Full Sail Partners Blog | Project Management

As we sail toward 2026, now’s the perfect time to take a hard look at your firm’s financial engine. Is your Deltek Vantagepoint setup helping you steer confidently toward growth—or are you still paddling upstream with spreadsheets and manual workarounds?

If you’re serious about getting ready for 2026, it’s time to make sure your contracts, billing, and revenue management processes are all working together inside one source of truth—Vantagepoint.

Ditch the Spreadsheets, Find Your Source of Truth

Think about all the places your firm might be tracking financial data. How many Excel files are floating around outside the system? Are invoices being created manually and re-entered into Vantagepoint later? Is retainage tracked in a separate document—or worse, not tracked at all?

Every disconnected process creates a gap in your data integrity. And when you’re making financial decisions based on incomplete or inconsistent data, that’s not confidence—that’s chaos.

Vantagepoint has the tools to bring all of it together. But are you using them to their full potential?

Get Smart About Billing

Vantagepoint’s billing module isn’t just robust—it’s built to help your team bill smarter, faster, and more accurately. Ask yourself:

• Are timesheets and cost rates entered consistently across the team?
• Are your projects structured with a proper work breakdown (WBS) that matches how the work actually flows?
• Are your invoices being generated and posted through Vantagepoint—then sent straight to clients?
• Do you use batch billing for drafts and approval workflows to prevent errors?

And when it comes to deeper insights—are you tracking reimbursable expenses, allocating billed revenue correctly, and taking advantage of retainers and retainage functions within the system?

When these pieces work together, your billing process stops being a chore and starts being a source of clarity.

Master Your Contracts and Budgets

If billing is the heartbeat, contract management is the backbone. When your firm tracks contracts and budgets directly in Vantagepoint, everything else becomes easier—forecasting, reporting, even project planning.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Capturing all contract compensation, including direct and indirect categories.
• Tracking status changes and amendments using Contract Management.
• Entering project costs in Budgeting to compare expected vs. actual performance.
• Using Estimated Fees or Revenue Forecasting to plan future cash flow.

Once your contracts and billing are fully aligned in Vantagepoint, the ripple effects are powerful—more accurate forecasts, stronger dashboards, and better confidence in every financial report.

Build 2026 on a Stronger Financial Foundation

Getting your contracts and billing processes right isn’t just an accounting exercise—it’s a growth strategy. With the right setup in Vantagepoint, you’ll spend less time reconciling data and more time planning your firm’s next big move.

If you’re not sure where your system stands—or if some of these questions hit a little too close to home—our team can help.

👉 Reach out to our Vantagepoint experts to make sure your firm is ready to show the money in 2026 and beyond. Click below to get started today.

If you’ve ever spent hours reformatting project sheets, fee proposals, or team summaries—only to realize you were using outdated data—you’re going to love this.

Deltek Vantagepoint’s new Document Automation feature is here to save you from that pain (and probably a few late nights, too).

The Magic of Document Automation ✨

You already know Vantagepoint can generate reports, dashboards, and exports—but Document Automation takes it a step further. It lets you create polished, client-ready documents directly from your browser using live data from Vantagepoint.

Think of it as your shortcut to professional-looking deliverables in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint—without ever leaving the system.

The best part? The templates pull your firm’s actual data (including custom fields and grids), so your documents stay perfectly in sync with what’s already in Vantagepoint. No more duplicate files or outdated info hiding in random network folders.

Right now, Document Automation lives in the Projects Hub, but Deltek has plans to expand it to other hubs soon. And trust me—you’ll want to be ready for that.

Real-World Use Cases You’ll See in Action

In my upcoming mini-demo, I’ll walk through three powerful (and practical) ways to put this tool to work for your firm:

1. Project Case Studies

Tired of maintaining static PDFs or Word files for every project? With Document Automation, you can instantly generate up-to-date case studies using live project data. Each page pulls data directly from your Vantagepoint records, pre-formatted with your firm’s branding, and ready to drop into a proposal or marketing package.

2. Fee Proposals

Project managers, this one’s for you.

Instead of copy-pasting from outdated templates, you can use Document Automation—plus a little workflow magic—to build fee proposals that pull directly from Vantagepoint fields and even the Boilerplates Hub. Scopes, exclusions, and terms all populate automatically. The result? A polished proposal that’s accurate, consistent, and includes your firm’s letterhead—all with one click.

3. Team Matrices

Ever need to show who’s worked on what? With Document Automation and Excel, you can create a clean, pivot-table-style Team Matrix showing which team members worked on selected projects. It’s perfect for internal reviews or proposal resumes—and it looks great, too.

Why This Matters

Document Automation does more than make things look nice (though it absolutely does that). It helps your firm:

• 🧭 Maintain Vantagepoint as a single source of truth
• 🕒 Save time spent hunting down and reformatting project info
• 📄 Eliminate outdated or duplicate document versions
• 💡 Create consistency across departments—marketing, project management, and accounting alike

Want to See It in Action?

Join me for a 15-minute mini-demo where I’ll walk through exactly how these templates are built and used inside Vantagepoint. You’ll see how to generate:

• Project case studies
• Fee proposals
• Team matrices

—all without ever leaving your browser.

👉 Register here to save your spot!

If your firm is ready to modernize how you produce proposals, reports, and project documents, our CRM experts can help you set up your own templates and workflows to get the most out of this powerful feature.

October is here, which means it’s officially Droptoberfest—our month-long celebration of all the new “drops” from Deltek Vantagepoint and our Blackbox Connector lineup. And let me tell you, the latest release, Vantagepoint 2025.3, has plenty of exciting new features, worth raising a stein for. From smoother timesheets to smarter dashboards, this release is packed with features that will make your daily work just a little easier (and maybe even more fun).

Past Opt-In Features Now Standard

Before diving into the shiny new stuff, here’s a quick win: all previous opt-in features from previous Vantagepoint versions are now standard in Vantagepoint 2025.3. That means no extra setup, toggling, or hunting through settings—they’re already turned on and ready for your team. Sometimes the best improvements are the ones that just quietly make life easier.

Making Navigation Work for You

One of the most noticeable changes your firm may utilize is customizing the navigation menu. You can now rearrange your main and submenus, which means your system can finally reflect how you actually work instead of forcing you into a predefined structure. On top of that, you can even create your own custom menu items. Want a top-level menu that links directly to your HR portal, intranet, or even your favorite Full Sail Partners blog page? Now you can. It’s a small update with a big impact—your team will spend less time clicking around and more time getting work done.

A Better Timesheet Experience

We all know timesheets aren’t exactly the most-loved feature of any system, but Vantagepoint 2025.3 has made some improvements that take away a few of the daily headaches. Timesheets can now automatically open in the current period, so you’re always in the right place without extra clicks. Note – this is a user preference, so share with your staff to turn it on! If your firm tracks overtime or meal breaks, those fields now appear automatically, eliminating the extra click to show those fields.

And here’s where it gets interesting: timesheets can now trigger workflows when saved. That means you could automatically notify a manager, update a system, or kick off a review process as soon as someone hits “save.” It’s another step toward less chasing and more automation—something we can all cheer for.

More Control Over Fields and Contracts

For firms that thrive on customization, there’s even more good news. Screen Designer in now allows a “document field to be added to user defined grids and the Contract Management standard grid, which can then be tied to workflows. This opens the door for richer data collection and better automation in your processes. Additionally, on the contract side, any user-defined field can now be added to contract management, making it easier to capture the unique information your projects require.

Billing also got some attention in this release. In the Billing Terms list view, you can now select multiple projects and update columns directly from the list view. If you’ve ever had to make the same change across dozens of projects, you know how much of a time-saver this really is.

Email, Reporting, and Search Upgrades

2025.3 also brings some behind-the-scenes improvements that give you greater visibility and save you from repetitive tasks. An email log is now available under Settings, allowing you to track up to 90 days of emails sent from the system. No more wondering if that invoice notification or project update ever actually went out. Reporting also got smarter with the ability to save search and download options, so you don’t have to rebuild filters each time. And cross-hub searching is now available in the Project Hub, letting you pull in more fields and grids with ease.

Dashboards Get a Full Six-Pack of Enhancements

If your firm lives and breathes by dashboards, this release is practically a party. You can now sort and group dashparts by project open and win/loss dates, giving you sharper insights into your pipeline and performance. User-defined hubs are now available as a dashpart base, extending your dashboard capabilities even further.

There’s also a new Dashpart Health Check tool that lets you see how well your dashboards are performing—a great way to identify what’s working and what’s slowing things down. Predefined dashparts from Deltek Clarity and Accounts Payable bring industry-standard comparisons and financial visibility right to your dashboards. And finally, the system now remembers your filters by user, so you don’t have to reset them every time you log in. Taken together, these dashboard updates make your data not only more accessible but also more meaningful.

Smaller but Mighty Enhancements

Beyond the headline features, 2025.3 has plenty of thoughtful touches. You’ll now see the application name whenever you open a new browser tab, making it easier to juggle multiple sessions. Selective importing and exporting of dashparts reduces clutter. Journal entries have expanded support for user-defined fields and browser importing. And payroll users will be happy to see updated utilities for W-2 corrections and pay interface compatibility. Document Automation has also been enhanced, letting you insert text and images directly from templates or project hubs at runtime.

Why It Matters

At its core, Vantagepoint 2025.3 is about smoothing out the rough edges—fewer clicks, less repetition, more flexibility, and better visibility. These aren’t flashy changes for the sake of it. They’re practical improvements designed to save your team time and reduce frustration, which adds up to real value over the course of projects and across the firm.

Keep the Droptoberfest Fun Going 🎃🍻

We’ve only skimmed the surface here. To really see these new features in action watch my webinar where I’ll walk you through the highlights and answer your questions. You’ll leave with practical ways to take advantage of everything 2025.3 has to offer.

👉 Click here to watch

And if your firm is ready to go even deeper—whether that’s customizing workflows, designing dashboards, or exploring automation—our team at Full Sail Partners is here to help. Droptoberfest is the perfect time to drop old habits and raise a glass to smoother, smarter operations with Deltek Vantagepoint.

Happy Droptoberfest, friends!

When it comes to managing projects, the details matter—and that’s exactly where Deltek Vantagepoint Planning shines. With the right setup, you can configure, streamline, and forecast with confidence. If your firm has Resource Planning licensing, you’ll unlock even more advanced tools to make sure your team has control over project data, your way. Whether you’re already knee-deep in Vantagepoint or just starting to explore, here’s a breakdown of what’s possible.

Smarter Configuration Options

Fine-tune Job-to-Date Calculations
By default, Vantagepoint calculates Job-to-Date through today. But if your team isn’t logging time daily, this can create some surprises. The quick fix? Adjust the basis to yesterday or even last week’s end for a truer snapshot.

Plan Expenses Like Labor
Consultants and expenses don’t always fit neatly into the labor box. Now, you can plan them on a calendar period basis—giving you the same level of detail and making the Project Planning Performance report far more useful.

Don’t Forget Units
Projects aren’t just hours and expenses. If you’re billing in units, plan for them too. Vantagepoint lets you allocate units by period, automatically rolling up costs and billing values so nothing slips through the cracks.

Utility Features That Save Time

Faster Load Times
Got monster plans with years of data? No problem. Recent updates to Deltek’ s engine significantly improve the load time of large and complex plans. Now, large plans load quickly when accessed. Plans containing multiple years of resources and hours of data such as Vacation or Multi-Discipline projects are now accessible.

Absence Auto-Entry
Approved absences can now flow directly into plans—no more manual entry or missed updates. That means better accuracy and less administrative busywork.

In-Plan Power Tools

Schedule Management That Works:

• Schedule Dependencies: The most common change to plans is date changes. Where the Schedule Dependencies feature is in use, a simple date change can cascade down to all successor rows. Advanced users can leverage unconventional relationships between plan levels or Lead and Lag days to keep the schedule aligned. Hours allocated to resources will change automatically with the movement of dates.
• Flexible Durations: Tell Vantagepoint how many days, weeks, or months a task should take, and it converts that into working days and sets the end date for you.

Critical Path Visibility

See which tasks absolutely can’t slip without impacting the entire project.

The critical path is the sequence of tasks or phases that cannot be delayed without affecting the completion date of the entire project. If any of those items slip, that would cause a risk to the project schedule.

Toggle on the Critical Path, and Vantagepoint highlights the risky ones in red.

Distribute Hours Efficiently

When schedules lengthen and scope changes, it makes sense to reset the project plan for a more realistic view of the forecast vs actuals. Use these features to adjust hours in bulk.

Redistribute Hours Like a Pro

• Change Planned Hours: When scope changes, reset the plan, baseline it, and start fresh.
• Replace or Spread Variance: Clear “trapped” hours from the past and reallocate them forward. Consider using this feature to replace unexhausted hours or push them into specified date ranges.
• Hours Fill: Many firms articulate resource hours as a percentage of an employee’s time. Control how the hours are planned by pinpointing the amount of time a resource should spend in a specific date range rather than spreading evenly over the entire date range.

Decision-Ready Dashparts

My Upcoming Assignments

Empower team members with visibility into their contributions and how they support project success. Communicate in detail by providing access to this dashpart to employees.

Upcoming Employee Availability

Project requirements and staff availability change frequently and rapidly. Finding an available resource has been made even easier with this dashpart. Identify the appropriate team members with availability to respond rapidly to changes in resource needs.

Forecasting Made Easier

Revenue Forecast Tool

Resource allocations are a major part of the story, but for Fee or Milestone based projects, the burn at reporting rates does not always equate to Revenue earned. Use the Revenue Forecast application to chart the monthly revenue expectations. For additional value, use the report in conjunction with Pipeline reporting to show the total picture.

Spread Planned Billing in Forecasts

The burn rates on Time & Material projects generally relate to Revenue earned. Use this optional feature to update the forecast with the most recent planning values and then adjust as needed.

Resource View That Works for You

Filter Smarter

Remove noise from your resource reviews. With ETC filters, you can hide projects and employees that aren’t truly active. Project filters let you zero in by attributes without messing with employee-level details.

Customize the View

Decide whether you want to see hours, percentages, or both—whatever makes it easiest to digest and act on the data.

Utilization & Scheduled View Options

Control the amount of detail needed to efficiently digest information in the Resource View. The Scheduled and Utilization views allow the user to select whether the calculations are presented in Hours, Percentages, or both.

Wrapping It Up

Vantagepoint Planning isn’t just about keeping schedules and hours neat—it’s about putting your firm in control of every moving part. From forecasting revenue to highlighting critical tasks, these tools help you anticipate risks, re-align resources, and deliver projects with fewer surprises.

Pro tip: don’t feel like you have to turn everything on at once. Start with one tweak—maybe adjust Job-to-Date, enable absence integration, or try out a new dashpart. Then build from there. Each small step sharpens visibility, streamlines workflows, and creates more confidence in your plan.

Ready to take control of the details? Dive in and see how Vantagepoint Planning can transform the way your firm plans, predicts, and delivers success.

Is your firm still using spreadsheets to plan your projects? The good news is that you’re not alone. The bad news is that using spreadsheets as an enterprise planning tool is very likely costing you time and money. Spreadsheets, while they are familiar to people and easy to customize, lack the many benefits of an integrated planning system. As I meet with Architecture and Engineering firms, we hear common complaints and challenges about their spreadsheet planning “solutions.”

Do any of these problems sound familiar? If so, this may be the year to retire your spreadsheet in favor of an enterprise resource planning system.

Here are 5 Reasons Why Spreadsheets are Challenging Your Entire Enterprise

1) Multiple Versions of the “Truth” Haunt Staffing Meetings

We find that firms that use spreadsheets to plan staffing assignments tend to end up with multiple versions of the truth. This tends to create havoc during staffing meetings as each manager has their own version of the truth, creating meeting havoc, and leading to errant meetings that lack focus. Say no to meeting havoc and refocus your staffing meetings on adjusting plans and assignments.    

2) Inability to Show Real-time and Accurate Actuals

Spreadsheets are great to start planning a project, but once the project starts evolving, updating the spreadsheet becomes a tedious process that PMs quickly give up on. As the project progresses, spreadsheets struggle to show actual hours and costs spent to date. Even worse, a firm will devote manual hours requiring employees to track this information by hand – rather than investing in an integrated planning system that streamlines this process.

3) Disconnected Month End Processes

During the month end process, spreadsheets create chaos for accounting. The root cause of all this chaos stems from the duplicate and manual labor spawned from disconnected spreadsheets. Firms that use an integrated planning system eliminate the burden of spreadsheets to allow accounting to focus on financial performance, freeing up PMs to focus on project success.  

4) Project Managers and Management at Odds

Project Managers often find themselves at odds with management when it comes to staffing decisions – PMs need new resources; management thinks there is too much overhead. Firms without a way to plan staffing assignments are left with only their best ‘guesstimates’ when it comes time to validate new hires. Successful firms justify new hires by utilizing a single project management system to look at current staffing capacity compared to future assignments.

5) Adjustment Failure

Firms utilizing spreadsheets to identify project profitability goals at the beginning of the project often fail to adjust throughout the project lifecycle. Those that do try to adjust their spreadsheets work with outdated information. This lag in data creates the inability to make real-time decisions about staffing and scheduling that can impact the success of a project. By investing in a project management system connected to financials provides firms the ability to view up-to-date-billing, resource and revenue forecasts.

There is a Better Way with an Integrated Planning System

Imagine if you were able to standardize your planning process across the entire firm. Standardization allows your firm to strengthen communication amongst project managers, accounting and management, providing insight for the firm as a whole. Ready to ditch the spreadsheet? Check out the ways your firm can handle project planning and staffing with Deltek Vantagepoint!

What are the options for my firm to apply labor costs to regular, revenue-producing projects? In Vantagepoint, there are two ways to charge labor cost to your projects. Some firms prefer to load an hourly rate for both hourly and salaried employees. And some firms prefer to load a salary rate for salaried employees and an hourly rate for hourly employees and use the Adjust Salary Job Cost utility (ASJC) in Vantagepoint.

The Adjust Salary Job Cost utility is Vantagepoint's way of taking the employee’s salary rate and calculating a cost rate based on the hours worked (instead of standard hours in a period). The ASJC utility is run after timesheets are posted and adjusts the posting so that the costs posted agrees to what is being paid to the employee.

What does this mean?

First, let’s discuss firms that load an hourly rate for salaried employees. Assume that the firm Mike Jones works for has bi-weekly timesheet and pay periods. Below is an example of postings where ASJC is not enabled:

Example: Mike Jones is a salaried employee and is paid $3,000.00 bi-weekly, and he has an hourly cost rate in the Employee Info center of $37.50/hour ($3,000.00/80 hours). When timesheets are posted, Vantagepoint multiplies the actual number of hours worked by the hourly rate from the employee info center record. Vantagepoint will post a debit to the direct and/or indirect labor account and credit the Job Cost Variance (JCV) account. Mike’s hours are applied at a cost rate of $37.50 for every hour he works regardless of how many hours he works.

When payroll is posted, we would see a debit to the JCV account for Mike’s bi-weekly salary - $3,000.00. If Mike had worked 85 hours in an 80-hour timesheet period, the JCV account would be -$187.50 because the credit posted to JCV was $3,187.50 at the time of timesheet posting and the debit posted for payroll is $3,000.00. If Mike had only worked 75 hours during the timesheet period, the JCV account would be a positive $187.00.

Now let’s talk about those firms that load a salary amount in the Employee Hub. We will use the same bi-weekly timesheet and pay period frequencies as in the first example.

When a salaried employee works more or less than 80 hours, Vantagepoint handles the cost exactly the same way it does as if an hourly rate were loaded in the Employee Info Center at the time of time sheet posting. To calculate the cost rate, Vantagepoint uses the salary rate in the employee info center, divided by the frequency (in this case 80 hours) and multiplies the result by the number of hours recorded on the timesheet.

This is where Adjust Salary Job Cost comes into play. Once run, AJSC takes the salary rate and divides it by actual number of hours worked and recalculates the number of hours worked.

Example: Mary Smith has a bi-weekly salary of $3,000.00 and she has 85 hours on her timesheet. When timesheets are posted, Vantagepoint takes her salary rate and divides it by 80 (bi-weekly frequency) and multiplies the result by the actual number of hours on her timesheet. You would see a debit to direct/indirect labor account and a credit to the JCV account for $3,187.50. Just like the firm using an hourly rate in the employee info center.

Now when ASJC is run, Vantagepoint takes the salary rate, divides it by the actual number of hours worked ($3,000.00/85 = $35.29411) and applies the result to the actual number of hours worked ($35.29411 * 85 = $3,000.00). Vantagepoint makes an adjustment to the original timesheet posting to credit the direct/indirect labor account and to debit the JCV account in the amount of $187.50. Since Mary is paid $3,000.00 per pay period, the JCV account would not show a balance when payroll is posted.

How cost rates are loaded in Vantagepoint affects the way labor costs are reported on the projects and the General Ledger. Here are some of the differences:

• Load Hourly Rate in the Employee Hub:
  • Time posts to projects at hours worked at standard hourly rate.
  • No additional steps by accounting.
  • Costs posted to direct projects are not consistent with actual payroll paid when employees work more/less than standard hours. Over/Under balances are carried in the JCV project.
  • Project managers have stable costs to track project performance.
  • General Ledger carries a balance in the JCV account that is reflective of the amount paid to employees over/under the actual hours worked.
• Load Salary Rate in the Employee Hub and use ASJC:
  • Time posts to projects at hours worked at variable hourly rates for Salaried employees (hourly rate changes on hours worked in any given period).
  • Accounting must run the ASJC utility after time sheet postings for salary job costing to occur.
  • Costs posted to direct projects are consistent with actual payroll paid when employees work more/less than standard hours. No balances are carried on the JCV project.
  • Project managers must manage variable costs over which they have no control.
  • The JCV general ledger account does not carry a balance when the ASJC utility is used.

As you can see, both choices have pros and cons, but having a clear understanding of how the ASJC utility works in Vantagepoint will help you make the right choice for your firm.

Final Thoughts: What's Best for Your Firm?

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to labor cost strategies in Deltek Vantagepoint. Whether you stick with standard hourly rates or leverage the Adjust Salary Job Cost utility, the right path depends on your firm’s structure, goals, and how you want costs reflected in your projects and your books.

If you’re scratching your head or wondering which option makes the most sense for your team, you’re not alone—and we’ve got your back. Let’s take a deep dive together.

👉 Reach out to schedule a Navigational Analysis with our experts. We’ll help you uncover the most effective setup for your firm and make sure your Vantagepoint system is working for you—not the other way around.

Heads up, project managers! If you’ve noticed something different in your Deltek Vantagepoint Project Hub lately, you’re not imagining things. The Project Budgeting tool has moved—but don’t worry, while it’s sporting a new home and a fresh look, the core functionality you rely on is still intact.

Let’s take a stroll through the updated budgeting tool and unpack what’s new, what’s stayed the same, and how to make the most of it.

So, What’s Changed?

The Project Budget tool is now found directly inside the Project Hub as its own menu item. The look has changed, but the overall functionality has remained the same. Here are the highlights of the makeover:

• The cost/billing options now live in a sleek drop-down menu on the right side of the screen.
• There’s a new Grid Settings feature that lets you customize how your budget grid looks—because who doesn’t like a little personalization? This includes the ability to control the selection and placement of the variables in the budget grid.

First Things First: What Is a Project Budget?

The Project Budget is the Project Manager’s estimate of the total spending on the project. Budget numbers are not to be confused with the Contract amounts from the Contract Management menu.

Let’s clear this up: the Project Budget is not the same thing as your Contract Amount.

• Contract Amount = What you’ve agreed to bill the client.
• Project Budget = How you plan to spend that amount.

Yes, the numbers can match—but they don’t have to. And in Vantagepoint, they each serve distinct purposes. Knowing the difference is key to accurate forecasting and solid project management.

Budgeting Buzzwords You Should Know

Understanding how budgets break down in Vantagepoint means getting familiar with a few common terms. Here's a cheat sheet:

• Labor Budget - This is all about your internal team’s work. It compares your budgeted labor with actual employee timesheet entries.
• Expenses - Not labor. Not consultants. Just the other costs that keep your project rolling. Expenses are divided between two different types, controlled by the General Ledger Account number.
• Direct Expenses are items that are not to be billed to the client. These are costs that are absorbed into our Costs and will not generate billings. These costs are classified with GL account number type “Direct Expense”.
• Reimbursable Expenses are items that will be billed to the client. These costs are classified with GL account number type “Reimbursable Expense”.
• Compensation - This includes both Labor and Direct Expenses—basically, your internal investment in the project.
• Consultants - These are your subcontractors, split into:
• Direct Consultants are subconsultant expenses that are added to our invoices, but are part of our overall fee, usually combined with labor and expense in a Fixed Fee invoice format. These costs are classified with the GL account type “Direct Consultant.”
• Reimbursable Consultants are subconsultants that are going to be invoiced to the client (possibly with a markup), also referred to as a “pass through” expense. These costs are classified with the GL account type “Reimbursable Consultant.”
• Reimbursable Allowance - The total of your Reimbursable Expenses + Reimbursable Consultants.

How to Enter a Budget (Without Losing Your Mind)

Here’s the TL;DR of entering budgets in Vantagepoint:

• Always budget at the lowest level of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Labor Codes are required for Labor Budgets. Not using Labor Codes yet? Let's chat first—enabling them affects other areas like timesheets.
• Expenses & Consultants are entered by GL account. Vendor name? Totally optional.

The math is simple:
Hours × Rate = Labor Budget

Budgeting in Action: Why It Matters

Your budget isn’t just for show—it’s a powerhouse tool that supports a bunch of Vantagepoint functions:

• Budget vs. Actual reports – Project reports can be pulled and compared to actual project charges.
• Timesheet validation (via Labor Codes) – Using Labor Codes in budgets limits the codes employees can use on their timesheet.
• Revenue generation formulas
• Manual % complete, estimate to complete (ETC), and estimate at complete (EAC) updates
• Custom views in the Project Review screen to show budget values and variances

Pro Tip: Budgeting Isn’t “Set It and Forget It”

We’ll say it louder for the folks in the back—budgets need love, too! Keep them current by checking in regularly and reviewing Budget vs. Actual reports. It’s the best way to keep your project financials accurate and your leadership team happy.

There’s an Even Better Way…

Feeling like the budget tool is missing a few key pieces—like assigning by employee or tracking true progress? We hear you.

💡 Enter: Project Planning and Resource Management.

The planning module in Vantagepoint goes above and beyond basic budgeting. It gives you:

• Real-time revenue forecasting
• Strategic staffing insights
• Earned value management (based on actual progress, not guesstimates)

It’s a smarter way to manage your project financials—and your people.

Let’s Talk Budgeting Strategy

If you’re ready to level up from static budgets to strategic project planning, our team at Full Sail Partners is here to help. We’ll walk you through how to get started and tailor a solution that fits your firm’s goals.

👉 Reach out to your Full Sail Partners consultant today and let’s put your project budgets to work!

For accounting professionals, the AP voucher is the single source of truth for tracking supplier invoices. An AP voucher has information from a supplier like the firm amount that is due, terms for payment, signatures of authorized firm representatives, and more. Keeping this information up to date and correct is critical, however, errors and other changes do occur.

• Is there an invoice that was accidentally entered twice and one needs to be voided/reversed?
• Was tax, shipping or another amount missing on an invoice and now it is already posted?
• Was an invoice amount entered incorrectly and it needs to be corrected?

If this sounds familiar, it’s because these are all common issues that come up in the AP world. Typically, AP associates will enter a new voucher to correct these items and then reverse or add to/subtract from the value of an original invoice. By doing this, two vouchers are entered for the same invoice number, often by adding a letter or number to the original invoice number. When the invoice is paid, the associate needs to remember to select both vouchers to pay the entire correct amount of the invoice. In the case of a duplicate invoice, there isn’t a “void voucher” option like there is void check or void client invoices.

However, there is a better solution - utilize “Voucher Lookup” to edit an AP voucher easily & smoothly!

Using Deltek Vantagepoint AP Voucher Lookup

Once an AP Voucher is posted in Deltek Vantagepoint, it isn’t very evident that there is an option to edit the voucher. But there is! Voucher lookup is a great tool that is not as widely used as it should be.

When using AP Voucher lookup, Vantagepoint “attaches” the new voucher detail lines to the original voucher by utilizing the same voucher number and voucher header. When the corrected voucher is attached to the original there won’t be two vouchers for the same invoice to reconcile in vendor review or select in payment processing! As a result,

Examples of Deltek Vantagepoint AP Voucher Lookup:

Issue 1: Whoops! Two vouchers were entered for the same invoice and one of them needs to be reversed.

Solution: Enter a new AP transaction, use voucher lookup, and reverse the original lines. This AP entry will be linked or “attached” to the original voucher, not creating a new voucher but editing the original, making a zero-dollar total invoice. The steps are as follows:

1. Go to Transaction Center > Transaction Entry > AP Vouchers. Either start a new batch (if using batches) or a new transaction (if using single transaction posting).
2. Select the vendor. Don’t enter the rest of the header data!
3. Go to the top right under “Other Actions” and select “Voucher Lookup”.
   1. A list of the vouchers for this vendor will appear.
   2. Select the voucher for the invoice that needs to be edited.
   3. In the top of the list there is a search box that can be used to find an amount, voucher or invoice number and it will search for any matches from the existing vouchers.
4. Next, select the voucher that requires editing. The voucher header information will populate from the original voucher… this is where the linking comes in.
5. At this point, anything entered in the voucher details below will add to the original voucher line items. If the original entry had three lines and another is added, four lines will appear in the voucher review.
6. In this example, the duplicate voucher needs to be reversed entirely.
   1. To reverse lines, go back to “Other Actions”, select “Copy/Reverse Lines”.
   2. Check the box in the top header row to select all voucher detail lines.
   3. Click “Reverse All”.
   4. This selection will bring these lines into the voucher detail as a negative, using the same project coding. Which is simple, FAST, and does not require re-keying of line items!
      
      
7. Post voucher as usual.
8. In Voucher Review, the original line items and the additional line items entered during the Voucher Lookup will appear.
9. In this example, the overall voucher is now zero and the total lines in the voucher are 6.

Issue 2: Need to add an additional line for tax, shipping or other charges missed on original entry?

Solution: Do all steps from above except for step 6 - don’t use the Copy/Reverse function. Simply add the needed lines to the voucher detail in the Project Information grid. Any lines that are added will link/attach to the original voucher and add/subtract to the original voucher amount.

Issue 3: Need to correct an amount in the original voucher?

Solution: Do everything above, including Copy/Reversing Lines. It is suggested to reverse the line(s) that were entered incorrectly and then enter the correct amount so there is a good audit trail. After reversing the line(s) that were entered in error, add the correcting lines in the Project Information grid on the same voucher. Every line that is reversed and/or added will still link/attach to the original voucher and add/subtract to the original voucher amount.

Solve Common Accounting Challenges with Deltek Vantagepoint

Deltek Vantagepoint does more than making AP voucher corrections easy. Check out this webinar to learn about 15 Must-Know Features to Supercharge your Vantagepoint Efficiency, and make sure to explore all the free Vantagepoint content available on the Full Sail Partners’ website.

As someone who has worked with Deltek Vantagepoint for years, I can confidently say that it’s a powerhouse for project-based firms. But what really takes its functionality to the next level? It's seamless integration with Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook and Teams. These integrations don’t just make your life easier—they make your work more efficient, more connected, and ultimately, more valuable.

If you’re not already using the Vantagepoint Connect Add-in for Outlook or leveraging the Teams integration within Vantagepoint, let me introduce you to the game-changers that will revolutionize how you manage projects, communications, and collaboration.

Vantagepoint Connect: Outlook Add-in

Turning Your Inbox into an Extension of Vantagepoint

We all live in our inboxes, so why not make Outlook work smarter? With the Vantagepoint Connect Add-in for Outlook, your CRM and project management tools are just a click away—right inside your email.

Key Features That Save You Time and Effort:

• Easily Add Contacts and Firms
  Got an email from a new potential client? Instead of manually entering their information into Vantagepoint, just open the Vantagepoint Connect pane inside Outlook and instantly create a new Contact or Firm record.
• Log Emails as Activities
  Ever had an important client conversation get lost in the email abyss? With just one click, you can log emails directly into Vantagepoint as an Activity, keeping a clear record of communications tied to the right firm, project, or marketing campaign.
• Schedule Meetings Without the Back-and-Forth
  The built-in Scheduling Assistant lets you send availability links, propose meeting times, and even create Teams meetings—right from Outlook. No more endless email chains trying to find a time that works.
• Search Your Vantagepoint Database from Outlook
  Need to check if someone is already in your system? The search bar inside the Vantagepoint Connect pane lets you pull up records for Contacts, Firms, Projects, and Activities without ever leaving your email.
  
  

Why This Matters:

Instead of bouncing between applications, you can perform essential CRM tasks directly in Outlook. The result? A faster, more connected workflow that ensures your data stays up to date with minimal effort.

Microsoft Teams + Vantagepoint: Instant Collaboration, Right Where You Need It

Bridging the Gap Between Project Data and Real-Time Communication

We all know that great projects are built on effective communication. With Microsoft Teams integration inside Vantagepoint, staying connected with your team has never been easier. Instead of switching between platforms or hunting for contact info, you can start a Teams chat directly from within Vantagepoint—right where you are already working.

How It Works:

• See Who Is in the Same Record as You
  If other users are currently in the same record in Vantagepoint—whether it is a project, contact, or another hub—you will see their presence via a small chat bubble next to their name (see screenshot below).
• Instantly Start a Teams Chat
  Need to ask a quick question or clarify project details? Simply hover over the chat bubble and initiate a one-on-one Microsoft Teams chat directly from Vantagepoint. No need to search for their name in Teams or leave your workflow.
• Seamless Setup
  If your firm has enabled the Microsoft Teams Chat option in Settings » General » Communications, you can immediately start chatting with team members without leaving Vantagepoint.

Why This Matters:

When working on projects, timing is everything. Instead of sending an email and waiting hours for a reply, you can now ping a teammate in Teams and get an answer instantly. This eliminates communication delays, reduces email clutter, and keeps teams aligned in real-time.

With the Teams Chat integration, Vantagepoint is no longer just your project management system—it’s your real-time collaboration hub.

Why These Integrations Are a Must for Any Vantagepoint User

Whether you are a BD professional, a project manager, or a marketing leader, these integrations provide three major benefits:

1. Time Savings: No more duplicate data entry or switching between multiple applications.
2. Better Collaboration: Keep teams aligned with real-time access to shared information.
3. Stronger Data Integrity: Ensure that all interactions and project updates are automatically captured inside Vantagepoint.

By integrating the tools, you already use every day—Outlook and Teams—Deltek Vantagepoint becomes even more powerful. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

Take Your Vantagepoint Experience to the Next Level

With Microsoft Outlook and Teams integrations, Deltek Vantagepoint isn’t just a project management system—it’s a powerhouse for seamless collaboration, streamlined workflows, and smarter communication. If you’re not taking full advantage of these tools yet, now is the perfect time to get started!

Want to see the Outlook integration in action? Watch my mini-demo, to see how Vantagepoint Connect can help you work smarter—right inside Outlook. Click below to watch today!