JC Departments

Company Tracker action: implementation-setup-jc-departments Milestone: Job Cost / Module Setup (milestone_id=5, core_milestone_id=2) Order: 3 Estimated duration: 2 hours Typical owner: Controller

Purpose

Map each JC department’s open and closed revenue and per–cost-type WIP accounts to GL. Optional phase, liability-type, and earnings-type overrides sit here. Contract items (and their linked jobs) inherit the department assigned on the contract.

Prerequisites

• JC Company Parameters accepted (especially soft/hard-close posting and GL Close interface level).
• Numeric JC Cost Types accepted so every posting type can be mapped.
• Every GL account you will map exists with Sub Ledger Code J-Job or blank.
• Open vs closed WIP / revenue strategy agreed with accounting.
• Know whether phase-level, liability, or special PR earnings GL breakouts are in Phase 1 scope.

Vista configuration article

See the detailed Vista guide:

Setting Up JC Departments

Field meanings and form steps live there. Do not restate them on this page.

Implementation guidance

Decide (client / kickoff)

• Department list: take the departments already agreed in the Implementation Playbook (Kickoff and Core Configuration — COA + departments are the two structural pillars). Do not re-decide the list here.
  • If multiple departments are defined, stand up every one from the start (full revenue + every in-scope cost-type open WIP map on each). Do not stage “one primary first” when the client already named a multi-department structure.
  • A single operating department is fine when Kickoff only defined one.
• Open vs closed accounts: keep closed = open (same revenue and per–cost-type WIP accounts). In practice clients do not use a separate closed set. Soft close still posts to open accounts; hard-close / closed-job posting (when Company Parameters allow it) can reuse the same maps.
• Cost-type rows on the department: add a cost type only when it applies to that department. You do not need every company cost type on every department.
  • If costs will post for a type and the row is missing, posting errors (no GL account). Exception: a phase override, earn-type override, or liability-type override already supplying GL can cover that gap.
  • Never add a cost type and leave its accounts blank. Either omit the type or map real GL accounts.
  • Standard map: one-to-one — each cost type to its own direct-cost GL account (helps subledger-to-GL balance checks). Some account sharing happens; one-to-one is the common pattern.
• Phase Overrides: use only when a phase needs different WIP/expense GL than the department cost-type map. Phases do not have to exist yet when you enter an override, but document the intended phase codes. Skip unused overrides.
  • Most common real use: an overhead JC department, where phases steer costs to different G&A GL accounts more cleanly than the department cost-type map alone.
• Liability overrides: less common, not rare. Use when employer liabilities (for example FICA, FUTA, SUTA) must hit separate direct-cost GL accounts instead of lumping into Labor or a single Burden cost type — so the GL shows that breakout.
• Earnings overrides: rare. Example: break direct labor cost by regular / overtime / double time into different GL accounts. Skip unless kickoff names that need.

Load / accept (implementation defaults)

• For each Kickoff-defined department: full revenue + a WIP map for each cost type that department will use (omit inapplicable types; no blank account rows). Set closed revenue/WIP to the same accounts as open. Prefer one-to-one cost type → direct-cost GL. Multi-department clients get every department built now, not later.
• Soft close keeps using open accounts. Hard close uses closed accounts when closed-job posting is allowed.
• Automatic GL move on hard close (when GL Close is Summary or Detail) uses cost-type accounts currently on the department. It does not replay historical line accounts or special PR earnings / liability overrides.
• Assign the department on JC Contracts items after maps are accepted. Changing a department after revenue or costs have posted does not reclassify prior GL into the new accounts; plan manual GL if reclass is required.
• Restrict form security to admin / Controller owners.

Tips and gotchas

• Missing cost-type maps surface as blank defaults on posting and as failed automatic close moves.
• Department count comes from Kickoff / playbook, not from this form. Build every agreed department at Module Setup; do not invent extras “just in case” (each one multiplies every cost-type map).
• Open vs closed: use the same accounts; a separate closed set is unused in practice.
• Cost-type map: only applicable types; never blank GL rows; missing type errors on post unless a phase/earn/liability override already has GL; prefer one-to-one direct-cost accounts.
• Skipping a Kickoff-defined department until later leaves contracts/jobs without a valid GL map when that branch or division goes live.
• Phase Overrides: mainly overhead departments so phases can hit different G&A GL; document intended phase codes; skip unused overrides.
• Liability overrides: use when FICA/FUTA/SUTA (etc.) need their own direct-cost GL vs one labor/burden bucket. Earnings overrides: rare (e.g. regular vs OT vs DT GL split).
• Delete a department only when it is not assigned to any contracts.
• Align this action with Company Parameters closed-job flags before go-live; flipping flags later without matching closed accounts breaks close / post behavior.

Done when

• Every Kickoff-defined department has revenue maps and applicable cost-type WIP maps (no blank account rows; closed = open) accepted by the Controller.
• Phase overrides (if any) match overhead/G&A or other named phase WIP breakouts; liability/earnings overrides loaded only when GL breakout is required, otherwise left empty.
• Open/closed strategy matches Company Parameters soft/hard-close posting flags and GL Close interface level.
• Form security limited to admin / designated owners.