Lesson 7

Using Project Issues and Change Requests

Back to V310: Construction Project Management

Lesson 7: Using Project Issues and Change Requests

In this lesson, you will learn about project issues, which are used for tracking and reporting on issues discovered on a construction site. You will also learn about change requests, which can be created as a result of project issues.

Project Issues: General Information

In Acumatica ERP, project issues are used for tracking and reporting on all activities related to various issues discovered on a construction site. Based on a project issue, a request for information or a change request may be created.

Learning Objectives

In this lesson, you will learn how to do the following:

  • Configure project management classes that may be used to ease the creation of project issues
  • Define project issue types
  • Report project issues
  • Convert project issues to change requests

Applicable Scenarios

You create and process a project issue when an unexpected problems occur on a construction site.

Project Issue Processing

In general, the Project Issue (PJ302000) form is the starting point for creating a project issue. In a newly created project issue, you should first specify the following settings:

  • The summary, which briefly describes the project issue
  • The project to which the project issue relates
  • The project management class, which provides the default settings for newly created project issues Then on the Details tab, you provide a detailed description of the issue. You can also create a time activity or a drawing log for the project issue. Aer you have specified the details, you process the project issue in either of the following ways:
  • If more information is required to resolve the issue, you click Convert to RFI on the form toolbar. The system creates a request for information for the project issue and opens it on the Request for Information (PJ301000) form.
  • If the project issue introduces changes to the project budget, you click Convert to Change Request on the form toolbar. The system creates a change request for the project issue and opens it on the Change Requests (PM308500) form.

Project Issues: Implementation Activity

In the following implementation activity, you will learn how to prepare the system for creating and processing project issues. Lesson 7: Using Project Issues and Change Requests | 51

Story

Suppose that you, a system administrator of a construction company, ToadGreen Building Group, need to define the types of project issues for the company. You need to track design issues, violations of safety regulations, and problems with equipment, materials, or people. You also need to configure a project management class that is going to be used for creating project issues so that the due date for resolving a newly created project issue will be set to seven days by default.

Configuration Overview

In the U100 dataset, the following tasks have been performed to support this activity:

  • On the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, the Construction and Construction Project Management features have been enabled in the Projects group of features.
  • On the Project Management Classes (PJ201000) form, the FIELD class has been defined with the Project Issues check box selected in the Use For section.

Process Overview

You will configure a list of types to be used for the project issues on the Project Management Preferences (PJ101000) form. Then you will review and update the settings of a project management class to be used for the project issues on the Project Management Classes (PJ201000) form.

System Preparation

To prepare to perform the instructions of the activity, sign in to the system as a system administrator by using the gibbs username and the 123 password.

Step 1: Specifying System Settings for Project Issues To specify system preferences related to project issues, do the following:

  1. Open the Project Management Preferences (PJ101000) form.
  2. On the Project Issues tab, in the Project Issue Numbering Sequence box, make sure PROISSUE is specified.
  3. In the Project Issue Types table, click Add Row, and specify the following settings in the added row:
  • Project Issue Type: Accident
  • Description: Accidents and emergencies
  1. Add three more rows with the following settings.
         Project Issue Type                                     Description

     Safety Violation                                       Violation of safety regulations

     Design Issue                                           Design issues

     Resource                                               Problems with equipment, materials,
                                                            or people
  2. Save your changes. Lesson 7: Using Project Issues and Change Requests | 52

Step 2: Configuring a Project Management Class Review the project management class that has been configured for processing project issues by doing the following:

  1. On the Project Management Classes (PJ201000) form, open the FIELD class.
  2. In the Use For section, make sure the Project Issues check box is selected.
  3. On the Details tab, set Answer Days Default (under Project Issue Settings) to 7.
  4. Save you changes.

Project Issues: To Create a Change Request from a Project Issue

This activity will walk you through the process of creating a project issue and converting a request for information to a change request.

Story

Suppose that on 3/21/2025, a design issue has occurred on the construction site of the Beach Hotel and Condominiums project that the ToadGreen company is working on: A subcontractor put a hole in a wall when stacking materials. The project engineer has reported that one day is necessary to fix the issue, and it will cost $2000. Acting as a ToadGreen construction project manager, you need to create the project issue in the system, and then convert it to a change request.

Configuration Overview

In the U100 dataset, the following tasks have been performed to support this activity:

  • On the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, the Construction feature have been enabled.
  • On the Project Management Classes (PJ201000) form, the FIELD class has been defined with the Project Issues check box selected in the Use For section.
  • On the Projects (PM301000) form, the HOTEL project has been configured; the project tasks have been created, along with the related cost and revenue budget.

Process Overview

You will create a project issue on the Project Issue (PJ302000) form. You will then convert it to a change request for it on the Change Requests (PM308500) form.

System Preparation

To prepare to perform the instructions of this activity, do the following:

  1. Sign in to the system as a construction project manager by using the ewatson username and the 123 password.
  2. In the info area, in the upper-right corner of the top pane of the Acumatica ERP screen, make sure that the business date in your system is set to 3/21/2025. If a different date is displayed, click the Business Date menu button, and select 3/21/2025 on the calendar. For simplicity, in this activity, you will create and process all documents in the system on this business date. Lesson 7: Using Project Issues and Change Requests | 53

Step 1: Creating the Project Issue To create the project issue, do the following:

  1. On the Project Issue (PJ302000) form, add a new record.
  2. On the form toolbar, click Add New Record, and specify the following settings in the Summary area:
  • Project Issue Type: Accident
  • Class ID: FIELD
  • Summary: Hole in the wall needs to be patched
  • Project: HOTEL
  • Owner: Ricky Thompson
  • Due Date: 3/28/2025 (specified automatically)
  • Schedule Impact (Days): Selected
  • Schedule Impact (Days): 1
  • Cost Impact: Selected
  • Cost Impact: 2000
  1. On the Details tab, type the following information: Subcontractor put a hole in the wall when stacking materials, and the hole needs to be patched and finished as soon as possible.
  2. Save the project issue.

Step 2: Converting the Project Issue to a Change Request Create a change request based on the project issue, by doing the following:

  1. While you are still viewing the Hole in the wall needs to be patched project issue on the Project Issue (PJ302000) form, click Convert to Change Request on the form toolbar. The Change Requests (PM308500) form opens with the created change request, with settings copied from the project issue. In the Project Issue box of the Summary area, the ID of the original project issue is specified.
  2. On the form toolbar, click Remove Hold. The change request is assigned the Open status.
  3. Click the Edit button next to the Project Issue box in the Summary area to open the original project issue.
  4. On the Project Issue form, which opens with the Hole in the wall needs to be patched project issue, make sure that the project issue now has Converted to CR in the Status box (as shown in the following screenshot). The link to the related change request is displayed in the Converted To box. Lesson 7: Using Project Issues and Change Requests | 54
    Figure: Project issue that has been converted to a change request

You have converted the project issue to a change request, which can now be processed further to record the expenses to the cost budget of the project. Lesson 8: Working with Requests for Information | 55