Cost Assessment & Settlement Program
Automate cost center assessment postings and lighten the period-end load.
What problem does it solve?
Cost center assessment postings are repeated manually each period; with allocation keys, correct sequencing and checks done by hand, they are time-consuming and error-prone.
How does the solution work?
Conforcus's program generates cost center assessment and distribution postings automatically by defined rules, runs them in the right order and keeps results traceable.
What changes in practice?
The program runs on top of the assessment and distribution cycles in CO cost center accounting. Each cycle is made up of segments; a segment defines the sending cost centers, the receivers and the allocation key by which shares are calculated. At period end the program takes these cycles in the defined order, generates the postings automatically and then verifies the results. The user selects the period and starts a single run; which cycle has been posted, and how much was moved from which sender to which receiver, can be followed in the same place.
For the cost accounting team, period end is no longer about starting cycles individually and checking sequence and amounts by hand; the team spends its time on keeping allocation keys current and on interpreting results. Since the keys are applied from the same definition every period, comparisons across periods stay consistent. Cost center owners can see which cost center an assessed amount came from and by which key, so objections are discussed on concrete data. A new cost center or a changed allocation share is carried into the next period by updating the relevant segment definition.
Benefits
- Repetitive assessment postings in one automated run
- Consistent allocation keys, traceable results
- Period-end assessment load drops from hours to minutes
Where it sits in SAP
Integrated with CO cost center accounting; posts assessment/distribution cycles and segments automatically with defined allocation keys and verifies results. Production-proven, built on CO expertise.
Who it is for: Cost Accounting Manager, Cost Center Owners, CFO
Frequently asked questions
Standard SAP already has assessment and distribution; what does the program add?
Assessment and distribution are carried out with the standard cycle and segment structure of CO cost center accounting, and the program works on top of that structure. What it adds is generating the postings that recur every period automatically by defined rules in a single run, executing the cycles in the correct order and verifying the results. Assessment stops being a series of transactions started and checked by hand each period.
How do we define which cost center is assessed to which receiver and by which key, and what happens when the organization changes?
The rules are defined at cycle and segment level: each segment specifies the sending cost centers, the receivers and the allocation key to be used. Because the program relies on these definitions every period, keys are applied consistently from period to period. When a new cost center is created or the organization changes, the relevant segment definition is updated and the next run uses the current definition.
Why does the order of the cycles matter, and how does the program check the results?
If a cost center receives a share from other cost centers before passing on its own costs, the order of the cycles directly affects the result; running them in the wrong order leaves part of the cost on the sender. The program executes the cycles in the defined order and verifies the results after posting. Since it is traceable how much was moved from which sender to which receiver, questions from cost center owners are answered from the same result.