Clarity: When Total Actual Cost amount is negative, Variance Cost amount is incorrectly calculated as a positive value

Products

• Clarity PPM SaaS
• Clarity PPM On Premise

Issue/Introduction

Description:

When the Total Actual Cost amount is a negative value, the Total Variance Cost amount is incorrectly calculated. If the Total Actual Cost amount is positive, this issue is not replicated. The calculation is performing simple math and there for when a negative amount is subtracted it is in effect adding a positive amount. [(Planned Cost) - (-Actual Cost)] is evaluated as [(Planned Cost) + (Actual Cost)].

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create a project with active financial properties and add financially active resources
   Project Dates = April 01, 2013 - May 31, 2013
   
   
2. Create a manual Cost Plan - Group by Charge Code, Role
   
   Add a detail row for 'Capital', 'Developer'
   Enter data for month of MAY 2013 :
   Planned Units = 1
   Planned Cost = $12,000.00
   
   
3. Configure the Cost Plan Details Layout to include (the listed attributes both as a regular column and also within the TSV colum)
   Planned Cost
   Actual Cost
   Variance Cost
   
   
4. Create a Voucher Transaction Entry
   EXAMPLE:
   Date = April 18, 2013
   Quantity = 1
   Cost and Rate = -$10,000.00 (NEGATIVE VALUE)
   
   
5. Post the Voucher Transaction Entry into WIP
   
   
6. Return to the Project > Financial Cost Plan to view Planned Cost, Actual Cost, Variance Cost
   
   

Expected Result: Variance Cost = 2,000 [12,000 - |-10,000|] (we expected the calculation to use an absolute value)
Actual Result: Variance Cost = 22,000 [calculated as 12,000 - (-10,000)]

Solution:

This is working as expected based on the simple cost variance formula (Planned Cost minus Actual Cost). A cost variance is considered to be a positive variance when the actual cost incurred is lower than expected. The variance is considered to be a negative variance when the actual cost incurred is higher than expected.Therefore, in the example provided, a negative 'Actual Cost' on the Financial Cost Plan is lower than the 'Planned Cost' amount is generating a positive Cost Variance amount.

Keywords: CLARITYKB, revmgr

Environment

Release: ESPCLA99000-13.2-Clarity-Extended Support Plus
Component:

Resolution

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