Progress allows projects to be created for use when large jobs may span multiple sales orders. By using a project, multiple sales orders can be grouped together and reported on. The Projects option in the Maintenance menu will present the user with the following screen.
All existing projects are displayed in the main grid with the option to filter by a variety of means at the top using the grid filters (like most of the other Progress screens). The options at the top allow the user to create new projects, view/amend existing projects as well as export the list of projects out to Excel for further use out with Progress.
The main grid only shows active or “live” projects by default but the user can view inactive or “closed” projects by ticking the SHOW CLOSED/COMPLETED option at the bottom of the screen.
Ticking this and refreshing the screen will update the main grid to show any inactive projects.
Adding New Projects
To add new projects to the system, the user must click the NEW option at the top of the screen. This presents a new project window which the user can complete.
The user can assign a name, assign a status and a manager for the project before providing further details in the description field.
The Related Items tab will show any linked records in the system. This will be where the project has been assigned to sales orders, work orders, etc.
The User Defined Fields tab will show any user defined fields that have been set up against projects. For more information on user-defined fields, please refer to the Maintenance section of the manual.
Further notes can be added via the Notes tab, including notes from the Notes Library.
If there are any associated documents for the project, these can be linked to the project via the Documents tab, just like the rest of the system.
If any internal messages have been sent within Progress using the IM section, these can be viewed here in the Messages tab.
The TRANSACTION tab shows a history of all the transactions that have occurred with the project in question. Initially this will be blank but will start to show transactions over time.
Once all the details have been entered the user can click ACCEPT to save the project in the system.
Viewing/Amending Existing Projects
The user can view or amend the details of an existing project using the VIEW option at the top of the project screen or double-click the project in the main grid. This will display the details of the project selected.
The user can amend any of the details or view any information associated with the project using the various tabs available as described above. Any changes made can be can be saved by clicking the ACCEPT option.
Completing/Cancelling Projects
If projects have come to completion or have been cancelled, the project itself can be closed out by updating the status of the project. To do this, the user simply opens the project itself and changes the STATUS field to either COMPLETE or CANCELLED, depending on the scenario.
Once changed, the user can save the changes by clicking the ACCEPT option and closing the project. The project will now drop off the project list but can be viewed by ticking the SHOW CLOSED/COMPLETED option at the bottom of the screen.
Exporting Projects
The list of projects in the system can be exported out to Excel for further use by clicking on the Export option at the top of the projects section. The user will be prompted to give the export file a name before the spreadsheet is created and opened for the user to see as shown below.
