What method will allow Jay to monitor the budget for each project and see a summarized view across projects?

Creating a custom field and setting up a roll-up is an effective method for Jay to monitor the budget for each project while also gaining a summarized view across all projects. This approach allows for the systematic gathering and organization of budget-related data, which can then be aggregated into a consolidated summary.

Custom fields can be tailored to capture specific budget components for each project, such as estimated costs, actual expenditures, and remaining budget. The roll-up functionality then aggregates these figures into a higher-level view, enabling Jay to track the overall financial status across multiple projects efficiently. This type of dynamic reporting provides real-time insights and better decision-making capabilities regarding resource allocation and project prioritization.

In contrast, while creating a budget report would offer insights on individual projects, it might not provide the synthesized overview across all projects that a roll-up would deliver. A shared spreadsheet could lead to a disorganized data structure, making it challenging to maintain accuracy and visibility. Tracking expenses manually is time-consuming and prone to errors, making it an inefficient method for budget monitoring against the available options. Thus, utilizing a custom field with roll-up functions stands out as the most effective strategy for comprehensive budget oversight.