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Cost center-based planning

Cost center-based investment and capacity planning adoption pathway

1. Get started 2. Design and set up 3. Capability usage 4. Reports and outputs

Audience

Planview administrator, PMO, portfolio manager, finance manager, project manager

Objective

Design, set up, and configure Portfolios to support cost center-based investment and capacity planning at your organization.


Planview Professional Services is available to support your deployment of Planview Investment and Capacity Planning capabilities. For more details, refer to the Planview Portfolios Capability Adoption Package: Investment and Capacity Planning. 

Enable the Planning menu, options, and role features

The first step for an administrator is to enable the planning menu, options, and role features essential to using investment and capacity planning.

Step Role Description Resources

Enable the planning menu

Planview administrator

Enable the planning menu by checking the Display option.

Enabling or Disabling Option on the Main Menu
Enable the use of investment and capacity planning Planview administrator

From the Strategic Management Options page, enable Use Investment and Capacity Planning.

 

Enabling the Use of Investment and Capacity Planning
Enable the sub-menus for planning Planview administrator

From the Menu Actions tab, select the Planning tab on the left, then select the checkbox to display all the available options. Feature controls may also be added from this page.
 

Enabling or Disabling Action Options
Enable required features for roles Planview administrator

From the Configure Roles screen, enable the following features for each role that will use planning. 

Strategic management: 

  • Use investment and capacity planning

Investment decisions:

  • Define portfolio targets
  • Make investment decisions
  • Publish to shared scenario
  • Publish to entities
     
Review Role Screen Basics for a User Role

Set up the financial planning models

In cost center-based investment and capacity planning, you compare capacity by cost centers to demand entities (work). Capacity is based on the cost center structure and the data is taken from a cost center financial plan version. Demand data is taken from a work financial plan version. 

For more information on Planview’s recommended financial plan versions and naming conventions, see the recommended financial plan versions table.

           

Accounts for capacity and demand must match. The accounts pictured here for capacity and demand are resource role, team, onshore/offshore, location, and skill.

 

To carry out the required analysis, there must be a commonality between capacity and demand. The same account lines must be used in the cost center financial plan version as in the work financial plan version.

           

Accounts for capacity and demand must match. The accounts for capacity and demand are resource role, team, onshore/offshore, location, and skill.

 

To use cost center-based investment and capacity planning, a cost center financial planning model, including relevant accounts and versions, must be set up to capture the capacity financial data. Demand data will use the existing Enterprise Financial Model. 

 

Step Role Description Resources
Ensure Use Providing Organization (Cbs1) is selected for the work (demand) financial model Planview administrator

In order for the comparison between the enterprise or work financial model and the cost center financial model to work, Use Providing Organization (Cbs1) must be selected on the enterprise or work financial model. 

To confirm this is configured correctly, go to the Administer Financial Planning Models screen, find the model used for Work Financial planning, select Edit Financial Planning Model, and confirm that the option Use Providing Organization (Cbs1) is checked. 

Adding Financial Planning Models
Confirm work (demand) financial model configuration Planview administrator

Confirm demand financial model configuration: 

  • Cost center must be a line attribute on at least the labor account
  • Use in Investment and Capacity Planning option must be checked for the model
  • There must be commonality in both accounts and attributes 

Configure Versions for Financial Planning Models Screen Basics

Business Rules of Financial Management and Financial Planning

Add a new version for the Enterprise Financial Model Planview administrator

Go to Configure Versions and add a new financial version. Name the version Investment Planning Demand. 

Planview recommendation: Review the financial versions chart to understand more about different financial versions and their purpose.

Adding Versions of Financial-Planning Models

Configure Versions for Financial Planning Models Screen Basics

Review and add data to the work (demand) financial model Planview administrator

This is a two-step process. First, populate or edit the Actual/Forecast version. 

Data can be added to work (demand) financial plans in two ways: 

  1. Load – The work financial load can be manually performed or scheduled within job stream management. For information about scheduling a financial plan load job by using a job stream, see Configuring Financial Plan Load Job Parameters.
  2. Manual entry – See What is Needed to Make it Work for more information.

Note that in-flight projects will probably be loaded from resource assignments and timesheets, while new projects added as part of planning may need financial lines and data to be entered manually.

           

Accounts for capacity and demand must match. The financial accounts pictured here for capacity and demand are resource role, team, onshore/offshore, location, and skill.

 


The second step is completed by the Planview administrator. They will copy all the financial data from the Actual/Forecast version into the Investment Planning Demand version just before the planning cycle starts. 

It is imperative that all projects that will be part of the planning process have financial data. If the financial plan for a potential project is blank, or contains lines with no financial data within the horizon dates, the project will not pull into the investment and capacity planning portfolio.

Job Stream Management

Configuring Financial Plan Load Job Parameters

How to Load Data into a Work Financial Plan

Editing a Financial Plan

Create a cost center financial model Planview administrator

When adding the new model, select Cost Centers from the dropdown. 

Use the same calendar, planning horizon start and finish dates, forecast period, and other fields as in the enterprise or work financial model.

Adding Financial Planning Models
Add accounts Planview administrator

For the new cost center financial model, the next step is to configure accounts. At a minimum, the labor account is required. Select Use Account, Allow Edit, and Allow Loads for the labor account.

Depending on how the cost center structure is configured, you may want to enable a generic benefit, capital, or expense account. Select Allow Edit and Allow Load as needed, based on usage in other parts of Planview Portfolios. 

Use in Investment and Capacity Planning must be checked for all accounts that will be used. 

Configuring Financial-Planning Accounts
Set labor accounts' line attributes Planview administrator

From the Add Accounts screen, click the Line Attributes icon for the labor row, and select the line attributes that you want to set capacity constraints for. The attributes selected should also already be selected on the enterprise or work financial model, as the attributes must match.

Attributes which are selected here and also have a matching attribute or account on the enterprise or work financial model will make up the capacity and demand primary "pivot."

Note that Cost Center Availability Type is automatically selected and required.

Recommendation: As you consider which attributes to include on each account, consider how your company makes investment decisions.

The attributes selected will make up the content and depth of the pivot table between the capacity and demand financial plans, so we recommend to minimize the number of attributes if possible. 

Example: Split by CapEx/OpEx.

           

Accounts for capacity and demand must match. The accounts for capacity and demand are resource role, team, onshore/offshore, location, and skill.

 

Setting an Account's Line Attributes
Set additional account options for labor account Planview administrator

From the Add Accounts screen, click the Account Options icon on the labor row. Deselect any unnecessary options to customize the display according to your preferences.

Setting Additional Account Options
Configure non-labor accounts' line attributes Planview administrator

If investment and capacity planning is going to also include non-labor accounts, you will need to configure the attributes for those accounts as well. This is not required. 

From the Add Accounts screen, click the Line Attributes icon, and select the line attributes that you want to set capacity constraints for. The attributes selected should already be selected on the non-labor accounts for the enterprise or work financial model, as the attributes must match.

Recommendation: As with the labor account and attributes, consider the level of detailed required to make investment decisions. 

Setting an Account's Line Attributes
Configure versions Planview administrator

Go to Configure Versions and add new financial versions. Name the version Investment Planning Target and allow editing and loads, aligning its sub-options with those of the work financial versions. Other versions such as Actuals/Forecast or Baseline by quarter or year may be added as well.

Planview recommendation: Review the financial versions chart to understand more about different financial versions and their purpose.

Adding Versions of Financial-Planning Models

Configure Versions for Financial Planning Models Screen Basics

Load capacity into the capacity (cost center) financial model Planview administrator 

From the Configure Versions screen, load the working cost center version. The load can be manually performed, or scheduled within job stream management. For information about scheduling a financial plan load job by using a job stream, see Configuring Financial Plan Load Job Parameters.

           

Demand data can be loaded from resource assignments or entered in manually.

           

Loading, Scheduling, or Deleting Cost Center-Based Financial Plans

Business Rules of Financial Management and Financial Planning

Configuring Financial Plan Load Job Parameters

Recommended financial plan versions

The table below details the recommended financial plan versions and names to be created and used in the investment planning process.

 

Version name How is it used? Purpose

Actual/Forecast version

Data from this version is copied into the Investment Planning version for demand planning in Investment and Capacity Planning.

Holds the current view of spend to date (if any) and forecast to complete. Can be top-down or bottom-up.

Holds the current view of spend to date (if any) and forecast to complete.

This data can be derived two ways:

  • Top-down – entered directly into the Financial Plan version when doing initial scoping/sizing of the demand associated with the work, or

  • Bottom-up from the project plan (activities, resource assignments, timesheets and expenditures.)

This version is marked as "Forecast" in the financial model configuration.

It is used in project delivery portfolio views and reports.

It is standard practice to run a Financial Management version load daily to summarize the delivery data.

The project manager or work manager owns this data (version).

Baseline version

Used for variance reporting for project/work delivery.

Not typically used as part of Investment and Capacity Planning.

Holds a snapshot of financial data that represents the approved baseline budget.

This version is marked "Baseline" in the financial model configuration.

Used in project delivery portfolio views and reports.
 

Investment Planning version

Holds the data taken into Investment and Capacity Planning for planning and publishing.

Often used as the Demand version in Investment and Capacity Planning.

Used to hold the financial plan data that is pulled into a planning portfolio for investment analysis, scenario modeling, and approval.

When investment management decisions are published, this version is used to communicate the approved investment budget to the work manager or project manager.

 

Investment Planning Target version

Holds the budget/capacity for the business unit which will be used as planning portfolio target/budget.

Often used as the Capacity version in Investment and Capacity Planning.

Holds the budget/capacity for the business unit which will be used as planning portfolio target/budget.

Set up planning column sets and optional features

 
Step Role Description Resources
Create a column set for investment and capacity planning Planview administrator 

Columns included in the investment and capacity planning column set will drive how you rank potential and in-flight investments.

Create a New column set for Work that includes all criteria that should be considered for ranking and prioritization such as category, regulatory, scoring attributes, and risk. This will require financial subtotals and other attribute columns.

Key actions:

  • Include In: Check the box for Investment and Capacity Planning.
  • Set to Working Version so that data from the active scenario (the shared scenario or user-defined scenario) is shown.
  • Roles: Select either Corporate Wide or specific roles that will be involved in the portfolio planning process.

Planview recommendation: If your company approves the budget for a time horizon shorter than your 3-5 year strategic planning portfolio, (such as the current year or next year), you can add time limits to some columns in  your column set.

Creating and Editing Column Sets

Create column sets to share published decisions

Planview administrator

To communicate the published plan to project and resource managers, configure Portfolios to support viewing details about a scenario's investment ranking values.

These details typically include: 

  • Investment ranking values that exist within the scenario at the time it was last published
  • Planning portfolio from which those values were last published
  • Name of the user who last published the scenario
  • Date on which the scenario was last published

You can add the columns to column sets relevant to the Investment and Capacity Planning screen, Resource Management and Assignments screen, or Work Portfolio View screen.

The investment ranking details a user will be able to view after selecting one of the column sets you configure is dependent on which investment ranking columns you add to that column set.

Allowing Users to View Published Investment Ranking Details

Edit financial subtotals and calculated columns

Planview administrator

In Manage Attributes, identify and configure Financial Subtotals you want to make investment decisions against.

Make sure they are configured for the correct level of capacity and demand.

Key actions: 

  • Check the box for Primary Structure: Work and other options, as needed. 
  • Check the box for In Investment and Capacity Planning, do not respect portfolio capacity, if needed. 
  • Check the box for In Investment and Capacity Planning, do not respect portfolio horizon, if needed.

Adding Subtotal Financial Planning Columns

Adding Calculated Financial-Planning Columns

Adding Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Columns

Enable required features for roles

Planview administrator

From the Configure Roles screen, enable the following features for each role that will use planning: 

Strategic management: 

  • Use investment and capacity planning

Investment decisions:

  • Define portfolio targets
  • Make investment decisions
  • Publish to shared scenario
  • Publish to entities

Review Role Screen Basics for a User Role

Set up planning alerts (optional)

Planview administrator

Alerts are dynamic calculations that an administrator can configure to help users resolve issues as they make investment decisions.

For example, you can configure the % Over Target alert to be displayed when the financial planning column total for investments with a status of Accept or Conditional reaches 100% or more of the target amount in the planning portfolio.

As an administrator, alerts are configured by enabling one or more alerts on the Investment and Capacity Planning Alerts screen within System Configuration and then entering information that defines the alert using the grid.

If no alerts are enabled by the administrator, the alerts pane will not show within investment and capacity planning.

Why Use Alerts in Investment and Capacity Planning?

Configuring Investment and Capacity Planning Alerts

Understand Thresholds and Time Periods of Investment and Capacity Planning Alerts

Create Impact Analysis visual tiles (optional)
 
Planview administrator

Impact Analysis visual tiles provide portfolio managers with the ability to visualize and compare investment scenario impacts across portfolios.

Impact Analysis tiles are a unique type of output that are created on the Planning menu, using the Analyze button. They can only be viewed on the Planning Portfolio View ribbon.

Users with access to the Planning menu can create as many tiles of this type as needed to analyze data in different ways.

As an administrator, the Analyze tile can be enabled or hidden from the Ribbon Options screen within Global Options.

Enabling or Disabling the Analyze Tile

Understanding Impact Analysis Report Tiles

Create an Impact Analysis Report Tile

Using Configurable Visualizations

Create investment dependencies (optional)

Planview administrator

An investment dependency is a connection between two entities that describes how those entities influence one another from an investment perspective.

For example, if project A is dependent on project B, you must commit to project B if you are going to pursue project A. If project C is codependent with project D, both must be pursued, or neither pursued.

Work and project dependencies are often created on the Work View screen, but the decisions on which investments to approve are done within Investment and Capacity Planning.

The system uses both investment approval status and dependency type to help determine whether an dependency between investment entities is valid or results in a conflict.

As an administrator, Use Investment Dependencies can be enabled within Global Options. Then you can configure alerts for dependencies, add information about them to Planning Column Sets, and use them on both Work and Planning menus.

How to use Investment Dependencies in Investment and Capacity Planning

Reviewing Dependencies in Investment and Capacity Planning

Reviewing Work Investment Dependencies

Understand investment approval status values

Investment approval status is an alternate structure used in investment and capacity planning. It is used to show or exclude potential project investments within specific sections on the planning pages, or trigger successive lifecycle workflows for the relevant projects based on the selected value.

The table below describes when each investment status should be used and where they are displayed on the Investment and Capacity Planning screen.

 
Status Description Visibility

Pending

Indicates the investment opportunity has been identified, however, the business case has not been completed and the opportunity is not ready to be considered. Investments with this status are not displayed on the Investment and Capacity Planning screen.

Will not appear on Investment and Capacity Planning screen

Analyze

Indicates the investment opportunity has been identified and the business case prepared. The opportunity can be considered, however, no final investment decision has been made.

Below the line – Analyze view

 

Accept

Indicates the investment opportunity has gone through the investment and capacity planning process and that your organization has chosen to proceed with the investment. Anything approved in the previous planning cycle will already appear above the line (in-flight).

Above the line – Analyze view

Included in Shift and Balance Views

Conditional

Indicates the investment has gone through the investment and capacity planning process and has been accepted under certain conditions.

Above the line – Analyze View

Included in Shift and Balance views

Refuse

Indicates the investment opportunity has gone through the investment and capacity planning process and your organization has chosen not to accept it.

Below the line – Analyze View

Resubmit

Indicates the investment opportunity has gone through the investment and capacity planning process via a lifecycle, and your organization initially refused to accept it. The opportunity has been revised and should be reconsidered.

This status is used in investment and capacity planning if your system is configured for lifecycles.

Below the line – Analyze View

Set up the investment approval status alternate structure

Step Role Description Resources
Understand and enable the investment approval status (OpCapAppr) Planview administrator

Investments (or projects) must have an investment status (OpCapAppr alternate structure) of Analyze, Accept, Conditional, or Refuse to be included in a planning portfolio.

As an administrator, you must edit the investment demand structure, then the status must be added to all potential and in-flight projects.

Things to consider: 

  • Many set the default to Analyze for simplicity. To do this, select the definition link next to the Investment Approval alternate structure, then select Analyze in the default drop down.  
  • Pending can be used to enable a lifecycle checkpoint before moving to planning.
  • Resubmit and Repropose can be used in sub-lifecycles in advanced configurations and are not required. 
  • If used, the status chosen in the lifecycle can trigger successive workflows for the relevant entities or projects. 

Investment Approval Alternate Structure (OpCapAppr)

Updating Investment Approval Status and Priority

Create a new planning portfolio and confirm configuration and data

 
Step Role Description Resources

Create a new planning portfolio

Planview administrator

Create a new planning portfolio. For detailed information about how to create the portfolio see Get started and optimize usage

About Creating Planning Portfolios as a User

Creating Planning Portfolios

Planning Menu Basics

Confirm configuration and data Planview administrator

From the planning menu, navigate to the Investment and Capacity Planning tab. Use the View dropdown to select each view option, and make sure the portfolio displays rows for each option.

If no data displays, review this criteria:

  • The projects (demand) must be associated to the department (capacity).
  • Demand data for the selected financial version must be available for the selected capacity entities.
  • The demand must exist within the selected planning horizons.
  • The investment approval status must not be Pending.
  • If an additional demand portfolio was applied to the planning portfolio, the investments must also be included in the definition of the selected demand portfolio.

Understand Where Investment and Capacity Planning Obtains Its Information

Associating Work with Strategy Entities

Reviewing or Modifying Financial Allocation Values