Recommended PSA Admin Best Practices

FinancialForce PSA Community : Provides product updates, discussions, and Q & A .

Trailhead Modules : Helps admins stay certified and learn new skills .

Release Previews & Webinars : Covers upcoming changes, best practices, and new tools .

PSA Documentation : Includes release notes, feature console changes, and support guides .

Why Not Other Options?

Option A (SF User Group Instead of Trailhead) : Trailhead is directly tied to PSA product updates , while SF User Groups focus more on general Salesforce topics .

Option C (FinancialForceX Summit Events) : While valuable, they are not the primary source for ongoing PSA updates.

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide Fall 20 (2).pdf , Page 134-137​.

References:

Understanding Utilization Calculation and Holidays

The Utilization Calculation process considers various factors, including work calendars and holidays.

The default behavior is to subtract holidays from the total work hours when computing utilization. This is controlled by the Configuration Option : "subtract-holidays-from-total-hours = true" .

If the company does not want PSA to subtract holidays automatically, this setting must be changed to false ​.

How to Change This Setting

Step 1: Open the App Launcher in Salesforce.

Step 2: Navigate to Configuration Groups .

Step 3: Select "Utilization" from the list of configuration groups.

Step 4: Locate the option "subtract holidays from total hours" .

Step 5: Set this value to false and save changes.

Why This Works?

By setting "subtract holidays from total hours" to false , PSA will stop deducting holidays from the available hours in the resource’s utilization calculation.

This is useful for companies that manage leave differently, such as through a global PTO project instead of deducting from standard hours.

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide Fall 20 (2).pdf , Page 117-118​.

References:

Step-by-Step Comprehensive Detailed Explanation

Understanding Work Calendars in Certinia PSA

Work calendars define the default number of hours per day and week that a resource is expected to work.

They are crucial for resource scheduling, utilization calculations, and capacity planning ​.

Every active PSA Resource must have an associated work calendar to allow project assignments.

Scenario Analysis

Your company has both full-time and part-time resources .

Full-time resources have a standard workweek (e.g., 40 hours per week).

Part-time resources have variable work hours but are estimated at 20 hours per week for planning purposes .

This means you need at least one calendar for full-time and one for part-time workers .

Why Option B is Correct

Creating a single full-time work calendar (e.g., 40 hours per week) covers all full-time employees.

Creating one part-time work calendar (e.g., 20 hours per week) provides a consistent framework for part-time resource planning​.

This approach ensures standardized reporting, scheduling, and forecasting without unnecessary complexity.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect

A. One full-time work calendar, and one work calendar for each unique part-time contract

This would require multiple work calendars for different part-time contracts , making resource scheduling overly complex.

Since management has agreed on an estimated 20 hours per week for all part-time workers, a single part-time work calendar suffices.

C. One full-time work calendar, one part-time work calendar, and one generic flexible work calendar

A flexible work calendar is not necessary if all part-time workers are estimated at 20 hours per week.

Work calendars should align with clear scheduling rules , not individual flexibility.

Implementation in PSA

Navigate to PSA - Admin App → Click Work Calendars tab.

Create the following calendars:

Full-Time Work Calendar : Set working hours to 40 per week.

Part-Time Work Calendar : Set working hours to 20 per week.

Assign the correct work calendar to each resource during onboarding.

References and Verified Certinia PSA Documentation

PSA Work Calendars Overview​.

Setting Up Work Calendars​.

Understanding PSA Resourcing Component Field Set

The PSA Resourcing Lightning Component displays a list of resources with key attributes such as name, role, availability, and cost rate.

The fields displayed are determined by a Field Set , which is a predefined group of fields configured on the Contact Object .

The "Default Cost Rate" column is controlled within the Field Set configuration .

How to Remove "Default Cost Rate" from the Component

Step 1: Navigate to Setup in Salesforce.

Step 2: Search for Object Manager and open it.

Step 3: Locate and select "Contact" object.

Step 4: Navigate to Field Sets under the Contact Object .

Step 5: Identify the Field Set used for the PSA Resourcing Component .

Step 6: Edit the Field Set and remove the "Default Cost Rate" field.

Step 7: Save changes and refresh the component in the Lightning App Builder.

Why This Works?

The Lightning Component dynamically retrieves its columns from the Field Set .

Removing the "Default Cost Rate" from the Field Set ensures it will no longer be displayed.

This prevents unauthorized users or managers from seeing cost-related data directly within the Resourcing Component.

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide Fall 20 (2).pdf , Page 85​.

References:

Issue: Missing Availability Column in Resource Planner

The Resource Planner displays resource availability, but missing settings can cause the column to disappear.

Cause 1: Resource Availability Column is Not Selected (Correct - Option B)

Step 1: Open the Resource Planner .

Step 2: Click on the Columns List settings.

Step 3: Ensure that "Resource Availability" is selected as one of the displayed columns.

Step 4: Save changes and refresh the planner.

Cause 2: Field-Level Access Restrictions (Correct - Option C)

Step 1: Navigate to Setup > Object Manager .

Step 2: Search for the Contact Object (which holds Resource Availability data).

Step 3: Go to Field-Level Security and check if "Resource Availability" is visible for managers.

Step 4: If necessary, update Field Permissions to grant access.

Incorrect Option (A: Utilization Ermine Setting)

There is no setting named "Utilization Ermine" under Utilization Custom Settings.

Utilization settings do impact availability calculations, but they do not hide the column from the Resource Planner .

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide Fall 20 (2).pdf , Pages 75-77​.

References:

Understanding Missing Timecards Notification in PSA:

PSA tracks missing timecards to ensure compliance with time entry policies.

The system can automatically notify resources who have not submitted their timecards​.

Options Analysis:

Option A: "Use the Missing Timecards Scheduled Job and Email Alert" ✅ Correct! PSA provides a scheduled job to detect missing timecards and send automated email alerts .

Option B: "Use the Time Variance Scheduled Job and Email Alert" ❌ Incorrect! Time Variance is used to compare planned vs actual hours worked.

Option C: "Use a Salesforce Report based on Monthly Estimate vs Actuals Records and subscribe the Resource to receive the report by email" ❌ Possible, but not the best method since it requires manual intervention.

Steps to Schedule Missing Timecards Notification:

Go to PSA Administration Tab .

Find Missing Timecards Scheduled Job .

Configure the job:

Week End Date: Auto-filled.

Include Sublevels: Yes (for hierarchical reporting).

Type: Last Week (ensures past week’s time compliance).

Schedule Frequency: Weekly (e.g., Monday 9 AM).

Set up an email alert template to notify employees.

Monitor missing timecards via reports.

References:

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide ​.

Understanding App Logs in PSA:

App Logs capture errors related to actuals, billings, timecard rollups, and other processes.

Excessive logs can cause system performance issues and should be cleaned up regularly​.

Options Analysis:

Option A: "PSA Administration" ✅ Correct! App Log Cleanup Job in PSA Administration allows bulk deletion of old logs​.

Option B: "System Administrator Workspace" ❌ Not specific to PSA logs.

Option C: "Backlog Details" ❌ Irrelevant; backlog pertains to revenue forecasting.

Steps to Delete App Logs in Bulk:

Navigate to PSA Administration .

Find App Log Cleanup Job .

Run the cleanup job to remove outdated logs.

Alternatively, use Dataloader.io for bulk deletion.

References:

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide ​.

Everything you need to know about FinancialForce Project Actuals ​.

If a Utilization Report is missing data for the last few weeks, consider these potential causes:

Problem:

Time Periods may be missing, duplicated, or incorrectly configured.

Solution:

Navigate to PSA Administration > Time Periods and verify that all expected time periods exist without duplicates or gaps .

Problem:

The scheduled Utilization Calculation job may have failed or stopped running.

Solution:

Navigate to Setup > Apex Jobs .

Check for errors or failures in the Utilization Calculation job .

If necessary, manually rerun the job to recalculate utilization.

C. "Estimates vs. Actuals" job failure is incorrect because it is unrelated to utilization calculations. It deals with project estimates compared to actual performance, not utilization tracking .

PSA System Administration Essentials ​

Utilization Calculation Troubleshooting Guide

1. Time Period Issues: 2. Utilization Calculation Job Failure: Incorrect Answer Explanation: References:

Understanding Skills and Certification Data Entry in PSA:

The Skills and Certification Lightning Component is used to manually enter skills and certifications for a resource.

System administrators must enable Skills and Certification Entry via Custom Settings > Permission Control Settings ​.

Options Analysis:

Option A: "You do not have the required Skills and Certification Entry Permission Set assigned to the resource" ❌ Incorrect. The issue is related to custom settings , not a missing permission set.

Option B: "You do not have the 'Allow Skills and Certification Entry' set to TRUE in the Custom Settings > Permission Control Settings" ✅ Correct! This setting must be enabled in Custom Settings for users to enter skills.

Option C: "You do not have the 'Skills and Certification Entry' Permission Control set to TRUE" ❌ Incorrect. Permission Controls manage region- or practice-based access but do not override global settings .

Steps to Enable Skills and Certification Entry:

Navigate to Setup → Custom Settings .

Locate Permission Control Settings .

Edit and enable "Allow Skills and Certification Entry" .

Save changes and test by attempting to enter skills for a resource.

References:

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide ​.

Understanding the "wksp_navigation" Error in PSA Workspaces:

The error occurs when a user does not have the necessary Apex Class permissions for the Project Management Workspace Navigation Component .

Options Analysis:

Option A: "Add the 'PSA Workspace Navigation Apex Class' Permission Set to the User" ❌ Incorrect. No such predefined permission set exists.

Option B: "Create a Permission Control for the user for 'Workspaces' for their Region, Practice, or Group" ❌ Incorrect. Permission controls manage regional access but do not grant access to Apex Classes.

Option C: "Add the Apex Class 'wksp_navigation' to the User's Permission Set or Profile" ✅ Correct! The missing access must be manually added via Profiles or Permission Sets ​.

Steps to Fix the Issue:

Navigate to Setup → Permission Sets .

Select the relevant Permission Set for affected users.

Click on Apex Class Access and add "wksp_navigation" .

Save and test workspace access.

References:

PSA Sys Admin Essentials Student Guide ​.