The golden rule of any practice management tool is to always align time and invoicing (or invoicing and time). This can be achieved in one of three ways:
Option A: (easiest) Single Job, Multiple Tasks
A single job is created in XPM with all the tasks required from the scope of the engagement. All of the invoices accumulate there, all of the time accumulates there. The best time to wash this job up is when all of the invoicing and time has been received. The main downside here is that each job-task ie 'BAS July-September' will not have its own job state.
Option B: (harder) Multiple jobs
Wash-up via a multi-job invoice (XPM>Business> Invoices>New Progress Invoice)
Multiple jobs are created in XPM including a 'Billing Job' to capture all the invoices. Time is added to the 'workflow' jobs which benefit from a job state (because they are a separate job). As they are completed you want these jobs moved to a separate state (not a completed state) like 'Waiting WIP Wash-up' or 'Time Accumulation' is another one I see sometimes. We can't complete these jobs yet because Rule #2 of any practice management tool is to never have WIP on completed/archived jobs. You always need a place where jobs can go that are done-done (no further invoicing, no further time, wash-up complete). Wash-ups here are not done via 'remove from invoice list' on the job-level (because there is no invoicing on most of these jobs) but via a zero-value progress invoice using the same method as the backdated write-off at the top of this email. It's a little bit slower but achieves the golden rule of aligning time and invoicing at the end of the job.
You can do multiple of these throughout the year to 'recognise write ons/offs in real time' however there is a BIG ASTERISK on this (contained in the article above).
Option C: Multiple Jobs, Move Timesheets
Create multiple jobs in XPM for the scope of the work, including a 'Billing Job' which catches all of the invoices from Xero (blue). As these jobs are completed, someone moves the time from those 'workflow' jobs into a task on the main billing job. Wash-ups are completed on the main billing job. This method like B above benefits from a job-state on your workflow jobs but relies on someone remembering to move the time where we would have been better off just putting it in the right place in the first place.
A single job is created in XPM with all the tasks required from the scope of the engagement. All of the invoices accumulate there, all of the time accumulates there. The best time to wash this job up is when all of the invoicing and time has been received. The main downside here is that each job-task ie 'BAS July-September' will not have its own job state.
Option B: (harder) Multiple jobs
Wash-up via a multi-job invoice (XPM>Business> Invoices>New Progress Invoice)
Multiple jobs are created in XPM including a 'Billing Job' to capture all the invoices. Time is added to the 'workflow' jobs which benefit from a job state (because they are a separate job). As they are completed you want these jobs moved to a separate state (not a completed state) like 'Waiting WIP Wash-up' or 'Time Accumulation' is another one I see sometimes. We can't complete these jobs yet because Rule #2 of any practice management tool is to never have WIP on completed/archived jobs. You always need a place where jobs can go that are done-done (no further invoicing, no further time, wash-up complete). Wash-ups here are not done via 'remove from invoice list' on the job-level (because there is no invoicing on most of these jobs) but via a zero-value progress invoice using the same method as the backdated write-off at the top of this email. It's a little bit slower but achieves the golden rule of aligning time and invoicing at the end of the job.
You can do multiple of these throughout the year to 'recognise write ons/offs in real time' however there is a BIG ASTERISK on this (contained in the article above).
Option C: Multiple Jobs, Move Timesheets
Create multiple jobs in XPM for the scope of the work, including a 'Billing Job' which catches all of the invoices from Xero (blue). As these jobs are completed, someone moves the time from those 'workflow' jobs into a task on the main billing job. Wash-ups are completed on the main billing job. This method like B above benefits from a job-state on your workflow jobs but relies on someone remembering to move the time where we would have been better off just putting it in the right place in the first place.
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