Financial Plan Automatic Cost Categorization - How Cost Categorization Works in OnePlan

This article explains Automatic Cost Categorization in OnePlan—what it is, how it works, and why it matters.

Automatic Cost Categorization ensures that a classification value applied through a field stays attached to financial values as they move through OnePlan, from planning into actuals.

What you will understand
After reading this article, you will understand how cost categorization works as a field‑based classification, how it differs from Financial Plan Cost Categories, and how categorization flows across planning and actuals.

Audience

This article is intended for:

• OnePlan Administrators designing financial structures and governance
• Implementation teams configuring category‑aware planning and actuals
• Advanced users who need to understand how financial values flow across modules

This article does not provide configuration steps.

Conceptual Overview

In OnePlan, Automatic Cost Categorization is a field‑based classification mechanism.

It works by applying a value from a designated Category Field (such as CapEx / OpEx) to financial values during planning, and then preserving that field value as those costs move across OnePlan modules.

This includes costs that are:

• Planned
• Generated from resource activity
• Imported from Timesheets into Financial Plans

This allows classification to remain consistent without requiring re‑entry or manual reconciliation.

Automatic Cost Categorization does not create financial structure.
It preserves classification context.

Key Concepts and Terminology

Understanding Automatic Cost Categorization requires clearly separating a few related—but distinct—concepts:

Important
Cost Categorization and Cost Categories are independent concepts.
They serve different purposes and can both apply to the same financial value.

How Automatic Cost Categorization Works

At a high level, Automatic Cost Categorization works like this:

1. A categorization value is applied through a Category Field during planning.
2. That field value is stored alongside the financial value.
3. As the value moves between modules, the categorization field value moves with it.
4. The Financial Plan displays and groups values using that preserved classification.

This behavior applies consistently, regardless of whether costs are planned, imported, or generated from actuals.

How Cost Categorization Is Applied During Import

Cost categorization is applied when financial values are imported into the Financial Plan.
The categorization used depends on where the cost originated, how it was imported, and which categorization values are available and allowed.

Across all sources, OnePlan follows the same guiding principle:

The system uses the most specific categorization value available for the source of the cost.
If no specific value exists—or if it is not allowed—the system falls back to the resource’s categorization.

Import from the Work Plan

When costs originate from the Work Plan:

1. If a categorization value is assigned at the Work Item (task) level, that value is used.
2. If no categorization value is assigned to the Work Item, the system falls back to the Resource Center categorization for the assigned resource.
3. If neither the Work Item nor the Resource has a categorization value, the imported cost remains uncategorized (blank).

If the Category Field is configured as Read‑Only for the Work Plan, any Work Item categorization value is ignored and the Resource Center value is used instead.

Import from the Resource Plan

The Resource Plan supports importing costs from either resource schedules (plan‑level) or resource schedule assignments (task‑level).
In both cases, categorization follows the same precedence model.

Resource Plan Assignments (Task‑Level)

When costs are imported from Resource Plan assignments:

1. If a categorization value is assigned at the Resource Plan assignment level, that value is used.
2. If no assignment‑level value exists, the system falls back to the Resource Center categorization.
3. If neither value exists, the imported cost remains uncategorized (blank).

Each assignment is treated as a distinct financial entry, allowing the same resource to contribute costs across multiple categorizations.

Resource Schedule (Plan‑Level)

When costs are imported from the Resource Schedule (without assignment‑level detail):

• Categorization is derived from the Resource Center
• Assignment‑level or Work Item values are not evaluated

This ensures consistent categorization even when task‑level planning is not used.

Import from Timesheets

Timesheets do not expose or apply cost categorization directly.
Categorization is applied automatically during import into the Financial Plan.

Task Level Timesheets

When time is charged at the Task (Work Item) level:

1. The system first reads the categorization value from the assigned Work Item.
2. If the Work Item value is blank—or not allowed—the system falls back to the Resource Center categorization.
3. If neither value exists, the imported hours remain uncategorized (blank).

If the Category Field is configured as Read‑Only for the Work Plan, the Work Item value is ignored and the Resource Center value is always used.

Plan Level Timesheets

When time is charged directly to the plan:

• The categorization value is read from the Resource Center
• Work Items are not involved

Blank Values and Governance Rules

• If no categorization value exists at any applicable level, imported financial values remain uncategorized.
• Read‑Only settings control which sources are allowed to provide categorization values and prevent unintended overrides.

This model ensures consistent, governed cost categorization across planning and actuals—regardless of whether costs originate from the Work Plan, Resource Plan, or Timesheets—without requiring manual recoding after import.

Cost Categorization vs Cost Categories

Automatic Cost Categorization is often confused with Financial Plan Cost Categories, but they serve different roles.

Cost Categorization

• Is a field value
• Represents classification (for example, CapEx or OpEx)
• Travels with the cost across modules
• Is applied through the Category Field

Cost Categories

• Are financial buckets in the Financial Plan
• Represent structure (for example, Labor or Non‑Labor)
• Control how costs are grouped and totaled
• Are configured separately in Financial Plan settings

A single financial value can have both:

• A cost categorization value (from the field), and
• A cost category (from the Financial Plan structure)

These two concepts are complementary, not overlapping.

Where Cost Categorization Is Applied

Automatic Cost Categorization operates across multiple OnePlan modules.

Work Plan

Work items can be assigned categorization values through the Category Field.
When financial values are generated or imported from work items, that classification is retained.

Resource Plan

Resource assignments can include categorization values.
If a resource is booked multiple times with different categorization values, each booking is treated as a distinct financial entry.

This allows the same resource to contribute costs across multiple classifications.

Resource Center

Resources can be assigned default categorization values.
These defaults are applied when financial values are generated from resource activity.

This reduces the need for downstream reclassification.

Timesheets (Import Behavior)

Timesheets themselves do not apply cost categorization.

When timesheet hours are imported into a Financial Plan:

• The categorization applied to the imported hours is derived from the resource’s categorization in the Resource Center
• The Financial Plan applies that categorization automatically during import
• No manual recoding is required after import

Financial Plan

The Financial Plan receives financial values with categorization already applied.

Planned costs, imported costs, and actuals all retain their categorization field value, allowing:

• Consistent grouping
• Reliable reporting
• Alignment between planning and actuals

What Automatic Cost Categorization Is Not

Automatic Cost Categorization:

• Does not define financial rollups or hierarchies
• Does not replace Financial Plan Cost Categories
• Does not create or configure Cost Types
• Does not control rates or calculations

It exists to ensure that classification context stays attached to financial values wherever they appear.

How This Fits Into Financial Plan Administration

Automatic Cost Categorization sits between planning data and financial behavior.

It works alongside:

• Category Fields, which store classification values
• Resource configuration, which drives categorization for imported actuals
• Cost Categories, which define financial structure
• Cost Types, which control calculation, imports, and views

Together, these components ensure financial data is:

• Classified once
• Preserved automatically
• Structured consistently
• Reported accurately

Next Steps

To configure Automatic Cost Categorization, continue with the following articles:

1. Financial Plan Automatic Cost Categorization – Configure Cost Categorization
   Designate the field used to store categorization values.