Business Need
Organizations that use Business Central Projects/Jobs often maintain standardized project task structures across many engagements.
Examples include:
- Accounting firms
- Consulting firms
- ERP implementation firms
- Engineering firms
- Marketing agencies
- Managed service providers
Currently, Project Task No. and Description are generally entered manually or copied from:
- Existing projects
- Job templates
- Project templates
- Configuration package imports
While these methods work, they do not provide a centralized master list of standardized project tasks.
This can lead to:
- Inconsistent task numbering
- Inconsistent task descriptions
- Duplicate maintenance effort
- Difficulty enforcing firm-wide standards
- Reliance on template copying rather than task selection
Proposed Enhancement
Add an optional Project Task Library feature.
The Project Task Library would function similarly to master data and contain:
Field Example
Task Code 10000
Description Intake / Questionnaire & Documents
Task Category Tax
Active Yes
Default Work Type TAX
Default Resource Role SENIORACCT
Sort Order 10000
Example records:
10000 Intake / Questionnaire & Documents
11000 Preparation / Workpapers
12000 Reconciliation
13000 Technical Review
14000 Deliverables / Filing
15000 Billing / Invoicing
User Experience
Current Method
User creates a project and manually enters:
10000
11000
13000
14000
15000
and manually types descriptions.
Or copies tasks from a prior project.
Proposed Method
User creates a project.
In the Project Task No. field:
Lookup Project Task Library
User selects:
10000 Intake
11000 Preparation
13000 Review
14000 Deliver
15000 Invoice
Descriptions populate automatically.
Optional Setting
Allow organizations to choose behavior:
Option A
Manual Entry
(Current Business Central behavior.)
Option B
Use Project Task Library
(Enforced lookup list.)
Option C
Suggest Project Task Library
(User may select from library but can still enter custom/manual tasks.)
Benefits
Improved Standardization
Consistent task numbering and descriptions across projects.
Easier Reporting
Organizations can report against common project phases.
Reduced Data Entry
Users select from a list instead of retyping task names.
Better Project Governance
Firms can establish and maintain standard project methodologies.
Preserves Existing Functionality
Templates, copying, and manual task creation remain available.
Organizations that do not need a Project Task Library would experience no change.
Example Use Cases
Accounting Firm
10000 Intake
11000 Preparation
13000 Review
14000 Filing
15000 Invoicing
ERP Implementation Firm
10000 Discovery
11000 Configuration
12000 Data Migration
13000 Testing
14000 Training
15000 Go Live
Consulting Firm
10000 Planning
11000 Analysis
12000 Recommendations
13000 Client Review
14000 Final Delivery
Summary
Add an optional Project Task Library master table with lookup functionality for Project Task No. and Description to improve standardization, reporting, and user productivity while preserving existing template, copy, and manual-entry processes.