Invoicing & Payment Operations Guideline
Department
Table of Contents
Purpose
This guideline defines how Kiluth issues invoices and confirms payments in a way that is fast, factual, and linkable from Asana.
| Outcome |
|---|
| Everyone can answer “has the client paid?” with a clear Finance confirmation and a timestamped Asana record. |
Scope
This guideline covers:
| Included | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Issuing invoices (service fee, deposit, milestones, final) |
| 2 | Confirming receipt of payment (Finance = source of truth) |
| 3 | How payment confirmation is recorded in Asana |
| 4 | Recording incomes and expenses in ERPNext (via Technology as the data entry operator) |
This guideline does not define sales negotiations or contractual terms drafting. Those live in Account Management and Legal docs.
Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Service fee | A paid fee required before PM starts detailed estimation and AE starts proposal review work |
| Deposit | Initial payment required before activation/kickoff (default: required for all deals) |
| Milestone invoice | An invoice triggered by a contract milestone (only if defined in contract) |
| Final invoice | An invoice triggered by final acceptance/closure (only if defined in contract) |
| Finance confirmation | A Finance statement that payment is received (date/time) |
| Third-party cost | A cost paid to an external vendor for this project (e.g., domain, hosting, SaaS tools) |
| Reimbursable expense | A third-party cost that Kiluth pays first, then invoices the client (only if agreed in writing) |
| ERPNext record | An ERPNext entry that reflects an income or expense that occurred (with supporting reference link) |
Operating Model
| Operating Model | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Asana is the system of record for work tracking, approvals, and handoffs. |
| 2 | Use checkpoints and decision points: don’t move forward until the previous step is “done”, and branches are explicit. |
| 3 | Handoff order: upstream defines handoff artifacts/exit criteria; downstream defines execution after handoff. |
Payment Types (Kiluth Defaults)
| Payment type | Default rule |
|---|---|
| Service fee | Invoice + payment confirmed before detailed estimation starts (when service fee is used) |
| Deposit | Invoice + payment confirmed before activation/kickoff (required for all deals) |
| Milestones / final | Only used when the signed contract explicitly defines them |
| Third-party costs | Case-by-case (AE decides). Only proceed when the cost owner + payment method + client agreement are written in Asana (linkable) |
If deposit is delayed: do not activate the project and do not run kickoff. (AE owns client follow-up + status updates.)
Other Purchases (Domains, Hosting, Services)
If the project requires third-party purchases (domains, hosting, SaaS services):
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Do not purchase until the cost owner and payment method are written in Asana (and linkable). |
| 2 | Default: AE decides case-by-case. Write the decision in Asana and link the supporting proof (email or signed doc, depending on contract sensitivity). |
| 3 | If Kiluth pays first (reimbursable), the reimbursement approach must be agreed in writing and linked. |
Step-by-Step: Issue Invoice
| Step | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sales/AE requests Finance to issue an invoice via Asana (template below) | Sales/AE |
| 2 | Finance issues the invoice and attaches/links it in the Finance task | Finance |
| 3 | Finance replies in the task with invoice number + issued date | Finance |
| 4 | Sales sends invoice to client and tracks payment | Sales |
Checkpoint: proceed only when:
| Exit criteria | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Invoice link exists in Asana |
| 2 | Invoice number + issued date are written in the task |
Step-by-Step: Confirm Payment (Deposit)
Rule:
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Finance is the source of truth for “deposit received”. |
| 2 | Sales records it in Asana via a comment that includes Finance confirmation + date, and must @mention Finance or have Finance reply in-thread. |
Flow:
| Step | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Client pays deposit | Client |
| 2 | Finance confirms receipt (internally) | Finance |
| 3 | Sales records confirmation in Asana via comment: confirmation + date, and @mentions Finance (or Finance replies) | Sales |
Checkpoint: proceed to activation/kickoff only when:
| Exit criteria | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Deposit is confirmed by Finance |
| 2 | The Asana comment exists with confirmation + date (and Finance is @mentioned or replied) |
Step-by-Step: Request Third-Party Purchase (Domains/Hosting/Tools)
| Step | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create a purchase request task using the template below | PM / AE / Technology |
| 2 | Confirm who pays (client direct / Kiluth direct / reimbursable) and link the written agreement | AE |
| 3 | Finance executes the purchase/payment (or supports client payment instructions) | Finance |
| 4 | Record proof: receipt/invoice link + date in the task | Finance |
Checkpoint: proceed only when:
| Exit criteria | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Payment method + cost owner are explicit in the task |
| 2 | Written agreement link exists (when client pays or reimburses) |
| 3 | Receipt/invoice link exists after purchase |
Step-by-Step: Record Income/Expense in ERPNext
Rule:
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Finance owns correctness of the income/expense information. |
| 2 | Technology owns keying it into ERPNext (Finance assigns Technology via Asana, similar to Sales requesting project opening). |
Flow:
| Step | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create an ERPNext recording task using the template below | Finance |
| 2 | Attach/link the supporting proof (invoice, receipt, bank confirmation, contract reference) | Finance |
| 3 | Technology keys the income/expense into ERPNext and replies with the ERPNext reference | Technology |
| 4 | Finance reviews and marks the task complete | Finance |
Checkpoint: proceed only when:
| Exit criteria | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Supporting proof link exists in the task |
| 2 | ERPNext reference exists (ID/link/screenshot) |
Asana Templates
Asana Card Template: Issue invoice (Finance)
| Asana Card Template | |
|---|---|
| Title | Issue invoice – [Client Name] – [Project Title] – [Service fee / Deposit / Milestone / Final] |
| Assignee | Finance |
| Description | Please issue an invoice for this project. References • Deal/project context: [Link] • Signed contract (if applicable): [Link] Invoice details (facts) • Invoice type: [Service fee / Deposit / Milestone / Final] • Amount: [Amount] • Due date: [Date] • Payment terms reference: [Contract section/link] • Billing entity details: [As provided by Sales] Output • Invoice link/file: [Link] • Invoice number: [Number] • Issued date: [YYYY-MM-DD] |
Comment template: Deposit confirmation (Sales)
Use this as a comment in the relevant Asana task:
| Template | |
|---|---|
| Comment | Deposit received – confirmed by Finance. Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Ref: [Optional invoice number / transaction ref] @Finance |
Asana Card Template: Third-party purchase request (Finance)
| Asana Card Template | |
|---|---|
| Title | Third-party purchase request – [Client Name] – [Project Title] – [Item] |
| Assignee | Finance |
| Description | Please help execute a third-party purchase for this project. Item • Item/service: [Domain / hosting / SaaS / other] • Vendor: [Name] • Amount + currency: [Amount] • Billing cycle: [One-time / monthly / yearly] Who pays • Payment method: Client direct / Kiluth direct / Reimbursable (Kiluth pays first) • Written agreement link (required when client pays or reimburses): [Link] Need-by date: [Date] Output • Receipt/invoice link: [Link] • Paid date: [YYYY-MM-DD] |
Asana Card Template: Record income/expense in ERPNext (Technology)
| Asana Card Template | |
|---|---|
| Title | Record income/expense in ERPNext – [Client Name] – [Project Title] – [Short] |
| Assignee | Technology team |
| Description | Please record this income/expense in ERPNext. Type: Income / Expense Amount: [Amount + currency] Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Reference links (required) • Invoice/receipt/bank confirmation: [Link] • Contract/payment terms (if relevant): [Link] • Project ID (if relevant): [PROJ-XXXX / Link] Output • ERPNext record reference: [ID/link/screenshot] Proceed when the ERPNext reference is provided in this task. |
Checklist (Finance Use)
| Checklist | |
|---|---|
| 1 | ☐ Invoice request has enough facts (client, amount, type, due date, reference link) |
| 2 | ☐ Invoice link/file is attached/linked in Asana |
| 3 | ☐ Invoice number + issued date are written in Asana |
| 4 | ☐ Payment confirmation (when asked) includes date/time and references the invoice number when possible |
| 5 | ☐ Income/expense ERPNext record exists when money moved (supporting proof link + ERPNext reference) |