2014 R3 - Release Notes
The following are the new features and functionality in this 2014 R3 release.
Financials: Financial Planner Enhancements
Below are the new features and enhancements that have been added to the Financial Planner capability within Tenrox. The Financial Planner is used for financial forecasting cost and revenue, and allows a Project Manager to effectively run a project and monitors its trends.
Fiscal Calendars
Description/Benefit: A Financial Calendar can be defined for use in reporting on the Financial Planner. A Financial Calendar can be a Standard Calendar configured, or a Fiscal Calendar configured and imported using an excel template, for use in the Financial Planner. Multiple Financial Calendars can be defined, with one selected as the default. The option to associate the Financial Calendar to an Accounting Company is available, which is automatically inherited by the Financial Planner at the project level. This is capability accommodates the different accounting calendars used by organizations in varying industries and disciplines.
New Forecast Rate Engine
Description/Benefit: Date based forecast rates under the Cost and Billing Rules define the Forecast Rate Engine applicable to Role and User hours captured on the Work Plan. The calculated values are then reflected as the Cost and Revenue by labor for a role or a user on the Financial Planner, wherein the rates are currently being exclusively used. The forecast cost or billing rate(s) can be associated to a role, a user, a role at the project level, or a user at the project level. The rates defined at the project team level overrides those at the object level. The Forecast Rate setting is defined for Users at the global level, which can then be overridden at the project level. This affords an improved view and representation of the financials associated to resource planning on the Financial Planner, making these two major capabilities work effectively in sync.
Enhanced View Option: Time Section
Description/Benefit: The Time section is an addition to the Financial Planner, which provides an added view of actual versus planned hours by role or user, further improving the view option. Showing this new section is optional, only allows the Role object to be added to it, and allows the tracking of the EAC and percentage of completion on the project with the selection of Percentage of Completion as the Forecast Method.
Enhanced View Option: Margin Section
Description/Benefit: A simplified Margin section is available within the Financial Planner. The Margin section has the added option to display the totals only, drill down by section and category, and/or display percentage by revenue or cost, further improving the view option.
Enhanced View Option: Separate Current Column
Description/Benefit: A separate Current column is an addition to the Financial Planner, which is added with configuration of Forecast Start Date, further enhancing the view option.
Enhanced View Option: Project Budgets
Description/Benefit: The option to display the project budgets above the Financial Planner grid is available, providing an improved ability to guage how the project is progressing by being able to easily compare values to the existing budget.
Enhanced View Option: Display User details under Roles
Description/Benefit: The option to display resource details under a role(s) is available, providing another layer by which to assess the progress of and forecast a project's financial standing.
Forecasting Enhancements
Description/Benefit: Upgraded Forecasting Methods for the Financial Planner provides improved capability by offering different methods for Revenue and Cost forecasting, and adding the option to forecast based on Fixed Fee with Milestone. The Forecast Methods available are:
Forecast Cost Methods:
- Percentage of Completion (POC)
- Time and Material
Forecast Revenue Methods:
- Percentage of Completion (POC)
- Time and Material
- Fixed Fee with Milestone
- Fixed Fee with Milestone (maximum override)
Revenue Recognition Enhancements
Description/Benefit: Revenue Recognition on the Financial Planner provides improved capability whereby recognizable revenue can be manually entered or imported from a financial system, and alternatively it can be custom imported using the automation service. Furthermore, a subtotal of revenue displays billable revenue, while the Total Revenue calculations are based on recognized and deferred revenue.
Baseline Enhancements
Description/Benefit: The Baseline feature on the Financial Planner provides improved capability whereby the following occur upon saving it:
- Additional details (date time stamp, user details, description) are included.
- Actual and forecast values for the Time, Revenue and Cost sections are saved.
- Validation confirming that the EAC matches the Total Project Time Budget, and if not, a notification displays indicating the inconsistency.
Other Financial Planner Enhancements
Description/Benefit: The following updates to the Financial Planner further improve the overall functionality:
- Allow the use of the Current Total or Current Time Budget for the Percentage of Completion option.
- Removal of the Start Date from the Forecast Settings page.
- The Deferred Revenue row only being displayed when the Recognized Revenue row is selected.
- Auto-Population of items under a category occurs when an actual entry is made against the given item(s).
Financials: Other Financial Enhancements
Below are the new features and enhancements that have been added to Financials, in general, within Tenrox.
Project Currency
Description/Benefit: The availability of the project currency provides the option to define a currency different from that of the Client from the project level, which can then provide another parameter by which to invoice.
Note: Should you have any interest in this capability, please communicate with your respective Tenrox project manager to determine how this best fits into your business requirements.
Invoice Batch Templates
Description/Benefit: The invoice batch templates capability expands on the grouping options available during invoice creation.
Base Currency Based Budgets
Description/Benefit: The option to enforce the Base Currency provides the option to enter and track Assignment, Task and Project budgets in the Base Currency as opposed to the client currency.
Cost & Billing Engine Enhancements
Description/Benefit: This provides the option to enforce the mandatory selection of a dependency type, specifically Task, Project, Work Type or Client, further refining an existing or newly created Cost or Billing rule association.
Note: If the option to enforce a mandatory selection of a dependency type is not selected, the ability to associate a Cost or Billing rule to a User, without any dependency, still applies.
Expense Changes
Below are the new features and enhancements that have been added to Expenses.
Addition of Project Workflow State Expense Restrictions
Description/Benefit: The State Expense restriction capability prevents users from creating expense entries against a project within a certain project state. The restriction can be further refined by also basing it on a chosen attribute(s).
Addition of Dual Assignment for Expense Report
Description/Benefit: The dual assignment of "Originator and Creator" for expense reporting allows for another user to be able to create and manage expense entries on behalf of another, both of whom can access the report at designated state(s) of the expense workflow.
Use Case: An office administrator or assistant assigned to create expense reports/entries on behalf of an executive.
Addition of Project Manager Self-Approval Prevention
Description/Benefit: The workflow assignment option to prevent Project Managers from approving their own expense reports ensures the project manager and the organization maintain integrity.
Use Case: A project manager is allocated to a project and they must travel to meet the client located oversees, requiring the purchase of an airline ticket, stay at a hotel and have meals. As these outlays contribute towards successful implementation and completion of the said project, the project manager has been given approval to submit expense claims against them. After returning from the business trip, they submit an expense report, which includes all the trip-related expenditures. The expense report is then routed directly to their manager for review and approval.
Addition of Resource Type Reimbursable Attribute
Description/Benefit: This option allows the enforcement of a Reimbursable attribute for a Resource Type or combining it with Expense Item and Payment Method.
Expense Entry Site Security Option
Description/Benefit: The option to prevent users from changing the Site selection upon making an expense entry allows for more refined control when expense reporting.
Certifications and Integrations
Below are the new and enhanced integrations that have been added to those supported within Tenrox.
Tenrox - Concur Partner Certification
Description/Benefit: The Tenrox-Concur integration allows the importing of expense reports from Concur into Tenrox, complimenting the Tenrox Expense reporting capability. This affords project managers visibility on project financials in Tenrox, whilst existing process with Concur remain unchanged.
MS Dynamics GP Integration Enhancements
Description/Benefit: Synchronization of Payment and Discount Terms between Tenrox & MS Dynamics GP enhances integration of the two systems.
Intacct
Description/Benefit: Support of a file based integration with Intacct AR, which opens the path towards an API based integration forthcoming in 2015, expands Tenrox' capability of exchanging data with leading third party systems and building on existing processes that may already include use of Intacct AR.
Infrastructure & Architecture
Below are the upgraded tools that Tenrox now supports, optimizing its infrastructure and architecture.
Database
Description/Benefit: Tenrox supports MS SQL Server 2012 / 2014 upgrading reporting and analytics performance.
Web Browser
Description/Benefit: Tenrox supports native Internet Explorer (IE) 11 and discontinues support of IE 7 and 8, maintaining industry standards and ensuring system integrity.
Project Planning
Description/Benefit: Tenrox Project Planning (TPP) supports Windows 8.1, upgrading usability.
Mobile
Description/Benefit: PSA Mobile supports iOS 8 & Windows Phone 8.1, upgrading usability.
User Experience (UX)
Below are the new features and enhancements that have been added to improve user experience within Tenrox.
Profile Pictures
Description/Benefit: The option to upload a profile picture provides the ability to personalize one's interaction with Tenrox.
User Defined Fields (UDF)
Description/Benefit: User Defined Field (UDF) values at the project level can optionally be inherited from those values at the client level, allowing selected client information to be available within its associated projects. As well, the ability to clear UDF values after having made a selection improves use of the UDF capability.
Projects
Description/Benefit: Available search capability for a project team member(s) further eases project management, as well, making the project unique ID accessible to display expands information availability.
Invoice Batch Cascade Delete Prompt
Description/Benefit: The option to delete invoices associated to an invoice batch, in the process of deleting the latter, improves management of invoices.
Application Grids
Description/Benefit: The addition of client information on a select number of application grids allows the ability to see the items associated to a given client.
Clear UDFs with "Set to None"
Description/Benefit: The Set to None option facilitates clearing the selection made for a non-mandatory Browse box.
User Skill Association Edit from User List
Description/Benefit: The ability to edit a resource's skills without having to access the resource's profile permits easy management of skills.
Project Tab Read-Only Security
Description/Benefit: The option to provide read-only access to Project tabs allows for another level of security accommodating users with limited rights to projects whilst permitted to view certain project details.
Report Audit Trail
Description/Benefit: The option to audit the execution of RDLC reports facilitates the monitoring of report execution by providing details as to date/time of generating the report, by whom and what parameters were selected to run it.
Upgrade Options for Project Workflows
Description/Benefit: The upgrade mapping tool allows for easily updating projects to the correct state within a workflow.
Timesheet
Below are the new features and enhancements that have been added to improve Timesheet entry within Tenrox.
Punch In/Out to specific assignments
Description/Benefit: The assignment-specific punch in/out capability allows resources to directly punch into their assignments, as well more value has been added to this feature by allowing the re-allocation of punch entry assignment(s). This affords resources a more efficient manner of punching in/out.
Ability to enter In/Out times across days
Description/Benefit: The ability to enter In/Out times across multiple days and define on which days to accumulate the time, accommodates resources who work overnight shifts.
Resource Planning
Below are the new features and enhancements that have been added to improve use of the Resource Planning capability within Tenrox.
Hard Booking Security
Description/Benefit: The additional security profile options, Modify, Create, Delete, for the the Hard Booking component allows for a more refined control of the hard booking capability.
User Filter in Resource Planning
Description/Benefit: Being able to filter for inactive users provides the option to exclude suspended/decommissioned users from a work plan, thereby facilitating resource planning.
Project Status Report from Resource Planning
Description/Benefit: Access to the Project Status Report is made easier with this ability being available from the work plan.
Upland Analytics Views
Description/Benefit: The Upland Analytics reporting capability is further enhanced with the following additional views.
- Work Type List view
- Project Notes view
- Task Notes view
- Project Allocation Summary view