March 22, 2001

New OpenAir services and features launched today:

1. Projects: project profitability, task notes view.
   

2. Reports: bi-weekly and semi-monthly date ranges, new project time budget report.
   

3. Suite-wide features: attach documents to proposals and to tasks.
   

4. Timesheets: require users to log time to any combination of client, project, task, and service.
   

5. Invoices: charge different clients different rates for the same service.
   
   

6. Opportunities: track sales efforts and proposals for existing clients.
   

7. OpenAir for the Palm Computing® Platform: log time to the task and service level.
   

8. OpenAir OffLine: download, modify and synchronize open timesheets, expenses, etc.
   

9. Would you like to see previous OpenAir product updates?
   

10. Suggestions, problems or questions?

1. Projects: project profitability, task notes view.

Project managers can now conduct thorough project profitability analyses. The report tracks (1) incurred time and expense costs, (2) revenue from time and expenses re-billed to clients, (3) billed revenue vs. incurred costs dollar and percentage margins, (4) dollar budget vs. incurred cost dollar and percentage margins, (5) incurred cost as a percentage of dollar budget, and (6) billings as a percentage of dollar budget. Project managers can also configure the profitability analyses for certain date ranges and to include/exclude certain users' data. Navigate to Projects>Projects>[select appropriate project]>Analysis. Select the "Options" link to select users or date ranges and select the "Printable version" to create a printable report.

Users can now be assigned an hourly loaded cost. Used primarily in the calculation of profit margins (noted above), the cost/hour can be tracked over time and can include or exclude benefit and other overhead costs. Navigate to Account>Users>[select appropriate user]>Cost.

Project managers can now communicate notes directly to a resource performing a task. Managers just type in notes pertinent to task as they create the task in the project plan, then assign the task to a resource. When that resource views his/her task list (Projects>Task list), he/she clicks on the link to the appropriate task and the notes show up for reference.

2. Reports: bi-weekly and semi-monthly date ranges, new project time budget report.

Enterprises that use bi-weekly or semi-monthly date conventions for operations - such as timesheet or expense approval, reporting, etc. - can now select these date conventions in all summary reports. Navigate to any modules' "Reports" tab, select a "Summary report" to see the new date conventions.

Managers that estimate projects using hours can now record and report on time budgets for any project. To create a budget of hours for a project, navigate to Account>Projects>[select appropriate project]>Edit and scroll down to "Budget amount (hours)." Or, navigate to Projects>Projects>[select appropriate project]>Edit project and scroll down to "Budget amount (hours)."

3. Suite-wide features: attach documents to proposals and to tasks.

Users of the Projects and the Proposals modules can now attach documents to tasks and proposals. Project managers who need to provide documentation to the resource assigned to the task just click on the "Attachment" link at the bottom of the New Task screen. Project managers then just browse on their personal computer to find and upload relevant documents to the OpenAir system. Resources who need to view attached documentation just click on the same "Attachment" link and view or download the document.

A similar document attachment feature has been added to the Proposals module as well. Users of Proposals can attach presentations, spreadsheets, or any other type of file to augment an OpenAir proposal. Then, after emailing the proposal to the client, the client clicks on the "Attachment" link and can view the file.

4. Timesheets: require users to log time to any combination of client, project, task, and service.

Account administrators can now configure their company's OpenAir system to require users to select a project when filling out timesheets. To configure the system to require projects, navigate to My Account>Company>Settings. Under "Optional Features," check the box next to "Only show client with projects in the client:project drop-downs." This feature requires users to select a client:project combination and prohibits them from selecting a client-only choice. Then, under "Timesheet Options," check the box next to "Require a client/project." This feature mandates that the client:project dropdown contain data before a user can save a timesheet.

Account administrators can also now configure the system so that users must designate a task on which they worked when filling out timesheets. To configure Timesheets to mandate a task, navigate to My Account>Company>Settings. Then scroll down to "Timesheet Options" and check the box next to "Require a task."

Account administrators can, in general, display and/or require any combination of drop down menu—time type, client:project, service, and task. All of the switches used to configure the timesheet appropriately are located in the My Account>Company>Settings screen under the "Timesheet Options" section.

5. Invoices: charge different clients different rates for the same service.

Enterprises can now configure the OpenAir system so that different clients are billed different rates for the same service. For example, Client A might be charged $150/hour for systems integration services while Client B might be charged $200/hour. Client-specific service billing augments a variety of billing methods already offered, including billing by service (non-client-specific), user, User/Project, and Client/Project. To use Client/Service billing, navigate to My Account>Company>Settings and select "Client/Service" from the "Get hourly billing rate from" drop down menu. Then navigate to Account>Clients>[select appropriate client]>Service rates and configure the service rates.

6. Opportunities: track sales efforts and proposals for existing clients.

For enterprises that want to track the add-on work they sell to existing customers, the Opportunities module has been enhanced to apply to existing customers. Now, create deals, to dos, events, and reports on prospects that are already clients. Navigate to Opportunities>Sales Prospects.

Business development and sales professionals in the enterprise can now also create proposals for Prospects and Clients alike. OpenAir has more closely integrated the opportunity management and proposal management processes to help companies close more sales. Navigate to Opportunities>Proposals.

7. OpenAir for the Palm Computing® Platform: log time to the task and service level.

For employees who use a Palm Computing® device to enter time and expenses, OpenAir has added the ability to log time to the task and service level and to record notes on logged time. Click here for more information and to download the program. Please ask your account administrator to configure user settings correctly before downloading and using OpenAir for the Palm Computing® Platform.

8. OpenAir OffLine: download, modify and synchronize open timesheets, expenses, etc.

OpenAir continues to enhance OpenAir OffLine, the thin client program for offline Timesheets, Expenses and Invoices data entry designed for the Windows® operating system. OffLine users can now download to their computer all current timebills, expense envelopes and receipts, and timesheets. Users can then modify information and synchronize the data with the OpenAir Web site. Plus, OffLine also supports tracking time to the task level. Click here for more information and to download the program. Please ask your account administrator to correctly configure user settings before downloading and using OpenAir OffLine.

9. Would you like to see previous OpenAir product updates?

Click here to browse previous product updates including all new features, modules and functionality.

10. Suggestions, problems or questions?

Call us and ask for support at 888.367.1288 from within the US or Canada, or 617.351.0226 from other locations. Or email us directly at support@openair.com.