Kinds

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Kinds

There are many Kinds of activities that are performed in your organisation. Simply put, Kinds are Cost centres for cost generating activities in your organisation.

As there is a similar meaning between a task and an activity we use the term Kind to make clear we are referring to the "thing" that determines the rate or value of an activity.

Most Kinds are charged according to the value of the work being performed and that is generally reflected in the salary of the person performing the work. Some Kinds refer to roles and we don't want any confusion about what we are referring to.

Where a Kind is being performed internally the value of the work is based on the hours required multiple by the charge rate for the Kind. If the charge rate for the Kind is $100 per hour and the task will take 5 hours, the budgeted value of the work is $100 x 5 = $500.

A Kind therefore defines the value of effort required to complete a task. This applies where a task is completed by people you employ or freelancers brought in just for the task.

Setting up your organisation’s list of Kind codes is probably the most important job you do when setting up JobBag. JobBag is supplied with a standard file of commonly used kind codes for our clients as the starting point.

It is our experience that kind codes ‘evolve’ through actually using the system, but it is still worth spending time and thought on this subject before you begin because deleting kind codes is only possible when you nominate another kind code to take over from it. Or you can make a Kind code inactive.

All costs client jobs and overhead are allocated to a Kind.

Kinds have charge rates and hourly rates.

Kinds are linked to departments/ roles and staff in the Organisation chart - this decides the groupings in Visual Planning.

Kinds are used in planning - therefore in visual planning.

Kinds are linked to a general ledger code and therefore are available for financial transactions eg processing of client and supplier invoice payments, receipts, payments, payroll processing.

All information above is available in Job and Financial reports.

Special mark ups and charge rates can be set for jobs, clients.

What are Kinds?

Kinds is the word used to define the services (or activity) you perform.. Costs and charges are recorded against Kinds. That includes:

Every kind of service, item or goods charged to you as overheads
Every kind of work or items charged to you by suppliers for a client job eg printing
Every kind of work / activity performed in-house eg timesheets on a client job or timesheets on inhouse jobs eg training
All in-house materials that you record as a cost, or charge out on client jobs

Types of Kinds

There four types of KINDS:

System Maintained Kinds
User-defined Kinds, eg. Job costing and Overheads
Payroll Kinds Payroll Kinds and Mapping
?Milestones

Media Kinds
Talent kinds
Forecast kinds

Default Mark Ups and Rates

Default mark ups and rates are set at the Kind level. There is also an option to set rates globally at a system level.

Special Mark Ups

The mark-up percentage is what is applied against the cost on a supplier invoice when it is entered on to a job. Mark-up percentages can be set on each Kind as a default rate.

However, you can set special mark-ups rates for individual suppliers, for clients and for specific jobs When a special mark-up has been set, it overrides the default mark-up that has been set on the Kind. The hierarchy for special mark-ups: (each takes precedence over the ones below):

Job
Client
Supplier
Kind

Refer to Special Mark Ups for more info.

Special Rates

Rate is used to show the hourly rate that an employee or item is to be charged on this entry. Rates appear automatically based on the rate that has been set for the Kind/item, for the client or the job or the employee. The hierarchy for special rates: (each takes precedence over the ones below):

Job
Client
Employee

Refer to Special Rates for more info.

The Kinds window seen here is an example of what you would see if you clicked on “JobBag / Kinds”

Kinds have an impact on Job Costs, Planning, Estimates, Organisation Chart, Active Diary, Visual Planning, Organisation Chart, and Financial Information.