The assignment of program positions to nodes of the enterprise organization is time-dependent. You specify a validity period for each assignment. When you create a program position, the start date of this validity period always has to be in the approval year of the investment program. In this way, the system can guarantee that all organizational units (such as cost center) are valid at least when the program position is created.

The standard system sets the time period for the assignment starting on the key date for the assignment, and without an end date. Or you can set the assignment time period yourself using a dialog box. The possible dates are limited by the validity periods of other, higher objects in the hierarchy (controlling area, nodes of the enterprise organization):

• A start date can only be set if the enterprise organization node existed at that time, and it is assigned to a controlling area in the enterprise organization.
• The end date results automatically if the controlling area assignment or enterprise organization nodes are no longer valid.

A program position can be assigned to different enterprise organization nodes at different times. Therefore it is possible for a program position to

• Be displayed more than once in the overview, although it can only be assigned to one enterprise organization node at a time
• Belong to different positions in the hierarchy at different times

If you reassign a program position to a different enterprise organization node, then the assignment to the old enterprise organization node remains valid through the day before the start of the new assignment time period. After that, the old assignment is deleted and the new validity period begins.