Financial Plan Cost Types - Configure a Combined Cost Type

This article explains how to configure a Combined Cost Type in OnePlan. Combined Cost Types create a comprehensive financial view by blending values from two Normal Cost Types into a single, always‑current perspective.

Combined Cost Types are commonly used to present consolidated financial views such as Estimate at Completion (EAC).

What you will accomplish
By the end of this article, you will be able to create and configure a Combined Cost Type that merges historical and future values into a single financial view for reporting and analysis.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A OnePlan account with Administrator permissions
• The Financial Plan app installed
• At least one Normal Cost Type configured for:
  • Historical values (required)
  • Prospective values (optional)
    See Financial Plan Cost Types - Configure a Normal Cost Type
• An understanding of which Plan Types should use the Combined Cost Type

Background

Cost Types define how financial values behave in the Financial Plan.

A Combined Cost Type is used for reporting and analysis only. It does not allow manual data entry and always depends on Normal Cost Types as its source.

Before creating a Combined Cost Type, ensure that:

• The source Normal Cost Types are fully configured
  See Financial Plan Cost Types - Configure a Normal Cost Type
• Cost Categories and Cost Categorization are already in place
  See Financial Plan Cost Categories – Configure Cost Categories

For a conceptual overview of Cost Types and how they are used in Financial Plans, see Financial Plan Cost Types - Administrator Overview.

What Are Combined Cost Types?

A Combined Cost Type merges two Normal Cost Types into a single financial view:

• Historical Cost Type (Required)
  Supplies values for all past periods.
  These periods are automatically populated and locked.
• Prospective Cost Type (Optional)
  Supplies values for the current and future periods.
  These periods are populated and locked when selected.

Example

• Historical: Actual Cost
• Prospective: Forecast Cost

Combined into:

• Estimate at Completion (EAC)

This ensures historical actuals and future projections are always presented together in a consistent way.

How Combined Cost Types Fit into the Financial Plan

Combined Cost Types do not replace Normal Cost Types.

They provide an additional, consolidated view that allows stakeholders to see a complete financial picture without modifying underlying data.

Add a New Combined Cost Type

Use the following steps to create a Combined Cost Type.

1. Go to Configuration → Financial Plan → Cost Types.
2. Select New Cost Type (+).
3. Complete the Edit Type form.

Cost Type Settings

General

• Name
  Enter a clear, descriptive name (for example, Estimate at Completion).
• Type
  Select Combined.
  

Totals

• Method
  Select None or Total of Cost Type.
• Cost Total Field
  If Total of Cost Type is selected, choose the plan‑level field that stores the aggregated total.
• Multiplier
  Leave the default unless values need to be scaled.

Setup

• Plan Types
  Select the Plan Types where this Combined Cost Type should be available.

Combined

• Historical (Required)
  Select the Cost Type that supplies values for all past periods.
  These periods are auto‑populated and locked.

• Prospective (Optional)
  Select the Cost Type that supplies values for the current and future periods.

  When a Prospective Cost Type is selected:

  • Current and future periods are auto‑populated and locked
  • Controls and Import settings are hidden
  • All values are fully derived from the selected source Cost Types

  If no Prospective Cost Type is selected:

  • Only historical periods are populated and locked
  • Current and future periods remain editable
  • Lock Field and Import settings remain available
• Copy Fields From
  Select the Cost Type (Historical or Prospective) whose custom fields should be inherited by the Combined Cost Type.
  

Controls

Controls are available only when no Prospective Cost Type is selected.

• Lock Field
  Select a Yes/No Plan field used to lock current and future periods in the Financial Plan.
  

Imports

Combined Cost Types do not import data directly in the same way as Normal Cost Types. All values are derived from the source Cost Types selected in the Combined section.

However, Import settings may be available depending on whether a Prospective Cost Type is selected.

When Imports Are Available

Import settings are available only when no Prospective Cost Type is selected.

In this scenario:

• Historical periods are populated from the selected Historical Cost Type and locked
• Current and future periods remain editable
• Import settings can be used to populate current and future values

Import From

When available, select the source used to populate current and future values:

• Resource Planner
  Imports resource allocation data from a plan’s Resource Plan. Variations include:
  • Resource Planner (Your Organization’s Financial Plan Cost Types)
    Select a specific Cost Type to import from.
  • Resource Planner (User Selectable)
    Allows users to choose a Cost Type when importing data.
    
• Timesheets
  Imports actual time entry data.
• Resource Schedule
  Imports allocation data from the Work Plan. Variations include:
  • Resource Schedule (plan level)
  • Resource Schedule (Assignments) (assignment level)

Import Method

Defines how imported data is converted into financial values (for example, converting committed hours to currency):

• Blended Costs / Revenue: Uses standardized costs or rates based on Labor Cost Categories. (see Configure Labor Cost Category).
• Actual Costs / Revenue: Uses actual costs or rates defined at the resource or plan level. (See Plan-Level Cost and Rate Tables, and Resource-Level Cost and Rate Tables.)

See Financial Plan - Cost v. Revenue for more information on how these values are actually calculated.

Auto Import

Enable to automatically refresh imported values when the source data changes.

When Imports Are Hidden

If a Prospective Cost Type is selected:

• Import settings are hidden
• All current and future values are supplied by the Prospective Cost Type
• The Combined Cost Type functions as a fully derived, read‑only view

This behavior is intentional and ensures consistency with the selected source Cost Types.

How Combined Cost Types Behave

• Combined Cost Types are read‑only
• Values are derived entirely from source Cost Types
• Updates occur automatically when source Cost Types change
• No manual entry is allowed

Conditional Controls and Imports

The availability of Controls and Import settings depends on whether a Prospective Cost Type is selected:

• No Prospective Cost Type selected
  • Lock Field and Import settings are visible
  • Administrators can control how current and future values are populated and locked
• Prospective Cost Type selected
  • Lock Field and Import settings are hidden
  • All values are fully controlled by the source Cost Types
  • The Combined Cost Type functions as a strictly derived, read‑only view

Important Notes and Constraints

• No chaining
  You cannot combine a Combined Cost Type with another Combined Cost Type.
• Locked periods remain locked
  Combined Cost Types respect existing locks and do not override them.
• Detail Rows are not included
  Combined Cost Types display parent and summary rows only.
• Refresh timing
  Combined Cost Types update automatically at regular intervals after source data changes.