General Cost Objects with a Periodic Time Base: Scenario
To collect the costs for an undertaking on a general cost object with periodic planning and settlement, you carry out the following steps:
Create a master record for the general cost object containing all the information necessary for managing the undertaking (such as the name of the undertaking, the name of the person responsible, and assignments to organizational units).
You calculate the planned costs using a planner profile. In cost object planning, you then specify the planning version, the planning time period, the cost element, and the cost object. The planning layout, which is normally linked to the planner profile, is displayed on the screen.
To plan primary costs, enter the cost element and the anticipated costs.
To plan secondary costs, enter the planned activity type and the total consumption quantity. The system determines the price for each activity type. You can have the system display either the total planned costs or the planned costs for the period. You can also plan individual periods with different consumption quantities, and display the total planned costs.
You cannot plan overhead for general cost objects that have a periodic time base. However, it is still possible to distribute overhead costs to different general cost objects that have a periodic time base by using statistical key figures. The statistical key figures then serve as equivalences.
Using the general cost object with a periodic time base, you can carry out plan-actual comparisons both for the cost object as a whole (when the project is finished) and by period.
Actual costs are incurred through postings in Financial Accounting, goods movements in Materials Management, internal activity allocations, and the application of overhead costs in Cost Center Accounting.
With each posting in Financial Accounting or each material withdrawal, the system carries out a CO account assignment that debits the general cost object. Overhead is calculated at the end of the period.
This enables you to compare the planned costs with the actual costs incurred to date at any time and track the progress (simultaneous costing).
You settle the costs charged to the general cost object at the end of each period to a profitability segment or a G/L account. This credits the general cost object. In Profitability Analysis, you can perform contribution margin accounting for each level to account for the actual costs for the general cost object.