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Martin Zralý:COST CONTROL

Department of Enterprise Management and EconomicsFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague

martin.zraly@fs.cvut.cz

Prague 11/2010

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What is it about ?

§ Subjects of Cost Control§ Information areas linked with Cost Control§ Budgeting - principal notes + relationships§ Costing - principal notes + relationships + recent

development§ Hour Cost Tariffs (HCT) Method principal notes +

applications§ Example: Application of Contribution Margin + HCT-Method

in Costing structure§ Final Conclusions to Cost Control

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Subjects of Cost Control

What are the basic subjects (entities), to which the costs are linked?

Products (incl. services) (set of products, product’s group)

Processes: productive + supportive

Activities (= as parts of processes or autonomous ones)

Projects

Resources:HumanTangible and Intangible Finance

Departments (Centres)

All of then join technical and financial features in mutual interaction

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Information areas (agenda) directly linked with Cost Budgeting, namely Operating budgeting

Costing

Accounting, namely Internal Accounting (on entities)

Financial and Investment Calculations

Operative recording (non-financial measures): time, capacity utilization, quantity, …

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Basic practical principles of the Oper-budget application 1/2

Budget is primarily about Activities and Processes !!:Figures of Costs + Revenues are only the consequence

(BUT important!) of the decision which Activities to do and in which way Activities (processes) to do

Budget = a trivial matter ??

It is about, what I (= manager) do. Do I know it? YES? Then: No problem to create the budget ! The budget creating put the questions, which are useful (needed) for

deeper understanding of Activities within the department or process: Do I know, what is the utility of it ? Revenues (Incomes) Do I know, how much does it cost ? Costs (Expenditures)

+ Summary the ANSWERS.

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2/2 Budget = complex matter. It concerns on:

Content and providing of Activities and Processes and their measurement (indicators has to be determined)

Needed resources: Workers (staff), machines, equipment, software, … Costs and Revenues Future (half a year, one year, two or more years), Close future = rest of

the period (Expected Actual) and Actual Budget = Important element of Enterprise control

see previous point  Budget is also about to establish positive and stable conditions for

activities (rules, standards, agreements, …)

Budget is also about to searching of the most suitable way, how to provide activities (worker’s skill + training + equipment, activities outsourcing or license, …)

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  Costs and Revenues are only Consequences of Activities and Processes applied

After the targets are given and the set of activities is quite obvious, Costs + Revenues (C + R) can be determined

Also on the contrary: According to targeted size of C + R the changes (or alternatives) of the activities are made (searched) Feedback (feedback cycle)

C + R are the consequence of the decision-making about the way of activities providing: Purchase, by own means, outsourcing, way of financing, …and other agreements conditions

C + R are the significant result of Activities selection – they link technical and economic process point of view !!! (Do we fix C + R ?? WE has to try it again and again) (see also: Manager’s responsibility)

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  Oper-Budget and Activity Based Management (ABM) 1/2

ABM = natural conclusion to managerial philosophy based on Activity as principal building item in Management Control:

To two basic lines of Enterprise control (Products + Departments) is added the third: = Activities

Activities are, what produce (or support producing) products (and revenues), what is done in the departments and what consume costs

That's why: ACTIVITIES (PROCESSES) has to be controlled

Problem: By detailed decomposition into Activities, they are hundreds, but rather thousands Laboriousness (to plan, to record, to evaluate them!!) How effective the result is?

Recommendation: To apply Methodology Activities Set for Product Sets (AS/PS)

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The Entities priority in Enterprise Control is changing: 2/2

Products are primary Towards Products the Processes, resp. Activities are considered: 

? Which Activities (A) (Processes (P)) are needed (necessary) ? ? In which scope ? ? How to do them (own or purchased)? etc.

Departments (org. structure) has to be tailored to both previous it tends to flexible org. structure, to flexible modification to A + P  

The Role of Activities in Enterprise Control Entities: Activities: mostly a part of other Entity (process, dptm., functional area)

BUT also an autonomous entity Processes = relevant and chronological sequence of activities, mostly targeted to

some partial or final product Products: are developed due to activities (processes) Set of Activities = targeted grouping of Activities for specific Set of Products Departments = organizational systemization (arrangement) of Resources and

Activities Functional areas (product development, production, purchase, etc.): are realized

by Activities

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Oper-budget creation 1/2

Budget is about Activities and Processes then it has to be of a different form in each Enterprise and created in an different way (and evaluated in another way)

Budget creation: Long-term and multi-circle process. WHY? Is linked to the Strategy (e.g. by BSC), particularly to the perspective of

Internal processes Objectives + Targets + Process conditions In large companies: 1. version of annual budget is get ready at the end of

3/201x Creation is an continuous process: The essential factors are respected Systematic, no one step process To respect essential budgetary factors needs time for balancing and argued It offers time to ensure external partnerships (services, parts, …)

Importance of existence the plan in technical units (pcs, hours, m3, GJ) The starting point for budget creation is mostly the agreed annual

business plan

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2/2

Consensus on Budget is required

Cooperation of all staff is necessary

Preparation of agreements on services, deliveries, …is a part of budget creation process. It is necessary for credibility and stability of the budget

Budget 1.step: Balancing of internal services + tariffs

Budget = Basic part of Enterprise motivation system

To set up correctly the consolidation rules

Breakdown into months is necessary (it affect to higher accuracy, it is needed due to monthly evaluation, relationships to Cash-Flow, Costing, …)

Necessity of budget creation procedure description (steps, time schedule, responsibility, …)

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Oper-budget Evaluation Regularly and a consistently (monthly) - in advanced stated date

Managers monitors the budget size continuously during the whole month

Superior manager has to take a part in evaluation ( Decisions are made immediately)

The values of current period and cumulated values are evaluated

Application of Expected Actual Value (EAV) (forecast)

Necessity: To have on disposal supportive recordings (time, capacity, …consumption) and other information

Expected future difficulties are considered, too

Result of evaluation:

Budget confirmation or decisions making about changes (in activities, figures) EAV

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Expected Actual Values and Overhead Tariffs Expected Actual Values

= Tool for updating budget (fitting it to contemporary situation) = Actual value up to this time point + (possibly) update for the rest of

period (year) Rules has to be accepted for EAV application (Budget updating) Purpose: To control under real (not fictive) conditions and targets

Cost Tariffs (of the centres, activities, …) They appreciates cost level of activities, processes, … The link the cost to capacity !!! The significance is growing, because the price of resources capacity is

growing (of equipment, staff, …) Application for activities evaluation and appreciation (motivation)

Hour Cost Tariffs (HCT) Method The controlling evaluation of decisive factors influence is on disposal

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Why the Head Manager has to be responsible for the Budget ?

Because the Budget is about Activities and Processes : Who else should be responsible for Activities and Processes and their

development ?

Budget is linked with the resources utilization, i.e. with:

Staff (workers) (number of them, their activities, skills, salaries)

Equipment (machines, tools, …)

Process conditions

Consumed services

Cooperation internal + external

Because the Budget is about Technical and Financial aspects (Costs + Returns) of processes (activities)

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Decalogue of budgeting practice 1/2

Budget is firstly about Activities and Processes and then subsequently about C + R

Budget is something like the Company Low

Budget is the control tool of primary importance for all levels of enterprise control hierarchy (from top to down)

Enterprise (master) budget = linked set of budgets

Budget creation = define contents and conditions of activities for the next period

Budget creation = Long-term and multi-circle process: Enough time is necessary for carefully budget preparation

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2/2

Budget evaluation: Regularly and a consistently

Required: To apply the Expected Actual Values technique

Close relationships to the other information sets in enterprise (Accounting, Costing, Technical recordings (mostly to hour-recordings (!!)), Investment and Financial calculations, and to other control tools (BSC, ABM, Process control, Target costing, …)

Required: Existence and a regular updating of standards linked with budget procedures (budget standards)

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Costing 1/10

Costing = To allocate in an acceptable way the cost to the cost driver in: production process sales process development process ……

in an acceptable way ?? accurate is not achievable, BUT mostly it can be done in an acceptable way

(accurate: only for direct cost !!) acceptable = trustworthy for managerial use

cost driver ?? one piece or multiplying of pieces production order particular activity business case (order) … …

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Costing 2/10

Costing - what are key factors? cost (cost identification, type of cost: direct, indirect, fixed, variable, …) cost drivers (identification, which one or which structure of them is used) allocation / no allocation to cost drivers

or partial allocation Absorption Costing x Variable costing capacity (of process, resources, …) utilization revenues (expected, planned) as starting point for calculation ( variable

costing)

What kind of Costing - (time point of view)? planned (pre-costing) operational costing actual (final) costing proposal costing (for submit an offer for order) Target Costing

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Costing 3/10

Costing - approaches: Absorption Costing Variable Costing

Costing - methods and techniques: Hour cost tariff (HCT) method Surcharge Costing (= additional cost charges according selected cost

driver) Standard Costing Activity Based Costing ….. In practice: combination of different methods and techniques

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Costing 4/10

Planned Costing (pre-costing): WHY? For each product or even a its innovation or changes has to be

calculated its costs in advance and make comparison with potential price

resp. To design product in such a way, that its total costs will be lower then in advance given COST TARGET (Target Costing), i.e. product will bring required size of CM, resp. size of profit

If TARGET is not kept, the product has to be redesigned with respect to the COST TARGET (cost limit). Otherwise not start the production!

Final (actual) Costing: WHY? It normally do not influence the agreed price, BUT it is necessarily for: Assessment of size and METHODOLOGY of planned (PL) Costing

(learning) Reward/not reward due to keeping/not keeping PL-Costing.

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Costing 5/10

Topical (and most frequent) are application of: Hour Cost Tariff (HCT) Method Variable Costing (Contribution Margin application) mostly in interrelated applications.

Application of Variable Costing (Contribution Margin (CM)) (usually Multi-level Contribution margin alternative (3-10) levels) - see Model-3P By creating of aggregate annual plan (total CM) By product (service) costing (total or per unit) By business orders (total and per unit) In assessment of salesman (instead or together with return) In assessment of heads of dptm. In assessment of customers ….

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Costing 6/10

HCT-Method applications are in particular contributive in areas as: All kind of services Technical activities and dptms. (Development, Project, Pre-production,

Programming, etc.) Production activities and dptms. (if more expensive even for workplaces) Post-production activities and dptms. (Packaging, dispatching, etc.) Assessment of cooperation and make / buy projects assessment.

Reason: It interrelated time costs with time expression of resource capacity!!+ see Integrative ability and integrative consequences of HCT-Method

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HCT-Method: Cost-Capacity assessment of the entity Product costing (incl. services) Motivation rewards

Entity (subject) on which the HCT can be applied:Department or center WorkplaceMachine or EquipmentActivity ( Activity Based Management)Process ( Process Control)Worker (research, technician, office, manual, …)

 

 Indirect cost: ICHCT = i=1..n (HCTi ti )

Total product cost: TC = DC + ICHCT

Hour Cost Tariffs (HCT, HOT) Method 1/3

[hours][CK] CAP IC HCT

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(1) Basic: HCT (one value) for entity (subject)(centre, workplace, activity, process, …)

(2) Items: HOT is itemized into more partial Cost-items Examples: Depreciations (leasing-payments), Personal-costs, Material-costs,

Costs of maintenance, Space-costs, Costs of energy, Other costsPurpose of the itemizing: To gain information about the size and

development of the partial cost items

(3) Vertical (hierarchical):

HOT is itemized according to vertical enterprise structure Example: Workplace (machine) - Centre

(4) Controlling:

The factors causes difference HCTAC - HCTPL are determinedPurpose: To trace the influence of factors on the HCT difference

HCT Method - Method’s Alternatives 2/3

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WHY to apply?? It includes TIME (capacity in time expression, time consumed by …) It links budgets of IC + Capacity plan (in mutual interaction) Reasonably stated hour cost of resources (machines, workers) for expected

capacity utilization Indirect Cost (IC), which are mostly time costs, allocate to product according

to the cost consumption (NOT according to the Direct Cost!!!) Easy and trustworthy cost calculation /product by changes of parameters of

product or process (e.g.: purchase of new machine) Easy alternative planned calculations for different capacity utilization For motivation reward executives + staff Direct link with Activities ( Activity Based Management)

E.g.: Offer very accurate calculation for insourcing or outsourcing of Activities, for cooperation calculations

Direct link with Processes ( Process management) It is simple, it works with commonly used data + ……...

HCT Method - purpose and application 3/3

Example: Application of Contribution Margin + HCT-Method in Costing structure: Price simulation + Target Costing application (TC)

+ Price (Revenues) (utility features, brand, competitive situation, ...)- Profit- Sales margin- CM / (for) common overhead (exec., admin., marketing, IT network, …)= Production + Pre-production + Post-production Costs (Direct + Indirect)- CM / product development (HCT) (contribution margin to dptm-cost)- CM / techn. preparation of production, incl. tools, prototypes, … (HCT)

- CM / guarantee reparation (part. HCT)

- CM / …. …. according to specific situation in enterprise - CM / launching to market (to cover product mktg. costs)= Production + other costs

- Another Direct pre-production, production, post-production (e.g. packing) costs = Indirect production costs (HCT)

Conclusion: By application of TC, the minimizing of time/unit consumption + maximizing of capacity utilization.

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Final Conclusions to Cost Control (FCCC-1)

If you want to effect Costs, you has to effect on Activities the Cost Control = requires to control Activities

(1) Which Activities (lean point of view) are really needed to be applied to produce PRODUCTS + necessary to support key processes needed for producing products(2) Activities: In which way to realize the Activities

which kind of Activities (to substitute ACT with other kind of ACT?)make or buyor in cooperation (mix of make + buy)

Under which conditions In which scope

ABC = Activity Based Costing (!!! but what does it mean actually?)