project series to extract whatever
project related information is applicable to your business.
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Prerequisites
Before attending this course, students must have:
- General knowledge of Microsoft Windows®.
- Basic knowledge of accounting principles.
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Microsoft Certified Professional Exams
No MCP exam currently exists for this course.
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Student Materials
The student kit includes a comprehensive workbook and other necessary materials
for this class.
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Course Outline
Chapter 1: Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to give students a general overview of the features
and benefits of using the Project series module in an integrated environment.
It also focuses on the integration of this module with other modules in the
Microsoft Great Plains application. In addition, the chapter presents a holistic
view of the Project Series suite.
Main Topics
- Project series Features and Benefits
- Project series Overview and Roadmap
- Integration
- Holistic view of Project Series suite
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Identify the features and benefits available when using Project series
- Discuss integration that takes place between Project series and other modules
within the Microsoft Great Plains system
- Identify the navigation used to access the windows for transactions, reports,
utilities, routines, and inquiries in Project series
Chapter 2: Setup
This chapter focuses on the procedures for setting up Project series. We will
examine in detail the options available to set up this module to reflect the
way your organization does business. Time is spent discussing the benefits of
using different setup options. You must set up users, default account sources,
each of the cost transaction type, and Billing Setup. Once your Project series
setup has been completed, you can start to use the Project series module.
Main Topics
- Project User Setup
- Project series setup
- Timesheet, Equipment, Miscellaneous, Inventory Transfer, Employee Expense,
Purchase Order, Purchasing Invoice Setup
- Billing Setup
- Billing Notes & Reports
- Lab: User Class & User Setup
- Create a User Class for use in Project series
- Create a User using the user class
- Lab: Project Setup
- Set up the Project series module
- Lab: Timesheet, Equipment, Miscellaneous, Inventory Transfer, Employee Expense,
Purchase Order, and Purchasing Invoice Setup
- Set up the transaction setup window for each of the cost transaction
types
- Lab: Billing Setup
- Set up the Billing functionality for Project series
- Create a Miscellaneous ID
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Set up the Project series module.
- Configure Setup windows for Timesheet, Equipment, Miscellaneous, Inventory
Transfer, Employee Expense, Purchase Order, and Purchasing Invoice transaction
types.
- Configure the Billing Setup window.
Chapter 3: Configuration
This chapter focuses on the procedures for configuring Project series. You
must examine in detail the options available to customize this module to reflect
the way your organization does business. Time is spent discussing the benefits
of using different Project Types and Accounting Methods. You will create Contracts,
Projects, and Cost Categories to track the information that is crucial in your
company. Once your Project series set up has been defined, there are many reports
available to document the selected preferences.
Main Topics
- PA Customer, Employee, and Vendor Options
- Equipment ID and Miscellaneous ID Setup
- Project series Setup and Options
- Cost Category Maintenance
- Rate Tables
- Billing Cycle Maintenance
- Fees
- Contracts and Projects
- Project Types and Accounting Methods
- 3rd Party Billing
- Change Order Maintenance
- Budgeting
- Templates
- Lab: Customer Class Setup
- Create a Customer Class for use in Project series
- Lab: Employee Maintenance
- Add Project series info to the PA Employee Options window
- Lab: Equipment Class Setup & Equipment Maintenance
- Create an Equipment Class
- Create an Equipment ID
- Lab: Miscellaneous Class Setup & Miscellaneous Maintenance
- Modify an existing Customer Class
- Create a Miscellaneous ID
- Lab: Cost Category Class Setup & Cost Category Maintenance
- Add a new Cost Category class
- Create a new Cost Category ID
- Modify existing Cost Categories
- Lab: Position, Employee and Equipment Rate Tables
- Create a new Rate Table for each type
- Lab: Billing Cycle Maintenance
- Create two new Billing Cycle IDs
- Lab: Fee Maintenance
- Create a new Fee ID for each of the four fee types
- Lab: Contract Maintenance
- Create and configure a new Contract
- Lab: Project Maintenance
- Create and configure three new projects one for each Project Type
- Lab: Template Maintenance & Copying Templates
- Create and configure a new template for a contract and project
- Copy the template settings to a new contract
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Maintain Employee, Customer, and Vendor records for Project series
- Set up Cost Categories
- Create Contracts, Projects, Fees and budget
- Create a rate table
- Create a Billing Cycle
- Create and utilize templates for Projects and Contracts
Chapter 4: Daily Procedures
The purpose of this chapter is to define the ways that transactions can be
entered and posted in Project series. You will explore the difference types
of Project series transactions. In addition you must demonstrate posting implications
for other Microsoft Great Plains modules from Project series and learn the differences
between Standard and References transactions. Entering timesheets, employee
expenses, equipment logs, miscellaneous logs, purchasing, inventory, and billing
transactions is covered in this chapter.
Main Topics
- Transaction Entry Overview
- Posting Overview
- Timesheet Entry
- Employee Expense Entry
- Equipment & Miscellaneous Log Entry
- Purchase Orders and Receiving transactions
- Inventory Transfer Entry
- Billing Invoices
- Billing Cycle Processing
- Progress Billing
- Revenue Recognition Transactions
- Lab: Timesheet Transactions
- Enter and post a Timesheet.
- Lab: Employee Expense Transactions
- Enter and post an Employee Expense.
- Lab: Equipment Log Transactions
- Enter and post an Equipment Log.
- Lab: Miscellaneous Log Transactions
- Enter and post a Miscellaneous Log.
- Lab: Purchase Orders
- Lab: Receiving Transactions
- Enter and Post a Receiving transaction that matches to the previous
lab.
- Lab: Purchasing Invoice Transactions
- Enter and Post a purchasing invoice transaction that matches to the
previous lab.
- Lab: Inventory Transfer Transactions
- Enter and Post an Inventory Transfer transaction.
- Lab: Billing Cycle
- Lab: Cash Receipt
- Enter a Cash Receipt
- Apply the receipt to a Project series Invoice.
- Lab: Revenue Recognition
- Enter and post a Revenue Recognition transaction.
- Apply the receipt to a Project series Invoice.
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Enter and post transactions using the transaction level or batch posting
method
- Enter the different types of transactions in Project series
- Create and post a Billing invoice
- Use Cycle Biller to create invoices
- Enter a Revenue Recognition transaction
Chapter 5: Maintaining Records
This section covers administrative topics in Project series. The chapter also
discusses topics related to repairing data.
Main Topics
- Voiding Posted Transactions (Receivables Management)
- Data recovery and maintenance
- Mass Contract Delete
- Initialize Smartlist
- PA Reconcile
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Properly void an RM invoice as it relates to Project series
- Reconcile PA data
- Utilize PA utilities
Chapter 6: Inquiries
This chapter examines the functionality available to inquire about your Project
series data. This chapter examines the functionality available to report on
your Project series records. Basically, this chapter includes details about
every report available in Project series.
Main Topics
- Inquiries
- Reports Options
- Printing of reports and accessing information
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Use any of the inquiry windows in Project series
- Create a Report Option
Chapter 7: Period-End Procedures
This chapter examines the processes that are completed at the end of the month,
period, calendar, and fiscal year. This chapter focuses on the errors that may
cause Project series to be out of balance with the General Ledger.
You will look at the reports that should be printed prior to performing the
closing process. Time is spent examining what actually takes place during the
closing process and the two types of closings: calendar year and fiscal year.
Main Topics
- Period-end Checklist
- Aging Process
- Aging WIP Process
- Paid Sales Transaction Removal
- Remove Completed Purchase Orders
- Close Fiscal Period
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Complete the processes that should be performed at the end of the period.
- Complete the processes that may be performed at the end of a calendar or
fiscal year.
Chapter 8: Conclusion
In this chapter, we will discuss the key points that have been covered throughout
this course.
Main Topics
- Project Series product suite
- Project series work breakdown structure
- Integration with Great Plains
- Rate Tables
- Cycle Biller
- Templates
- Fees
- Project Types and Accounting Methods
- Cost Transactions
- Billing Invoices
Appendix A: SmartList
This appendix discusses the use of SmartList to access Project series data.
There are also optional exercises that can be completed by students if there
is time in class.
Main Topics
- Using SmartLists
- Creating Objects
- Using the Search Button
- Saving New Objects as Favorites
- Lab: PA Projects
- Create a SmartList inquiry
- Export the results to Microsoft( Word
- Lab: PA Timesheet Historical Trx
- Create a SmartList inquiry
- Export the results to Microsoft Word
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
- Use SmartLists to access valuable Project series data
- Create new SmartList objects
- Use the Search button to manage the information in a view
- Explain the various options that are available when using SmartLists
Appendix B: Canadian Information
This chapter focuses on sales and purchases taxes specific to Canadian businesses.
Setting up tax details and tax schedules and calculating taxes on transactions
is included in this section.
Based on country-specific needs, this chapter is optional for classroom presentation.
Main Topics
- Purchasing Tax Details and Schedules
- Sales Tax Details and Schedules
- Customer Classes
- Customer Classes
After completing this appendix, students should be able to:
- Set up Canadian specific tax details and schedules.
- Calculate tax on sales and purchases transactions.
- Create customer and customer classes to track Canadian and US transactions
in order to balance to General Ledger.
Appendix C: Case Study
This case study is a comprehensive lab that can be used to reinforce the learning
that has occurred throughout the Project series class. The Case Study is generally
completed by students on their own after class.
Main Topics
- Project User Setup
- Transaction Setup
- Employee Setup
- Cost Category Setup
- Templates
- Contract and Project Configuration
- Cost Transaction Entry
- Billing Invoice Entry
- Fee Assignments
- Revenue Recognition
- Reporting
After completing this appendix, students should be able to:
- Understand the necessary processes to set up and manage their Project series
module.
- Have more confidence in their ability to use Project series in their company.
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