Can anyone please point me towards where I can find information on use the Job module?
Specifically, I would like to be able to create a job, e.g. fit out an office, prepare a budget for this job and then when raising purchase orders, assign them to the job. Ideally I would like to see warnings if my purchase orders for the job phase exceed that in the budget. It looks like one of the report compares budgeted against ordered but there was no warning produced when i entered the order that exceeded the budgeted amount
I think its fair to say, that the Jobs Module is one of the "unfinished projects" in Navision. Basically the Granule has not changed in any real way since version 3.04 of Navision. There are many reasons for this. Originally it was seen as a huge task, and as a Granule that would be vry usefull if done properly, so rather than just gradually fix it up, thre were all these design projects to do a complete rewrite. (Much like the rewrite to Navision's CRM; you know the one where after 2 years research, they merged the Contact and Contact Name tables and added a couple of wizards).
I was on one of the focus groups for the largest of these projects (In 1998), and the ideas and designs they came up with were very good. (Oh and I was on the focus group for CRM also [:O] which they were running at the same time) then about 6 months later when I asked what happened, they said the project was on hold again whilst they worked on CRM instead.
Every now and then Navision have a go at Jobs, but never actually do anything. Conceptually the basis of Jobs is great, but its just unfinished. Unfortunately in 2003 Microsoft Anounced the death of Jobs in Navision, stating that clients needing Jobs shoould go to Solomon. So I don’t see the Job module in Navision ever being completed.
You are going to need to talk with your NSC about mods for what you want.
Skippy the manuals can now be obtained from Microsoft, you’ll be after something like F47-00305 Microsoft® Business Solutions - Navision® Resources, Jobs and Fixed Assets (It is the 3.7 manual, but as David says it has not changed). You can also go on the course with Interquad as an alternative.
By the way, I’d just like to add/emphasize that IMO the Dynamics NAV Jobs granule is a great product. As the basis of a true job System, it’s a very good start, but only a start. The design and logic is all fine. The problem is that it’s not really possible to use it “out of the box”, and in fact it’s probably the only Granule in Navision that I have never been able to implement for a client without enhancements.
A great start yes, but it would be soooo much better if they would just finish it. They have put so much efort over the years into getting Inventory to G/L posting and valuations working, but just purchse one Item into a Job, and costing is out the window. When you start talking Serial Nos, Warehouse etc. You can not seriously use Inventory in Jobs that reduces its ability by a half at least. And don’t get me started on budgeting.