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Writing-off unbilled time?
I've got a completed project where I haven't billed for all of the time I recorded (what can I say? - It happens!). I won't be billing the client any more, so I can't just allocate all the time to a future invoice to clear them. Setting the project to completed doesn't seem to have any impact.
I've had a look around, but I can't see a way of writing-off time. I wanted to keep the timeslip as a record of the costs on the job, so just deleting the timeslip isn't an ideal answer.
From a user's perspective - my ideal solution would be to drill down from the home-page 'Projects with unbilled items' to the Projects page, then click on the appropriate item in the 'Unbilled Time' section of the page to access a ''write-off' function.
Should the system allow you to mark a project as complete when there is open time and expenses? - maybe it should ask if I want to generate a final bill or write off any outstanding items - that would be quite cool.
As a secondary issue - if I want to change an associated expense (to remove its 'rebillable' status) then the process seems rather painful - I have to identify the unbilled expense by navigating to the Project screen, make a written note of the details of the expense, and then navigate to the expenses page to click on the record and change the 'rebill' status. I can't click through from the project screen direclty. (That would be rather handy!)
I also note that the 'Expenses' page cannot show me which expenses are flagged billable, and of those, which have yet to be billed, so I have to access each project in turn to gather this data. A 'billable' column on the Expenses lists might be a good thing to add (maybe another traffic-light based approach?)
I've had a look around, but I can't see a way of writing-off time. I wanted to keep the timeslip as a record of the costs on the job, so just deleting the timeslip isn't an ideal answer.
From a user's perspective - my ideal solution would be to drill down from the home-page 'Projects with unbilled items' to the Projects page, then click on the appropriate item in the 'Unbilled Time' section of the page to access a ''write-off' function.
Should the system allow you to mark a project as complete when there is open time and expenses? - maybe it should ask if I want to generate a final bill or write off any outstanding items - that would be quite cool.
As a secondary issue - if I want to change an associated expense (to remove its 'rebillable' status) then the process seems rather painful - I have to identify the unbilled expense by navigating to the Project screen, make a written note of the details of the expense, and then navigate to the expenses page to click on the record and change the 'rebill' status. I can't click through from the project screen direclty. (That would be rather handy!)
I also note that the 'Expenses' page cannot show me which expenses are flagged billable, and of those, which have yet to be billed, so I have to access each project in turn to gather this data. A 'billable' column on the Expenses lists might be a good thing to add (maybe another traffic-light based approach?)
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Inappropriate?Charles,
We've spent some time here at FreeAgent Towers discussing this today. Thanks loads for your detailed feedback.
What we'll plan to do, probably, is introduce a way of marking recorded time as unbillable - either by allowing you to create tasks which are unbillable or by having a permanent 'unbillable' task for each project.
The write-off function is another option - any timeslip might be flagged as unbillable whatever the task, and this single action would flag all remaining unbilled timeslips as such.
For the above, we'll need to consider which solution will be easiest to use for most people.
We'll certainly allow you to navigate directly to the expense from the project page, or at least be able to click something to 'not rebill on this project'.
On the expenses page we do show (in the small print) which items are rebillable and which are rebilled, thus
GNER KX-MK Travel -> Client A: Project A
GNER KX-MK Travel -> Client A: Project A on CA0023
..but it's not as clear as it could be, I agree. Traffic lights may well be the answer.
I’m thankful
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Inappropriate?Thanks, Ed.
If you create 'unbillable' tasks - then you again run the risk of losing information entered on the timeslip if you have to change the task.
USE CASE: I do some work, intending to bill, but something transpires (dispute with the client, or something) that then means it cannot be billed. So. the timeslip would not have been marked as an unbillable task on initial creation. I'd hate to lose the task information against that timeslip, as it again impacts the record I have of the cost of the job, and makes it harder to review the job history at a later date.
My own preference would be a new property for the timeslip, rather than altering the behaviour of an exisiting property.
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I'm not sure why writing-off one timeslip should automatically cause all subsequent timeslips to be flagged as written off.
If I was closing the job, then I would agree, but there could be any number of reasons why one part of the job could fail, while others continue to progress.
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On a more general note - this all suggests to me that FAC doesn't have a concept of a Work In Progress Ledger. Unbilled time is outside the accounts part of the system, more or less as a set of memorandum records until they are billed. (or am I wrong?)
This also means that WIP doesn't appear on the Balance Sheet - again a deliberate decision on your part, I'm sure, but it could be argued that my accounts are skewed if WIP is not reported at year end.
By the way - I just noted that a conversation on accounting for WIP has already happened here ....
http://getsatisfaction.com/freeagentc...
Did anything happen off the back of that?
If you do start assigning a value to unbilled WIP (which is what we're all talking about), then the process of write-off is basically a process of settign that value to zero....
We could also then use this data to do things like warn when the overall job billing (Biling to date + predicted WIP bill-value + recoverable expenses) exceeds the budget figure for the job.
AND THEN...
We can start to talk about assigning a COST value to the timeslip, as well as a SALES value, and generating profit reports for jobs! -
Inappropriate?Charles,
We're certainly planning to get round to it, but it's probably a nice-to-have from an accounting point of view. Four years of accounts produced by my former accountant (who shall not be named ;0) never once included such a thing so I assume their other 8,999 clients' accounts didn't either.
BUT - we want to do better than that, and we do have the data to do it, so...
Your point about a 'don't rebill' flag on timeslips is noted and that's the way we'll probably go (plus a 'don't rebill outstanding' action).
Profit reports for jobs? Yes! But you guys will keep on suggesting things that are more important (reminders, bills, multi-currency)...
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