Actual Tracking

How actual cost reaches a project, what commitments represent, recording effort, and progress measurement.

With plans and budgets set, actuals accumulate through several routes, each involving another module.

Routes into the project

Where cost comes from

Route	Module	Content
Material purchasing	MM	Orders assigned to a WBS element, costed at receipt
Material issues	MM	From project or ordinary stock
Subcontracting	MM	Orders from external processing activities
Internal effort	CO / HR	Activity confirmations or direct allocation
Direct expense	FI	Travel and other costs posted directly
Overhead	CO	Applied at period end
Settlement from elsewhere	CO	Transfers from internal orders

The lifecycle of a commitment

Stage	Commitment	Actual cost
Requisition created	Arises	—
Converted to an order	Moves from requisition to order	—
Goods receipt	Cleared	Arises
Invoice verification	—	Adjusted for any difference

Method	Content
Network confirmation (CN25)	Enter actual time against activities
CATS	Staff enter time, which is approved and posted
Direct CO posting (KB21N)	Activity allocation from a cost centre
HR integration	Automatic posting from time management

Code	Content
CJI3	Actual cost line items, with drill-down to source documents
CJI5	Commitment line items
CJI8	Budget line items
S_ALR_87013532	Budget, actual and commitment comparison
CJE0	Hierarchy reports

Progress determination methods

Method	Content
Cost proportional	Actual cost divided by planned cost
Milestone	Progress attached to milestone achievement
0-100	Zero until complete, then 100 per cent
Estimate	Subjective assessment
Quantity proportional	Completed quantity over planned quantity