FAQ

Answers to the questions support hears most often.

Can I delete a user from a project if they logged an expense in that project?

Yes, the expense will be unaffected.

Do I need to appoint a primary project manager on every project?

No, leaving the role empty is safe. Without a primary, every person ticked as a project manager keeps receiving the project manager notifications and approval requests, exactly as before the role was introduced.

A primary is only worth appointing on a project with more than one project manager, where one named person should own the approvals and alerts. On a project with a single project manager, appointing them changes nothing. See set a primary project manager.

What are the data sources for Consult?

1. App input. For example, users entering data on the timesheets page.
2. Excel spreadsheets (import). Certain sections of Consult enable the import of data from an Excel spreadsheet.

What happens if I change the mileage rate during a project?

Only expenses created after the mileage rate update will use that mileage rate. Previous expenses will not be affected by the rate change.

What is the difference between “Reports to” and “Resource Manager”?

“Reports To”, configured at User > Overview, is the line manager of the user. This person will show up one level higher on the organogram, with the user being linked as a direct report. Typically, this would be the manager to whom the user reports.

The “Resource Manager” is the person responsible for approving requests to allocate the user to a project. This would typically be the same as the “Reports To” person, but can also be someone that is responsible for the resource utilisation of a particular division in a company.

What is the largest file I can upload?

Every upload in Consult is capped at 20 MB, which covers the following:

A file over the limit is refused with “The document may not be larger than 20 MB.” or “The attachment may not be larger than 20 MB.”, depending on where it was attached.

What is the “What’s new” pop-up?

It is how the Consult team tells you what has changed in the app, replacing the release-note emails that used to be sent.

The sparkles icon in the top navigation opens it at any time, and carries a red count of the updates you have not read yet. When there is something new, it also opens on its own the first time you load Consult in a browser session.

Each update shows a New chip, the date it was published, and the update itself. Click Got it to mark everything in the pop-up as read, which clears the count. Once you are up to date, opening it from the icon reads “You’re all caught up.”.

Note: Updates are written and published by the Consult team, so there is nothing for an administrator to configure. They reach every organisation at the same time.

Why can’t I edit my expense report?

It is most likely because it is not in draft. Expenses in approved or paid status can’t be edited.

Why can’t I capture hours on my timesheet?

Greyed-out cells have a handful of common causes:

• You are part of a pending resource allocation request for that project and week. This is evidenced by an orange clock next to the project name in the timesheet. Resolution: Ask your resource manager to approve or reject the resource allocation request.
• An invoice for that period has been created with Lock Hours selected. This typically happens when a project has a regular invoicing schedule and you are trying to add hours after the invoicing period. Resolution: Ask your project manager what they would prefer. If they want you to still capture the hours during that invoice period, they would have to deselect the Lock Hours option for that invoice until you have captured your hours, then lock it again.
• The project end date has been reached. Resolution: If your project manager wants you to capture hours for that period, they would have to update the project’s end date.
• You have reached your allotted hours on the project and your project manager has locked your role to prevent exceeding the forecast hours. Resolution: Ask your project manager to allocate more hours for you. Alternatively, they can turn off hour management to allow you to exceed your total forecast hours on the project.
• Your timesheet has been submitted or approved. Resolution: If your timesheet has been submitted, ask your resource manager to decline the approval request if you still want to add hours. If your timesheet has been approved, ask your resource manager to reopen it, which lets you edit and resubmit that week.
• You don’t have any deliverables assigned to you, for WBS projects. Resolution: Ask your project manager to assign deliverables to you.
• Your role on the project has been archived, which is shown by a greyed-out row with an Archived badge. Capturing hours against it is refused with “This project resource has been archived.”. Resolution: Ask your project manager to unarchive it if you still need to capture hours on that project.

Why do I get There was an error on row 2. The name field is required. when I upload my public holidays?

This is likely due to Excel automatically formatting the CSV in such a way that it doesn’t remain a pure CSV anymore. The public holidays import guide in the admin settings documentation covers the steps to solve this.

Why do I see a different group of people on my list of resources and my resource organogram?

Your resource organogram is created using only the resources for which you are the primary resource manager, whereas your list of resources includes those for which you are not the primary resource manager.

Why does my invoice say “Removed in Xero”?

The invoice was deleted or voided in Xero after it was exported. Consult returns it to Created and removes the link to Xero, so it can be edited and exported again if needed.

Why hasn’t my invoice updated after a payment in Xero?

Xero tells Consult about payments as they happen, but an open invoice page does not refresh itself, so reload the page. Bear in mind that an invoice exported from Consult starts as a draft in Xero, and only shows as sent once it has been approved there.

Why hasn’t my leave balance gone up?

Monthly accrual is added on the first of each month, and nothing is added where:

• Your start date has not yet arrived.
• Your balance has reached the Max Accrued Amount (Optional) limit set for the leave type.

Why is Consult running slowly?

Consult may feel slow because of stored cache data in your browser affecting its performance. Clearing your browser cache usually resolves this issue.

Why was my timesheet submitted when I did not submit it?

Every Thursday at 12:30, Consult submits the timesheet of anyone whose working days that week are all covered by leave or public holidays, so there is nothing for them to do. Your resource manager is told it was submitted automatically, and approves it in the usual way.