Not every endeavor is a routine transaction. Some are grand undertakings: renovating a guild hall in Castle Ward, funding an expedition along the Sword Coast, or building a new trade outpost in Silverymoon. For the Waterdeep Trading Company, the Project Management and Accounting module in Dynamics 365 Finance is where these complex initiatives are planned, executed, tracked, and accounted for with precision.

Project Management connects the operational work of planning, scheduling, and resource allocation with the financial discipline of budgeting, cost tracking, and reporting. It provides the structure to manage everything from approval codes and journal configurations to work breakdown structures, Microsoft Project integration, timesheet capture, and expense reporting. Greta Ironfist expects every gold piece spent on a project to be justified, tracked, and reported against an approved budget. These labs ensure that every project, from a modest infrastructure repair to a realm-spanning expedition, is managed with full financial visibility and control.

What You Will Learn in This Guide

Project Management and Accounting Controls:  Configure the foundational settings that govern project transactions: approval codes, journal names, line properties, cost templates, categories, and scheduling parameters. These controls determine how costs are captured, how time is reported, and how project budgets are tracked.

Projects:  Create and manage project records, including work breakdown structures, Microsoft Project integration, cost tracking, project statements, purchase orders, resource assignments, and reusable project templates.

Collaboration Workspaces:  Configure shared workspaces that connect project teams through document sharing, Microsoft Project integration, and SharePoint Online connectivity for real-time coordination.

MS Project Integration:  Leverage the advanced scheduling, resource leveling, and Gantt charting capabilities of Microsoft Project while maintaining a live connection to project records in Dynamics 365.

Project Budgets:  Set financial guardrails for project spending by configuring forecast models, creating project budgets, and importing forecasts that establish the baseline cost expectations against which actuals are measured.

Timesheet Reporting:  Capture worker hours through the Employee Self Service portal and approval workflows. This module covers portal configuration, time posting, workflow setup, timesheet submission and approval, and viewing posted time on projects.

Expense Reporting:  Process out-of-pocket project costs through payment method and category configuration, expense report entry and submission, approval workflows, posting, and transaction review on project records.

By completing these labs, we will have built a comprehensive project management framework for the Waterdeep Trading Company, ensuring that every initiative is properly planned, every cost is tracked, and every project delivers its results within budget and on schedule.