Allocating a project's costs to multiple clients

In Replicon, it's possible to assign multiple clients to a single project and allocate a percentage of all project costs to each client. This option would typically be used by customers who allocate the cost of internally-delivered services among the departments who use those services.

Once you've set an initial cost allocation for a project, you can view the resulting cost data in reports. And, when needed, you can change how the cost amounts are split among clients. 

An example of cost allocation

You might have a recruiter who finds staff for all departments. For budgeting purposes, you'd like to allocate his cost to departments based on their usage. In this case, you could:

• Create an internal Recruitment project that the recruiter enters all of his time against
• Set up each department as a client for that project, and
• Allocate the cost of that project among the client departments

The percent allocation for each department could be based on the size or budget of each department, historical work performed, or other variables.

Setting up an 'Allocated Between' multiple-client project

To set up cost allocation, you'll need to assign multiple clients – or internal business units – to a project and assign each of them an allocation percentage.

To assign multiple clients to a cost allocation project:

1. Click Projects in the top menu, and click Add New Project.

2. From the Client section of the dialog that displays, ensure the Allocated Between option is selected.

3. Select a client from the Client field, if one isn't already selected.

4. Click the +Client link.

5. Select a second client.

6. Continue adding clients until all the clients you need have been added.

To allocate a percentage of the project's costs to each client:

7. Click on percentages to update the allocations that display.

8. Finish setting up the project and click Add Project.

Changing allocations for a project

You can update how costs are split between clients at any time, though all allocation dates must fall within the existing timeframe of the project. Using effective dates allows you to set up allocations ahead of time, without impacting existing cost calculations.

To change the allocation split for a project:

1. Go to Projects > Projects, and click the name of the project.
2. Click the Project Info button.
3. Select the Client History icon.

A Client History dialog displays.

You can update allocations by clicking the client names and allocation percentages. Click the icon to delete a client, the + Client link to add a client, and the icon to delete an entire allocation.

You can update the initial clients and their allocations, or click New Clients Effective to add a new set of allocations that will come into effect as of the date you select.

Viewing allocated hours and costs in reports

You can use the Project report template to view cost allocation data. In this report, a row displays for each client in a cost allocted project.

The following cost allocation columns are available:

FAQs

Can we use this feature to bill multiple external clients for work we performed on a single project?

Yes, you can bill multiple clients, based on their allocation percentages. Refer to Billing multiple clients for a project for more details.

Can we change the assigned clients and percentages allocated once the project is saved?

Yes, you can update the allocation percentages at any time – the currently-assigned percentages will always be used in reports. Click the Project Info button on the project's main page to update allocations after the project is created.

Can we import multi-client projects using the RIA import tool?

No, you can't import these types of projects using RIA; you'll need to use the Replicon web app.