walk-through: Create Project Quotes and update the Budget

In this walk-through, you learn about the new way of handling Project Quote versions by creating a new version of a Project Quote budget from the current or a previous budget version.
This walk-through illustrates the following tasks: Create a Project Quote from an Opportunity. Insert a Template and modify the calculation. Send a Project Quote. Create a new version of a Project Quote budget. Restore a previously archived version if a Project Quote.

Prerequisites

To complete this walk-through, you will need: • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. • CRONUS International Ltd. demonstration database. • STAEDEAN IEM RapidStart demo set.

Story

David is the dedicated sales rep for Projects at CRONUS International Ltd. David, has had a first discussion with a sales lead and did a discovery on the requirements. With that information he creates a Project Quote from the sales opportunity, selects the Project Template closest to the customer requirements and modifies the details to finalize the first version of the calculation. When complete he prints and send the Project Quote to the prospect. Based on the prospects responses David creates a new version of the Project Quote, makes the required adjustments and re-sends the Project Quote to the prospect. When the prospect decides that the original Project Quote was the better one David restores that version and after obtaining the prospects signature David changes the state of the Project Quote to order.

Setting Up the Sample Data

The IEM demo set requires some additional setup: Templates: In this walk-through we assume that the company is working with templates to create Projects and Project Quotes. This is an alternative way of working compared to starting in the planning state and build a Projectfrom elements and activities. Opportunity: The walk-through assumes that David has an opportunity pending. In this walk-through you can use an existing Opportunity or add a new one:

  1. Type Opportunity List in the Search box to open the Opportunity list: Departments/Sales & Marketing/Marketing/Opportunity List
  2. Select an existing opportunity and click Edit to open the card or
  3. Click Create Opportunity in the ribbon to start the Opportunity wizard Once created continue with the first step in the walk-through

Process

JMS adds a set of additional actions to the Opportunity to make it possible to create, or open, a Project type of Quote directly from the Opportunity.

Create an Opportunity from a Project Quote

  1. Type Opportunity List in the Search box to open the Opportunity list: Departments/Sales & Marketing/Marketing/Opportunity List and locate the Opportunity prepared in the sample data.
  2. Click Edit to open the opportunity and select the ACTIONS tab.
  3. Click Assign Project Quote in the ribbon of the Actions tab.
  4. A Project Card will open with the Customer / Contact details of the Opportunity.

Notes

  • If you selected a Bill-to Contact only (for which no Bill-to Customer exists yet) you also must specify a Customer Template. - Use the “Show more fields” option to make the Customer Template field visible.
  • The Project card shows the Opportunity No. field with the linked Opportunity No. and the Project Status field showing the type of Quote.
  • The Opportunity card shows in the Sales Document Type: field Project Quote and the Sales Document No.: the Project No. just created. You can click Show Project Quote to open the linked Project Quote.

You have now successfully created a Project Quote. Next step is to complete the Project Quote header with Project Tasks by inserting a template.

Insert a Template in the Project Quote and modify the calculation

A template allows you to quickly create a Project Quote or a Project. The Base Template further completes the Project header and you can specify a Master template to insert the Project Task structure and an Invoice template to set the Invoicing Method and Schedule in case of a Fixed Price invoicing method.

  1. In the Project Quote created in the previous step locate the Base Template field and type or select a Base Template code from the lookup list.
  2. Tab to the next field and note the process of inserting the Project Task structure. In this process the system recalculates the filters for the grouping levels in the Project Task structure.
  3. Click Tasks in the ribbon to open the Project Task Lines page as inserted from the Master Template.
  4. To adjust the Budget Lines, you can use 2 methods:
    • From the Project Task list, click Budget in the ribbon or in the Project Task Information fact box and modify Budget Lines per Project Task.
    • From the Project card click Budget from the ribbon and select the Active budget, select Budget from the ribbon to list all Budget Lines for the active budget.
  5. To show the budget totals for your Project Quote open the Summary page from the Project card ribbon. You have now created a Project Task structure and reviewed and updated the budget lines.

Send a Project Quote

When the Project Quote is complete you can send a copy to the customer or contact.

  1. In the Quoted Projects list select the Project for which you completed the Project Quote in the previous step and click Edit in the ribbon to open the card.
  2. Select the Report tab to show the Print Project Quotation action.
  3. Click this action to preview or print the Project Quotation report.

Note The details per Project Task are depending on the invoicing method: Fixed Price only shows the amount in the header; Time & Material (as well as Delivery) will show the detailed price per Project Task with the total amount in the header.

The Project Quote has now been printed and send to the customer or contact for approval of the Project Quote.

Create a new version of a Project Quote Budget

When the customer or contact responds to the Project Quote with additional or changed requirements a new version of the Project Quote Budget can be created from the Project Budget page:

  1. In the Quoted Projects list select the Project which was send to the customer or contact.
  2. Select Projects > Project Budgets.
  3. On the Project Budget page select Process > Create New Budget to open the wizard and answer the following questions:
    1. From which budget do you want to copy?: Either copy from the current budget or from an earlier one if that exists
    2. Describe your budget.: Provide a short description for the new budget
    3. Activate the budget when I click Finish: This will make the new budget the Active Budget (default = true)
    4. This budget is used for forecasting: When true a new Forecast calculation will be automatically based on this budget.
  4. The Project Budget No. field in the Project header will show the number of the active budget.

The current Project Quote can be modified as required and send to the customer for approval:

  • In the Project Quote header set the Won/Lost field to Lost and select a Reason Code.
  • Use the Change Status action to convert the Project Quote into a Completed Project.

See Also

Welcome to Industrial Equipment Manufacturing