HI ALL
Is it possible to link the sale order to projects?
In fairness, @eko’s link was post #3 in a topic that continued for 164 additional posts and included quite a bit of evolution of the feature (before it was closed for becoming too unwieldy).
That said, linking sales orders to projects seems like a bad idea for several reasons:
- A single sales order could include line items for multiple projects.
- Sales orders can be tracked for fulfillment (completion), but designating these line items for projects complicates the status tracking almost beyond imagining.
- Sales orders do not represent income for a project. In this respect, they are like sales quotes. The opportunity to associate income with projects comes at the sales invoice stage. This is different from purchase orders, which represent a commitment by business to purchase goods or services for a project. In the case of a purchase order, the cost to the project has been scheduled and therefore can be recognized for project cost accounting. But in the case of a sales order, the income is not yet recognizable. (The cost might be different by the time of invoicing.)
- Allowing sales orders to be linked to projects presents the possibility of conflicts. Imagine designating a line for Project A when a sales order is entered, then for Project B when the sales invoice is created.
- The same possibility for duplication exists. This is why, for example, receipts posted against Accounts receivable do not allow selection of a project: that was properly done at the sales invoice stage.