Phased Cost Codes in Ontraccr

🧾 Phased Cost Codes in Ontraccr

📘 Overview

Phased Cost Codes allow you to break down large cost items into smaller, trackable parts — called phases. This is especially valuable for long or multi-stage projects where budget tracking at a single high-level line item is too vague to provide meaningful insights.

By enabling phases on a cost code, you can allocate its budget into multiple parts (e.g. by floor, section, or milestone) and then track progress per phase.

🧩 What Is a Phase?

A phase represents a distinct, measurable portion of a project.

Examples:

• “Level 1,” “Level 2,” “Level 3” for a six-story building
• “Foundation,” “Framing,” “Finishing”
• “Q1 Install,” “Q2 Install”

Phases are not separate projects — they are subsections of cost codes within a single project.

🛠️ How to Enable Phasing for a Cost Code

1. While adding cost codes in Step 3 of the project setup, look for the “Phased” button beside each cost code.
2. Click the Phased toggle for any code you want to split into phases.
3. Proceed to Step 5 (Budgeting) — phased codes will now have an additional Phases section at the bottom.

🧾 Adding Budget to Phased Codes

1. In Step 5: Budget, scroll to the Phases section.
2. For each phase:
   • Click Add Phase
   • Give it a name (e.g. “Level 1”)
   • Under that phase, click Add Cost Code
   • Select any cost code that was marked as Phased
   • Enter the budgeted amount (cost or hours)
3. Repeat this for as many phases as needed

💡 Only cost codes marked as “Phased” will be available for use in the Phases section.

📊 Why Use Phases?

• Provides early visibility into budget trends (vs. waiting until end of project)
• Helps project managers spot overruns in one stage and course-correct early
• Breaks long jobs into actionable checkpoints
• Supports better labor distribution — e.g., shift lower-wage workers to later phases to save costs

🧠 Real Example

You have a cost code for “Labor - Electrical” with 10,000 budgeted hours.

Using Phases:

• Level 1: 2,000 hours
• Level 2: 1,000 hours
• Level 3 to 6: 1,000 each

Now, after finishing Level 1, if you're already over 2,000 hours, you know to investigate and adjust labor strategy before proceeding to the next phase.