Project costs

A project cost records the project, category, amount, cost date and approval state. The linked project supplies the owner, budget and production schedule. Finance can therefore review a draft cost against the work it supports instead of reading an isolated expense line. The project cost workflow validates the linked project and amount before routing an eligible draft to approved.

The cost decision is separate from file approval and content publication. A Finance Manager can approve an expense without approving a media version, and an Editor can publish an approved content item without authorizing a new project cost. Keeping the decisions distinct helps each role focus on its own evidence.

• Capture. The Producer or Content Manager records a cost against the correct project with its category and date.
• Review. The Finance Manager checks the amount and linked project while the cost is draft.
• Follow through. The team can distinguish draft, approved and paid records when reading project spending.

Agree which categories the team will use consistently. The category field is text, so people need a shared naming practice to make totals useful. Decide who may create a cost, who approves it and how the Finance Manager should check the project budget. A project budget and a cost amount appear in the app, but the business must decide when an amount needs additional discussion.

The team should also agree when to record a cost date and when to mark a cost paid. A paid state should follow the organization’s actual payment practice. If payment confirmation lives in another system, define how that confirmation reaches the people maintaining the project cost record. Avoid making publication depend on a finance status unless the business has explicitly adopted that rule.

A launch project requires an outside edit. The Content Manager records the cost against the launch project with its amount, category and date. The Finance Manager opens the draft queue, checks the project and amount, and approves the eligible cost. The Producer continues the media review separately, while Finance can see the approved spending beside the project budget.

If the same edit is entered under the wrong project, the Finance Manager should return to the linked project before deciding. The project link is the context for the amount. Rehearse a valid cost and an incorrect link during setup so the team knows which information must be corrected before approval.

The project cost list lets Finance follow later payment status. It also supports a simple by-project spending view: group costs by project and approval state, then compare their amounts with the project budget. Keep the original cost date and category available so a manager can explain a variance without losing the underlying line.

• Project Costs List — Review cost lines by project, amount, category and state.
• Costs awaiting approval — Work through draft costs that need a finance decision.
• Projects List — Compare the cost’s context with the project budget and schedule.

See project production for the project context and cost approval for the finance decision.