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skoz5555
July 18, 2024
Question

Confirming New Process for Projects

  • July 18, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

I've just migrated from QB Desktop to QBO Plus.  I am a Contractor and need to be able to access Job Cost Reports (Estimates vs Actual).  It appears that in QBO, the only way to do this is through Projects.

 

In QB Desktop, we would create a Customer and then two Jobs titled Design and Construction under that customer.  Our clients sign a design contract and a construction contract, with two separate Jobs under one Customer, I can isolate the costs of each contract, but also look at the financials for all under that Client.

 

  • From my reading, it appears that the new process will be Create a New Customer named "Peter Jones", then create two Projects named "Jones Design" and "Jones Construction.  I will not be creating sub-customers or Jobs under the Customers any longer.  Is this correct ?

 

I'm now in QBO Plus and have over a 100 Customers and Sub-Customers (which are our old Jobs) and am trying to determine the best process to go about setting this up.

 

  • In order to manage my migrated Jobs, I would create two new Projects "Smith Design" and "Smith Construction", then Convert from Sub-Customer to associate with the sub-customers QBO imported.

 

 

Assuming this is all correct, what is the best way to organize and manage all my projects?  Can I create hierarchies like sub-projects?  Can I inactivate completed ones (can't find the option)?

 

Thanks for any assistance.

Aaron

    1 reply

    M
    Mark_AG
    July 18, 2024

    Welcome to QuickBooks Online (QBO), @skoz5555, and thank you for reaching out to us!

     

    Your understanding of the new process in QBO is on the right track, and I'm happy to give you more details to help you manage your projects effectively. Your method

     

    In QuickBooks Online Plus, the Projects feature allows you to organize your work into specific sub-categories under a main customer. 

     

    For your migrated data that includes sub-customers (which were your old jobs), you can convert these sub-customers into projects:

     

    1. Head to the Projects menu.
    2. Click the New project dropdown button and select Convert from sub-customer.
    3. Select all the sub-customers that you'll convert.
    4. Hit the Convert button.
     

     

    As of now, QuickBooks Online doesn't support sub-projects or hierarchical projects. Each project is standalone but linked to a customer. 

     

    Moreover, here's how to mark a project as completed and inactive:

     

    1. Go to the Projects menu.
    2. Select the project you want to inactivate.
    3. Click on the pencil icon (edit) near the project name.
    4. Change the status to Completed.
    5. Save the changes.

     

    Additionally, you can track hourly labor costs and profitability by project using QuickBooks Online.

     

    Should you have any further questions besides managing projects, feel free to reply here. We're here to help you every step of the way in your transition to QuickBooks Online.

    S
    skoz5555Author
    July 19, 2024

    In desktop, we would show all Jobs, including Completed, until 6 months after completion, then Inactivate so the screen is not complicated with tons of Jobs.  Is there a way in the Project window to show "Not Started", "In Progress" Projects, and not just one type?

     

    Does "Canceled" do anything different than the others?  Thinking I could use that as the 6 month post completed projects?

     

    Once I start making all of these changes, is there a way to revert back to the original file in the event I make a mistake?  I realize that Advanced does this; however, I don't need all other items in Advanced so am on Plus.

     

    Thanks

    I
    IrizA
    July 19, 2024

    I know some ways you can achieve an organized project window for your data, skoz5555.

     

    Currently, displaying the two statuses in one project window is unavailable. However, you can open two tabs in your web browser - one for each status - to view both statuses simultaneously, with one on the left and the other on the right.

     

    Here's how:

     

    1. Open two tabs for your QuickBooks Online (QBO) company file.
    2. Go to the Projects menu.
    3. Press the Collapse button so it will hide the left navigation panel.
    4. Click the Status dropdown, then choose In Progress or Not Started.
    5. Press the Customer dropdown, then select your customer's name or All.
    6. Hit the End Date dropdown, then choose a date.

    You can also follow the screenshot below:


     

    Regarding whether you can use the Canceled status for your post-completed projects, yes, you may do so since you can change the status if you want to make it in-progress or completed.

     

    Also, please know that reverting data or having a backup file is exclusive to QuickBooks Online Advanced. Thus, you'll need to manually re-do anything you want to revert.

     

    Additionally, I encourage you to view this article to help you track your project’s profitability: Create and manage projects in QuickBooks Online.

     

    You can also run a Project Profitability Summary report to see your Income, Costs, and Profit on a specific date.

     

    I'll be around to help if you have further questions about projects. Please feel free to let me know in the comment section.

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