Prerequisites

You are authorized to maintain the project structure in the Project Builder

The WBS elements where you want to calculate costs must be flagged as planning elements. You select the relevant indicator on the Basic Data tab in the Project Builder WBS overview.

Use simulation versions if you want to create alternative plans.

You must have entered the following settings in Customizing for Project System , under Costs → Planned Costs → Easy Cost Planning and Execution Services

You have defined a CO version for Easy Cost Planning.

In the standard, the values calculated in Easy Cost Planning are recorded in CO version 000.

However, if you want to use Easy Cost Planning for preliminary costing of complex projects, you should stipulate that the values are recorded in a CO version other than 000.

Why?

After preliminary costing, concurrent planning using networks takes place when the project starts. However, the system can only record the data from the network costing in CO version 000.

You define a CO version other than 000 for values from Easy Cost Planning so that the system does not add that data and the data from network costing together.

You have maintained a costing variant for Easy Costing Planning and assigned it to a project profile by means of a plan profile.

We recommend that you use either costing variant PS06, which we deliver in the standard, or a copy of it.

You have used the execution profile to stipulate which execution services (purchase requisitions, material reservations, and so on) are available to the user.

The Integrated Planning indicator in the Controlling tab of the project profile must not be set. You cannot use Easy Cost Planning for plan-integrated projects.

For more information on the settings, see the section Costs → Planned Costs → Easy Cost Planning and Execution Services in Customizing for Project System.

Procedure

Choose Logistics or Accounting → Project System → Project Project Builder.

The Change Project Builder screen appears.

If you want to calculate costs for all the planning elements in your project, access your project in the Project Builder.

If you want to calculate costs for just one planning element, access that element only in the Project Builder.

Please note:

If you create your project in the Project Builder by copying a template, the system can also copy all the data, including Easy Cost Planning costing data, from the template. If you opt to copy all the data and are accessing Easy Cost Planning for the first time, the system shows the costs on the WBS elements in the costing structure, but the rollup is not correct. The costs shown in a superior cost element are the costs for that element only, not those for the subordinate WBS elements. However, this data is not stored on the database. Have the system revalue the hierarchy so that the correct data is displayed.

Choose .

The Create Costing dialog box appears, containing default values for the costing variant and costing data.

Confirm or change the default values and choose Create Costing .

The screen Easy Cost Planning appears

If you accessed your project in the Project Builder, the system displays the whole project structure at the top left, under the heading Costing Structure .

If you access only one planning element for your project, the costing structure shown comprises only the WBS element and all the WBS elements subordinate to it.

The planning elements are indicated by the symbol .

WBS elements that are not planning elements are identified by the symbol .

You can configure your costing structure as you want, by adding new nodes. You can calculate costs separately for each node. Select the node that you want to substructure and choose .

If you want to remove a costing node or item from the structure, select it and choose .

To processing a costing item in your costing structure, select it and choose Show/Hide Item View .

The costing item appears in table form at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

You now have two options for calculating planned costs:

Directly in the item view, without a planning form

Enter the required values in the Costing Items table.

With the aid of a planning form (costing model)

You can choose a planning form in the following ways:

Choose a planning form in the Worklists section of the screen.

Choose a planning form with the appropriate pushbutton.

The system displays the detailed information for the planning form selected.

Enter the necessary data.

The system calculates the costing values.

Result

The system displays the results of the costing in the costing items.

If you choose to leave Easy Cost Planning, the costing is placed in an interim store. The data is not stored in the database until you leave the Project Builder.

To trigger an execution service using the data entered, choose the process you want under Services .

For further details of the procedure, see Triggering the Execution Services .