Undertakings

Auto populate resource in vendor invoices

Introduction

Undertakings are used by law firms to record “material” promises made to their customers. This can include a monetary undertaking and non-monetary undertaking.

Monetary undertakings involve holding money in the firm’s client account or a (client specific) deposit account. If, in addition, they agree to automatically pay invoices from the client account, the firm will need to avoid using the undertakings money to settle invoice because, in doing so, they will break the promise made by the undertaking.

Feature management

This feature can be made available to users by enabling feature “(evergreen) Project undertakings”.

Path: Workspace > Feature management > All > (evergreen) Project undertakings

This feature enables undertakings screens in the following paths:

Undertaking types

Paths: Project management and accounting > Setup > Undertakings > Undertaking types

Undertakings become available in both project screens, the project list and project details.

Paths: Project management and accounting > Projects > All Projects> Related information > Undertakings

Setup

Undertaking types

Users can configure distinct types of undertaking according to their business requirements.

Typically, law firms will classify undertakings in the following types:

Monetary
Artefact
Action

Path: Project management accounting > Setup > Undertakings > Undertaking types

Button Behavior

Feature Behaviour

Undertaking number sequence

Undertakings can be created with an identifier. This identifier can automatically be assigned using a number sequence.

Path: Project management and accounting > Setup > Project management and accounting parameters > Number sequence

Functionality

Undertakings can be created from a project. They are available from the projects list and project details screen.

Creating an undertaking

Paths: Project management and accounting > Projects > All Projects> Related information > undertaking

Buttons behaviour

Fast tabs

Undertaking

Discharge

Monetary

When a new undertaking is created, its status will always be “New.” This status will automatically be updated as the undertaking goes through its lifecycle.

Monetary undertakings require the amount and currency to be entered. Once the undertaking is saved, these values cannot be manually edited. Button “Update amount” can be used to update the monetary details.

Update amount

The “Update amount” allows a user to modify the undertaking monetary information if that is required after the undertaking has been created.

This button will only be enabled for monetary undertakings.

Create Actions

Undertakings can be distributed with one or multiple actions. An action is a representation of a distribution and records information about what has been distributed, when and to whom. For monetary undertakings, the amount will be actioned or distributed until the remaining balance is zero.

Actions

Once an undertaking has been actioned or distributed in full, it must be marked as complete. For monetary undertakings, the full amount should have been actioned.

When an undertaking is set as having all the actions completed, its status will change to “Actioned” which will enable user to discharge the undertaking.

Discharge

When discharging an undertaking, a date and the person performing the discharge should be provided. This information will then be recorded on the undertaking.