Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers mid-sized businesses a powerful, unified platform to manage projects—referred to as “Jobs”—with precision, transparency, and control. It seamlessly integrates project planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and financial oversight into a single ERP system, connecting execution with core business functions such as finance, sales, inventory, and customer relationship management. This comprehensive approach enables real-time visibility, streamlined operations, and smarter, data-driven decision-making.

Core Project Capabilities

  • Project Setup & Scheduling
    Define project phases, assign tasks, and allocate resources including personnel, equipment, and subcontractors. This structured setup ensures clarity from initiation to completion.
  • Budgeting & Progress Tracking
    Build comprehensive budgets and monitor financial and operational performance throughout the project lifecycle. This allows for proactive adjustments and accountability.
  • Time Tracking
    Capture employee and machine hours using integrated timesheets, ensuring accurate labour costing and supporting precise billing.
  • Resource Oversight
    Gain full visibility into all resources—people, tools, and materials—associated with each job, enabling better planning and utilization.

Financial Management and Profitability

  • Live Cost Monitoring
    Compare actual costs and revenue against planned figures in real time to identify overruns early and take corrective action.
  • Profitability Analysis
    Evaluate margins by job, customer, or task to guide pricing strategies and optimize resource allocation for maximum return.
  • Work-in-Progress (WIP) Accounting
    Use WIP calculations to reflect the financial value of ongoing work before invoicing, aligning revenue recognition with actual progress.
  • Flexible Billing Options
    Automate invoicing for time-and-materials, fixed-price, or milestone-based contracts. Consolidate multiple jobs into a single invoice to simplify billing and improve cash flow.

Operational Efficiency

  • Integrated Business Processes
    Projects are fully connected to finance, inventory, purchasing, sales, and CRM, eliminating data silos and reducing reliance on manual spreadsheets.
  • Automated Workflows
    Streamline routine tasks such as expense approvals, time entry validation, and purchase requests. This reduces errors and frees up time for strategic work.
  • Resource Optimization
    Use visual calendars and availability dashboards to allocate staff and equipment efficiently, avoid scheduling conflicts, and boost productivity.
  • Procurement Alignment
    Link project plans directly to purchasing activities to ensure materials are ordered and delivered on time, minimizing delays and disruptions.

Analytics and Collaboration

  • Dashboards & Reporting
    Access built-in reports and Power BI integration for instant visibility into key performance indicators (KPIs), resource utilization, and financial metrics.
  • Team Collaboration
    Share records and communicate seamlessly through Microsoft 365 tools like Teams and Outlook, enhancing coordination and accountability across departments.
  • Scalability
    Use project templates to standardize setup for repeatable work and scale operations as your business grows—without adding complexity.

Secure Cloud Foundation

Built on Microsoft’s trusted cloud infrastructure, Business Central ensures:

  • Protection of sensitive project data
  • Compliance with global standards and regulations

Jobs: The Backbone of Project Management

Jobs are the central framework for managing projects in Business Central. They define tasks, budgets, resources, and billing rules, enabling you to:

  • Break projects into manageable phases.
  • Track progress and profitability with precision.
  • Link documents and transactions directly to each job.
  • Automate billing based on time, milestones, or fixed price agreements.

How Jobs Streamline Execution

  • Create and assign jobs for each project phase.
  • Plan resources and timelines with clarity.
  • Allocate shared resources to avoid conflicts.
  • Log time and expenses directly to jobs.
  • Use job journals to consolidate planning and cost data.
  • Schedule work weekly and compare planned vs. actual hours.
  • Copy planning lines into timesheets and submit for approval.
  • Automate billing and ensure invoice accuracy.

Inventory, Resource, and Budget Control

  • Automated Resource Usage
    Eliminate manual entry and reduce errors by automating resource tracking and pricing.
  • Inventory Integration
    Purchase or invoice materials directly against jobs to ensure availability and accurate cost attribution.
  • Precise Billing
    Translate resource consumption into accurate invoices, ensuring timely and correct client payments.
  • Flexible Budgeting
    Create budgets at any level of detail and monitor actuals versus plan in real time.
  • Cost Control
    Reallocate resources, adjust plans, or renegotiate contracts to stay within budget and protect margins.

Job Progression Monitoring and WIP Method

  • Live Status Updates
    Track materials and resources used as work progresses—even before invoicing—to maintain real-time visibility.
  • Financial Estimation
    Estimate the value of ongoing tasks to assess their impact on project health and financial performance.
  • Budget Oversight
    Compare actual costs to planned budgets to detect issues early and make informed adjustments.
  • Enhanced Reporting
    Publish job details to improve financial reporting and foster transparency with clients.
  • Operational Agility
    Identify delays or bottlenecks and reallocate resources quickly to keep projects on track.
  • WIP Calculations
    Use the Work-in-Progress method to estimate the financial value of incomplete work, recognize revenue as tasks are completed, and forecast cash flow.
  • Flexible WIP Models
    Choose from multiple WIP calculation methods to align with your business model and reporting requirements.

Why These Features Matter

Together, Business Central’s project management capabilities—Jobs, timesheets, budgeting, resource tracking, and WIP—form a comprehensive framework for delivering projects with confidence. They help you:

  • Ensure accurate and timely billing.
  • Monitor profitability in real time.
  • Maintain financial discipline.
  • Communicate transparently with clients.
  • Make informed, data-driven decisions.
  • Deliver projects on time, within budget, and at peak efficiency.