Expense Category Profile Templates (Winter 19)

This guide describes the new Expense Category Profile Templates functionality included in Kimble Release Winter 19. We have also attached a .pdf version for your convenience.

Introduction

In Kimble’s Winter 19 Release, Kimble has introduced the ability to record an Expense Category Profile Template on Products. This enhancement reduces effort when forecasting Expenses during the Scoping stage on Elements where the profile of Expenses tends to be consistent. For example, a Product that models a three-day onsite workshop that is run at the start of every consulting project might always require a three-day hotel stay and a domestic plane flight. Now these Expenses can be profiled at the Product level, rather than being manually added as Expense Forecasts in every workshop Element by a Salesperson.

Expense Category Profile Templates allow you to specify Expense Forecasts – with Expense Category, Number of Units, and Net Amount defined – that will default in with a new Elements that is based on that Product.

Essential Concepts

Expense Forecasting

Kimble allows you to forecast the Cost (through Reimbursement) and Revenue (through Rebilling) that you expect to come from Expense Claims by defining an Expense Category Profile.

• During the Sales Process, Expense Forecasts are added on the Proposal (or on the Engagement), and the resulting Expenses Contract Revenue and Expenses Contract Cost of an Element affect the overall Contract Revenue, Contract Cost, and Margin Percentage of your Proposal.

 

Expense Categories

When Forecasting Expenses or entering actual Expenses by submitting an Expense Item in Kimble, you select an Expense Category from a dropdown menu. The settings of the Expense Category, determine whether the Expense will be rebilled to the client, whether the Expense should be reimbursed, and at what rates, as well as whether Start and End Location or Attendees will be required to submit the Claim.

Products

A Product determines the behavior of all Elements that are created based on that Product. Products that are added to a Product Group will become an Element, or an Optional Element, on a Proposal.

Products allow the creation of templates that automatically populate information upon the creation of an Element Based on that Product. These templates include Activity Assignment Templates (which create default Assignments), Annuity Templates (which create default Annuities), Milestone Templates (which create default Milestones), Task Templates (which create default Tasks on Plan-based Elements), and, as of Winter 19, Expense Category Profile Templates (which create default Expense Category Profiles).

Defining an Expense Category Profile Template

To define the Expense Category Profile Template for a Product:

1. Navigate to Products.
   
   
2. Click the Product which requires an Expense Category Profile Template to edit it.
   
   
3. Click Expense Category Profile Templates.

This opens the Expense Category Profile Templates screen. Any existing Expense Category Profile Templates for this Product will be listed here.

4. Click New Expense Category Profile Template.

This opens the New Expense Category Profile Templates window.

5. Enter a Description for this Expense Category Profile Template. This will correspond to the Description field on the Expense Forecast when an Element is generated using this Product.
   
   
   
   
6. Select an Expense Category from the Expense Category dropdown.
   
   
   
   
7. Enter the Number of Units that will be forecast for this Expense Category. As an example, if the Expense Category is Hotel, and you are templating a three-night hotel stay, the Number of Units should be 3.
   
   
8. Enter the Net Amount for each Unit. As an example, if the Expense Category is Hotel, and you are templating a three-night hotel stay which costs $300 per night, the Net Amount should be 300.00.
   
   
9. Click .
   
   
   
   

The Expense Category Profile Template is saved and appears in the list on the Expense Category Profile Templates screen. To edit it, click Edit. To delete, click Del.

Upon creating an Element based on this Product, an Expense Category Profile matching the Expense Category Profile Template is automatically generated. Cost is calculated as Net Amount x Number of Units; if expenses are rebillable, Revenue is calculated as Net Amount x Number of Units. The Business Unit is defaulted to match the Business Unit of the Proposal.