Overview
From: Finance > Billing > Resource reports
As an alternative to Monthly reports, resources in the system can be paid based on Resource reports.
The purpose is to offer a solution to non-monthly based payments to resources.
Resource reports are not time-based, so tasks can be picked freely to create reports that can be treated individually.
The approval process can have between 1 and 4 steps, as needed.
Configuration
User configuration
There are two user settings relevant for this functionality: Approval manner and Payment manner.
Setting up the Approval manner for all Resources (system level)
From Administrator > Web administrator > Configuration > Settings
Select the Default resource approval manner
Click “Apply to all users”
Setting up the Approval manner for specific Resources (resource level)
The Approval manner and Payment manner can also be set at the resource level from the dropdown menus in the user’s profile:
These fields can only be seen and edited by managers.
These settings will precede the system default if set at a user level.
For more information on Payment manners, please check the Payment manner article.
Other relevant roles
Can delete Resource reports created by other users
Can edit the “Payment due on” field in Resource reports
System configuration
By default, the system applies one approval step to the Resource reports.
If more are needed, follow the steps below.
Setting up approval steps
From: Administrator > Web administrator > Configuration > Settings
Under the Finance Settings section, choose the needed number of steps from the “Number of resource report approval steps”.
If used, the “Processed by accounting” column in the Resource reports page will change to reflect the number of steps:
Relevant roles
Can approve resource report step 1
Allows the user to approve or un-approve the first step in the approval process.
Can approve resource report step 2
Allows the user to approve or un-approve the second step in the approval process.
Can approve resource report step 3
Allows the user to approve or un-approve the third step in the approval process.
Can approve resource report step 4
Allows the user to approve or un-approve the fourth step in the approval process.
Can un-approve resource report at all levels
Allows the user to un-approve any step in the approval process.
Naming conventions
The names of the steps can be customized from Administrator > Web administrator > Name conventions.
From: Finance > Billing > Resource reports
Once a user submits their resource report, it will be available on this page, where managers can keep track of the current status of a report.
Resource reports page
Key columns
Resource - The resource the report belongs to
Resource report number - The unique ID of the resource report
Description - An editable field. Defaults to “billing in (report currency)”
Full view - A detailed listing of the tasks and files included in the resource report
Items - A detailed listing of the tasks included in the resource report
Total billed - The total amount in the due in the resource report
Currency - The currency of the resource report
Submitted by resource - Confirmation if the resource report was submitted or not
Submitted on - The date in which the resource report was submitted
Reject by accounting and send rejection mail - Click to reject a resource report. More info under Rejecting a resource report
Processed by accounting - Current status of the approval
Billing messages - Messages related to the resource reports. More info in the billing messages article
Accounting date - The date in which the approval process was completed
Billing Hold - A toggle (Can Pay/On Hold) to flag if a resource report can, or cannot, be paid
Payment due on - The date the payment is due. Can be autopopulated using the Payment manner
Approving a resource report
After being generated, resource reports will be shown in the Resource reports (Finance) page.
The approval can be done from the “Processed by accounting” column and may have between 1 and 4 steps.
Please refer to the Configuration section for more info on how to set up a multistep approval process.
If the user has the necessary role for the current step, a prompt will appear, and the approval will move to the next step after clicking “Yes”.
If the user has the necessary role for the current and the next step, a prompt will appear, and the user can either approval the current step, by clicking “Yes”, or revert the approval to the previous step by clicking “No”. For more info on un-approving approval steps, please check the Un-approving a resource report section.
These change will be logged.
The complete log of approvals can be read on the tooltip of the “Processed by accounting” icon.
Resources cannot approve their own resource reports.
Once all approval steps are completed, the “Accounting date” field will be automatically populated.
Management review
Management review is an optional approval step.
This step can be approved at any moment, and is unaffected by the current approval step.
Relevant role: Can perform management review
Users with this role can approve or un-approve the “Management review” column items
Billing hold
If necessary, the approval of a resource report can be suspended by using the “Billing Hold” option:
Relevant role: Can put resource report on hold
Users with this role can change the status of the Billing Hold.
When clicking, the icon will change and the “Processed by accounting” and “Management review” icons will be disabled until it is changed back to “Can Pay”:
Changes to the “Billing Hold” status will be logged in the tooltip:
Un-approving a resource report
Users with the necessary role can approve and un-approve a step.
If the approval has already been done, clicking on the icon will instead ask the user if the step should be unapproved:
This will also clear that step from the approval log in the tooltip.
Users with the role: Can un-approve resource reports at all levels can un-approve any step.
Rejecting a resource report
Submitted resource reports can be rejected by using the “Reject by accounting and send rejection mail” column.
Click on the envelope of the report to reject
If necessary, edit the message body. Then, click “Send”.
Once sent, the resource will be notified and the resource report will return to the “unsubmitted” status and the resource can edit it as necessary from their personal page.