The Project Management (PM) Work Center is a centralized place to do work in the PM module, and it displays as a tab on your main application window.

The (PM) Work Center has three basic sections:

• Menu - Use the menu to select which records display in the grid. For example if you would like to view all of the RFIs associated with a project, select Document Control > Request For Information. You can do any of the following to customize the menu:
  • rename menu items
  • hide/show menu items
  • add/delete folders
  • add additional menu items (inquiries created using the VA Inquiries form).
• Grid - The grid displays a list of records, for example all of the pending change orders associated with a project. Once information displays in the grid, there are many ways to manipulate it: group, sort, and filter the records, hide/show columns, view totals, and export the records in the grid.
• Related Items - The Related Items panel displays records that are associated with the highlighted record in the grid using the Related Items feature. For example, if you highlight an RFI in the PM Work Center, the associated pending change orders, project issues, and attachments display in the Related Items section.

For more information on setting up the Work Center feature, see About Work Center Setup.

In the PM Work Center you can:

• View project information - The PM Work Center displays all of the records associated with a project: PCOs, ACOs, RFIs, RFQs, project issues, meeting minutes, etc. This information can be filtered by company and/or job status, or you can display all projects and then sort,filter, and group the data at the item level. For example, you can view all the PCOs in the PM module, and then sort them by priority and status to see which PCOs need to be approved.
• Create and edit records- You can create and edit most PM module records from the PM Work Center. For example, you can view all of the PCOs associated with a project, create a new PCO, or edit an existing one.
• Create new records based on a selected record - Highlight a record in the grid and use the Create Related Record icon to create a new record based on an existing record. The new record populates with information from an existing record to reduce data entry. For example you can create a project issue using some of the information already entered on a PCO. Records created using this option are automatically linked using the Related Items feature.
• Perform related tasks - Highlight a record in the PM Work Center and perform a task. For example, highlight a pending change order in the PM Work Center, click the Tasks icon at the top of the grid, and then approve, copy, or interface the pending change order with the accounting modules. The options that display on the Task icon vary depending on the type of record selected.
• View related items - Highlight a record in the PM Work Center and all items related to it display in the Related Items panel. For example if you highlight an RFI in the PM Work Center, all of the following display in the Related Items panel:
  • Any project issues, transmittals, pending change orders, or other records related to the RFI are grouped into folders - for example project issues display in a folder titled Issues.
  • Emails related to the RFI display in an Email folder - the emails must be attached to the record, not just indexed to the project and RFI record, and they must have an .msg file extension.
  • Attachments on the RFI display in an Attachments folder - You can also view the attachments associated with a record by highlighting it in the grid and clicking the Attachments icon at the top of the grid. This opens the Attachments Form, which can be used to add, remove, and view attachments.
  • RFI documents generated using the Create and Send feature also display in the Attachments folder - the RFI document category must be set up to save generated documents as attachments on the parent record using the PM Create & Send Settings form.
• View a Hot List and other inquiries - The Hot List is a menu option in the PM Work Center, and it displays a list of high priority items. The Hot List is a query that you can customize directly in the Work Center or using the VA Inquiries form. You can also add additional queries to the PM Work Center menu to display customized information.
• Launch reports - You can launch related reports while viewing records in the PM Work Center. For example if you are viewing pending change orders in the PM Work Center and would like to run a change order report, you can click the Reports icon at the top of the grid and select the report from the menu that appears. The reports in the Reports drop down menu vary depending on the information that displays in the grid so that only relevant reports are included.
• Keyword Search - Enter a keyword and the system searches all of the visible columns in the grid for the items that contain the keyword. If you have hidden any columns in the grid, they are not included in the search.
• View Totals - You can add a totals row to the bottom of the grid. This row displays a total of each relevant column and only includes the displayed items. For example, you can use this feature to see the total contract change amount associated with a filtered list of pending change orders.
• Attach a file to the selected record - Highlight a record in the PM Work Center and then drag and drop a file into the Related Items section. The file is added to the record as an attachment, and the system automatically configures the file as a Create and Send attachment. When a file is set up as a Create and Send attachment it can be added to a communication generated using the Create and Send feature in the PM module. For information on the Create and Send feature, see About the Create and Send Feature.