What are best practices for using multiple (phased) budget uploads?

Answer

Below are things to keep in mind while using multiple budget uploads in a project. 

1. Verify Permission: Think about who you want to be able to unlock the budget. Do you want your Budget Admin users (typically Project Managers) to be able to unlock the Budget at any time, even with Budget Modifications? If not, you can give these users Standard permission levels with all the granular permissions, so only certain users (e.g. Company Admins) can unlock the Budget.
   • Option 1 : Only allow a limited number of people to unlock the Budget. You can give the users you want to be able to unlock the Budget 'Admin' level permissions on the Budget and give other users 'Standard' level permissions to the Budget with the appropriate granular permissions that will allow them to import a budget CSV, create and edit original budget amounts, delete budget line items, lock a budget, send/retrieve budget to and from ERP.
   • Option 2: Allow Project Managers to unlock the Budget by giving them 'Admin' level permissions to the Budget.
2. Import a Budget
   • Option 1: Import a Budget from a CSV. See Import a Budget CSV.
   • Option 2 (ERP only): Import from ERP.  
3. Lock Budget 
   • See Lock a Budget
   • If the project is integrated with ERP and if Option 1 from Step 2 was used, sync to ERP.  See Send a Budget to ERP Integrations for Accounting Acceptance.
4. When ready for the next phased budget, Unlock the Budget. See Unlock a Budget. (Budget: Unlock the Budget with Budget Modifications)
5. Prior to making any updates, Create a Budget Snapshot. See Create a Budget Snapshot.
   • If re-importing from CSV: You will be prompted to take a Snapshot.
   • If you are manually adding line items, inline editing Original Budget Amounts or re-importing from ERP, you will not receive a prompt to take a Budget Snapshot but it is still recommended. 
   • It is recommended to name the snapshot after the phase of the budget (ex: GMP Phase 1). After creating a Snapshot, clicking the 3 ellipses next to the Original Budget will show the Snapshot history (Snapshot name and amount) and the current value of the Original Budget Amount. 
6. After creating a Snapshot, Update the Budget:
   • Option 1: Re-import the budget from CSV (See Import a Budget CSV). For existing budget line items, the current original budget amounts will appear in the downloaded CSV template. If the amounts will remain the same, keep those amounts in the CSV file. If the amounts need to be updated/adjusted, overwrite the existing amount in the CSV with the new amount. For new budget line items, add the cost type and amount in the CSV file. 
   • Option 2: Manually add line items or inline edit Original Budget Amounts. See Create a Budget Line Item.
   • Option 3 (ERP only): Re-import the budget from ERP.
7. Lock the Budget
   • See Lock a Budget
   • If the project is integrated with ERP, if Options 1 or 2 in Step 6 were used, sync to ERP. See Send a Budget to ERP Integrations for Accounting Acceptance
8. Repeat Steps #4-7 as necessary for each phase of the budget.

See Also

•  Import a Budget CSV
• Create a Budget Line Item