How do you use the Budget Vs Actual report?
This report is tied to the Set Budget feature found in the Order Entry/Maintenance module. When a Job is first entered into the system, you can set the Budget once all order lines have been entered. Then, any time after that, you can print this report to get a comparison of how the estimated total costs have changed. Any changes made through the Budget Maintenance module will automatically update this report. You can print the report by Job Number, by the Date it was closed, and by Job Type. The report displays the original budget that was set on the Job, the actual budget by the time the Job was completed, and then the difference between the beginning and ending budgets. This report can be used as a tool to encourage salespeople to identify all the costs on a job up front so less money is lost on the back end.
When you enter this report module, the system will place the cursor at a Branch field. It will default to the Branch you are in when you entered this module. If you wish to print the report for a different Branch, simply type that Branch ID. Once you have selected a Branch, the system will prompt a Select Option menu as follows:
Through this menu, you have the ability to customize the Budget Vs. Actual report. If you do not wish to customize the report, you can simply arrow down to the Print option and hit enter. You can set one or more of the following options at your discretion. The By Job Number option will allow you to print the report for only one Job or for a range of Jobs. The By Close Date option will allow you to print the report for a specific Close Date (the day the job was closed) or for a range of Close Dates. The By Job Type option will allow you to print the report for only one Job Type or for a range of Job Types. The By Customer option will allow you to print the report for a specific Customer or a range of Customers. The By Sales ID option will allow you to print the report for only one Salesperson or a range of Salespersons. The By Open Date option will allow you to print the report for a specific Open Date (the day the job was opened) or for a range of Open Dates.
When you have programmed your options, arrow down to the Print option and hit enter. The system will prompt the following: Do you wish to continue..:(Y,N) _. Type a “Y” at this prompt to continue. Once you have selected to Print, a new prompt will appear as follows: Do you wish to Print Open Jobs Also? The default is “N” for no, so to include Open Jobs, type a “Y” for yes at this prompt. The next prompt will appear as follows: Include Jobs Without a Budget: N. The default is “N” for no, so to include Jobs that don’t have a Budget set, you will need to type a “Y” for yes as this prompt. The system will perform internal procedures and place the cursor back in the Select Option menu. Hit the Esc key to return to the Job Cost Reports menu.