GitBook: [master] one page modified

run-your-own-ap/tracking-the-advice-process.md

@@ -1,54 +1,74 @@
 ---
-description: At EE we track each AP in a simple Google sheet.
+description: >-
+  At EE, we track Advice Process proposals (APs) as light touch as possible,
+  using a simple Google sheet to record essential details.
 ---
 
 # Tracking the Advice Process
 
-## Investment Tracking Overview for the Advice Process
+## Investment Tracking Overview
 
-* The Advice Process Tracker is the source of reference data needed to determine how to manage each advice process
-* The Finance team will track actual money \(cash\) spent using current approval processes.
-* Associates’ time that we will be paying for, will be captured using a non-billable timesheet in ETZ or Kimble \(depending on which system the associate is using\).
-* All cash costs \(ie. excluding internal staff time\) of APs will be allocated to the Business Unit of the AP decision maker \(this may also be a Global pot, depending on the AP\).
-* Employee time will be estimated in the AP, but not tracked.
-* Opportunity costs won’t be estimated nor tracked.
-* Where there are costs \(including time from associates that are billed to EE\), this data will be provided by the Finance team on a monthly basis.
-* Invoices that arise from an AP \(e.g. for an associates non-billable time\) will be used by the Finance Team to report monthly on AP costs. They will be tied to the AP via an AP ID assigned to it when it’s added the [global tracker](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eeu7q0cStaYkM7iU6JlmCqpwvNpglE7E2C7mbxvtfgc/edit?usp=sharing).
-* Cost tracking will follow the current model used by finance, where the AP ID is added to any associated invoice for reporting. Every month, Finance will provide a spreadsheet of all AP costs that month.
+We track all APs in the [Advice Process Proposals tracker](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eeu7q0cStaYkM7iU6JlmCqpwvNpglE7E2C7mbxvtfgc) which helps us to improve our reporting and monitoring. It is the reference source to determine how to manage each advice process**.**
 
-Useful links:
+### Categorising an AP
 
-* [Advice Process \(AP\) - Investment Tracking Overview](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16wbKY9T4hRD2MqpmwTTv20N9q7hDWBygaGw9cqLU1hE/edit?usp=sharing)
-* [Advice Process Cost Tracking Guidelines](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16wbKY9T4hRD2MqpmwTTv20N9q7hDWBygaGw9cqLU1hE/edit?usp=sharing)
+In the Tracker, our COO assigns a category to the AP, using his judgement based on the criteria below:
 
-### Changing the Status of an AP
+**Decisions**
 
-To Complete your AP, you need to make sure you [complete all the steps.](../how-the-ap-works/learn-and-complete-the-ap.md)
+An AP that is required to meet the immediate needs of a business unit, are costed within the BU's P&L and has no global investment needs. We still want to surface and record these decisions, but don't collectively track them as investments. E.g. “hire 1 recruiter to meet the demands of sold work” or “Get a bigger office because we run out of space”. Those decisions are still important to surface and discuss in the open.
 
-To Abandon an AP, just post into the channel, your intention to abandon and why. This will be reflected in the tacker.
+**Investments**
 
-### Tracking each AP
+Any AP that is seeking to improve our business that is speculative is considered an investment. We track these as a total global investment \(GIT\) so we can monitor - and ultimately limit - how much money we invest in these. We distinguish between:
 
-Progress has been made on tracking AP with [Advice Process Proposals tracker](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eeu7q0cStaYkM7iU6JlmCqpwvNpglE7E2C7mbxvtfgc) - which is awesome - this enables us to improve our tracking as tweaked below.
+* _Indirect Investment_. Any improvement that does not contribute directly to the bottom line, or generate sales \(or leads\). E.g. investing in Airtable solutions, or in co-working days to share knowledge.
+* _Direct Investment_. Any thing we do that is explicitly to contribute to the bottom line through generating leads or sales. E.g. creating a pre-engagment team or a  Healthcare practice.
+* _Practice Investment_.  category is used where the AP is directly related to the investment in a practice only.
 
-#### Categorise the AP
+### **Allocating costs for an AP**
 
-In the Tracker, the COO will assign a category to the AP, using his judgement but based on the criteria below:
+We allocate costs for an AP to one of three places; Business Units, Practices or Global Investments. We apply these principles:
 
-**Decisions**
+1. If an AP is clearly part of the ‘business as usual’ for either a BU or Practice, then it will be allocated directly to them.
+2. If an AP is not BAU but has a clear focus on the local needs of a BU or Practice then it will be allocated to them. 
+3. If the AP is not clearly above or is explicitly for more than one BU \(even within a country\) it will be allocated to Global Investments.
 
-This describes any AP that is required to meet the immediate needs of the business and is not speculative in nature. For instance “hire 1 recruiter to meet the demands of sold work” or “Get a bigger office because we run out of space”. Those decisions are still important to surface and discuss in the open. But once they have been made, they do not need to be tracked separately as an investment and will be included in the P&L of the business unit.
+Other things to remember:
 
-**Investments**
+* You mush use the APID for your AP on invoices for payment, and on any timesheets setup \(this can be found on your AP, or in the Advice Process Tracker\)
+* The APID is essential for all invoices, expenses and timesheets.
+* Invoices from Associates cannot be paid without a non-billable timesheet, don't forget to get one setup in plenty of time.
+* We don't estimate or track opportunity costs for employees.
+
+**Tracking Cash**
+
+This means any actual money that we have to spend, such as paying an associate or paying for a venue. The Finance \(Account Payable\) team will track actual money \(cash\) spent using current approval processes, using the APIDs. 
+
+* the APID is used on any invoices that need paying at the time you approve them. This can just be a note when you send the invoice by email \(accounts@equalexperts.com\).
+* highlight the APID in the Project field of any [expense claim](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EXFneU4mISmwDSdz3w1x-4WLvMPUAfRQYYm6L8YPPlU/edit#heading=h.iy5lcle9hh4f) submitted.
 
-This is for anything that is seeking an improvement to our business that is speculative. We want to track those investment as a total global investment \(GIT\). This is so we can limit how much money we invest in these speculative initiatives. This is tracked under the “Finance Tracker” tab.
+**Tracking time**
 
-**We distinguish between:**
+We track the time spent by employees and associates on APs, where
+
+* the AP is allocated to the Global Investment, and
+* a significant amount of an employee's time is dedicated to the AP. Use your judgement on what is significant, but as a rule of thumb would be more than half of a working month.
+* all of an Associate's time on an AP must have a non-billable timesheets created. Please ask on [\#ask-timesheets](https://equalexperts.slack.com/messages/CEFMH0XQ9) with the BU and APID as needed. Associates’ invoices can't be paid without a non-billable timesheet \(either in Kimble or ETZ, , depending on which tool the Associate is setup to use.\)
+
+Please agree with the person\(s\) involved and then request a timesheet on \#ask-timesheets as above.  We never track small amounts of time spent by an employee, like a day a week, or ad-hoc time. 
+
+Useful links:
+
+* [Advice Process \(AP\) - Investment Tracking Overview](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16wbKY9T4hRD2MqpmwTTv20N9q7hDWBygaGw9cqLU1hE/edit?usp=sharing)
+
+### Changing the Status of an AP
+
+To Complete your AP, you need to make sure you [complete all the steps.](../how-the-ap-works/learn-and-complete-the-ap.md)
 
-* Indirect Investment. Any improvement that does not contribute directly to the bottom line, or generate leads or sales. For instance, investing in Airtable or in co-working days to share knowledge.
-* Direct Investment. Any thing we do with the explicit goal to contribute directly to the bottom line or generating leads or sales. For instance, having a Pre-Engagment Team or the Healthcare practice, or even hiring a new Sales person.
+To Abandon an AP, just post into the channel, your intention to abandon and why. This will be reflected in the tracker by the AP Operations team.
 
-#### Limiting the total investment pot
+### Limiting the global investment pot
 
 Based on the categorisation above, we will constrain the global investment pot maximum spend between 1st October and 31st March \(amount TBC\) - the end of this fiscal year.