Engagement Applet

Purpose and Overview

The Engagement Applet is a specialized project and portfolio management module designed specifically for professional services firms (such as audit, accounting, legal, consulting, and tax advisory). It transitions client onboarding and project assignment from manual spreadsheets to a central database linked directly to your organization’s billing and resource pools.

Who Benefits from This Applet?

Partners and Directors:

• Portfolio Oversight: Monitor all active engagements and critical status indicators at a glance.
• Risk Management: Track critical compliance dates and assign an Engagement Quality Control Reviewer (EQCR) to high-risk files.
• Leadership Assignment: Maintain sign-off accountability by assigning key leadership roles.

Engagement Managers:

• Resource Management: Assign teams and coordinate staff allocations across active client files.
• Statutory Tracking: Manage annual client audits using automated year-end intervals.
• Administrative Operations: Auto-generate client paperwork using standard document templates.

Finance and Billing Teams:

• Billing Boundaries: Link engagements directly to specific business branches and job groups.
• Revenue Recognition: Monitor engagement progression statuses to align with progress billings.

HR and Resource Managers:

• Capacity Planning: View employee workloads across different client engagements.
• Skills Matching: Filter and search the employee registry to match project needs.

What Problems Does This Solve?

Key Features Overview

Key Concepts

1. FYE Type: Perpetual vs. Yearly

When onboarding an engagement, you must define its time-tracking behavior by selecting a Fiscal Year End (FYE) Type:

                          ┌── Yearly Type ─────→ Annual Cycles (e.g. Audits, Tax)
                          │                      Preserves separate team lists per year.
Engagement FYE Type ──────┤
                          │
                          └── Perpetual Type ──→ Ongoing Services (e.g. Monthly Retainers)
                                                 Single persistent team configuration.

• Yearly: Used for projects tied to strict annual accounting or tax periods. It enables the Fiscal Year End tab, allowing you to add yearly periods (e.g., Jan 1, 2024 - Dec 31, 2024). Each year maintains its own independent status and staff assignments.
• Perpetual: Used for continuous, ongoing services (e.g. monthly bookkeeping retainers or general advisory contracts). Staff and roles are assigned directly on the Main tab and remain active until manually changed.

2. Standardized Service Roles

To ensure clear ownership and audit accountability, the applet enforces structured role categories:

3. Engagement Data Hierarchy

The database structures records as a nested hierarchy under the Client account:

Client Profile (Entity)
│
└── Engagement File (Main Details: Code, Name, Job Group, FYE Type, Status)
    │
    ├── Perpetual Type ──→ Assigned Roles & Team Members (Persistent)
    │
    ├── Yearly Type ─────→ Fiscal Year End periods (e.g. FY2023, FY2024)
    │                      │
    │                      ├── Yearly Roles (Partner, Manager per FY)
    │                      │
    │                      └── Yearly Employees (Audit Seniors/Associates)
    │
    └── Gen Docs ────────→ Historical archive of generated documents

Quick Start Guide

Set up and coordinate engagements in a few simple steps.

Step 1: Create the Engagement File

Goal: Onboard a client engagement file and select its time-tracking behavior.

1. Navigate to Engagement Listing from the left navigation panel.
2. Click the Create ("+") button in the header.
3. Click the Customer Name field, search for your client in the Entity popup, and select them.
4. Select the Job Group (representing the responsible branch office).
5. Choose your FYE Type:
   • Select Perpetual for ongoing services (e.g. advisory retainers).
   • Select Yearly for cycle-based projects (e.g. statutory audits).
6. Fill in optional fields like the Alternate Code and a detailed scope Description.
7. Click SAVE in the header.

Step 2: Establish Years & Teams (For Yearly Type)

Goal: Create an annual audit period and allocate the audit team.

1. Open a Yearly engagement from the listing and select the Fiscal Year End tab.
2. Click Create ("+") in the FYE grid.
3. Enter the Date Start (e.g. 2024-01-01) and Date End (e.g. 2024-12-31).
4. Set the period status to Draft or Active and click SAVE.
5. Select the newly created year row and double-click to open the FYE Edit workspace:
   • Assign Roles: Select the Engagement Role sub-tab and assign the key Partner (EP) and Manager (EM) for this year.
   • Assign Staff: Select the Employee sub-tab, click Add Employee, search the staff registry, and select your audit associates.
6. Click SAVE in the header.

Step 3: Automate Documentation

Goal: Generate an official engagement letter for the client.

1. Open the engagement file and select the Gen Doc tab.
2. Click the Generate Document trigger button.
3. Select your template (e.g., Audit Engagement Letter V2).
4. The system automatically extracts the client legal name, registration number, assigned partner, and fee details to construct the document.
5. Review the document status and click Export as PDF to download it.

Create vs. Edit Workspace

The applet changes its layout and available tabs depending on whether you are editing the parent engagement file or managing an individual yearly period.

Parent Engagement Workspace

Double-clicking an engagement from the listing opens the parent editor:

1. Main Tab

Captures the core metadata and administrative roles:

• Customer Name: Linked client entity profile.
• Engagement Code: Unique file ID.
• Job Group: The operating branch overseeing the project.
• Engagement Name: Auto-generated naming string combining the client, project, and branch.
• Alternate Code: Optional secondary accounting ref number.
• FYE Type: Sets either Perpetual or Yearly tracking.
• Status: The workflow state of the parent file (e.g., Draft, Active, Complete).
• Description: Scope and contract terms.
• Engagement Roles (Perpetual only): Assigns the Partner, Manager, and Director directly on this screen when FYE Type is Perpetual.
• Entity Details Button: Launches a lookup window showing address and contact details of the selected client.

2. Fiscal Year End Tab (Yearly only)

Lists all fiscal cycles configured for the client. Selecting a row and clicking edit opens the FYE Sub-Workspace.

3. Gen Doc Tab

Lists and generates client documents (Letters of Engagement, planning documentation). The grid displays:

• Doc Type: The document template used.
• Doc No: Generated tracking ID.
• Status: Current document state.
• Transaction Date: Date of creation.

FYE Sub-Workspace (Yearly only)

Double-clicking a year row under the Fiscal Year End tab opens the yearly cycle workspace, containing these sub-tabs:

1. Main Sub-tab

Controls the date boundaries of the annual cycle:

• Date Start / Date End: The fiscal period dates.
• Status: Cycle status (e.g. Draft, Active, Fieldwork, Complete).
• Audit Logging: Read-only tracking showing Created By, Modified By, Created Date, and Modified Date.
• DELETE Button: Trigger to delete the fiscal year. Requires double-clicking (CLICK AGAIN TO CONFIRM) to prevent accidental deletions.

2. Engagement Role Sub-tab

Assigns the Partner (EP), Manager (EM), Director (ED), EQCR, and Key Audit Partner (KAP) responsible for this specific fiscal year. This allows firms to track partner rotations across different years for the same client.

3. Employee Sub-tab

Lists all staff assigned to the fieldwork.

• Add Employee: Opens the resource allocation drawer.
• Staff Filters: Search by employee name, filter by department/role, and sort by billing charge rates.
• Staff List Grid: Displays name, role designation, and date assigned.

Configuration and Settings

Administrators manage applet behaviors under the Settings workspace. They are configured via the following options:

Personalization

Personalization allows users to customize their individual workspace:

• Personal Default Settings (Personalization > Default Settings): Set your preferred branch, company, and location. These will auto-populate on your screen when you create records.
• Custom Sidebar (Personalization > Sidebar): Rearrange sidebar menus, hide unused tabs, and bookmark your most frequently accessed client files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I change an engagement’s FYE Type after creation?
A: No. Changing the FYE Type between Perpetual and Yearly changes how the database structures team assignments and dates. If a change is required, you must create a new engagement file with the correct type.

Q: How do I assign different staff teams for different years?
A: Ensure the parent engagement is set to Yearly. Create a Fiscal Year End record for each year. Double-click the year row to enter its workspace, and use the Employee tab to assign staff specifically to that year.

Q: What is the difference between Engagement Role and Employee tab?
A: The Engagement Role sub-tab is reserved for key leadership and compliance personnel (Partners, Managers, EQCR, Directors). The Employee sub-tab is for the execution team members (Seniors, Associates, and field staff).

Q: Why can’t I see the Fiscal Year End tab in my engagement?
A: This tab is conditional on the FYE Type field. If the engagement is set to Perpetual, the Fiscal Year End tab will not display. Set the field to Yearly during creation to enable it.