Traceability The relationship of costs to cost objects should be exploited to increase the accuracy of cost assignments. Cost are directly or indirectly associated with cost objects. Indirect costs are cost that cannot be easily and accurately and accurately traced to a cost object. Direct costs are those costs that can be easily and accurately traced to a cost object. “Easily traced” means that the costs can be assigned in an economically feasible way, while” accurately traced” means that the costs are assigned using a cause-and-effect relationship. Thus, traceability is simply the ability to assign cost to a cost object in an economically feasible way by means of a cause-and effect relationship. The more costs that can be traced to the object, the greater the accuracy of the cost assignments. Establishing traceability is fundamental in building accurate cost assignments.
It is possible for a particular cost item to be classified as both a direct cost and an indirect cost. Management accounting systems typically deal with many cost objects. It all depends on which cost object is the point of reference. For example, if a hospital is the costs object, then the cost of heating and cooling the hospital is a direct cost. However, if the cost object is a surgical procedure performed in the hospital, then this utility cost is an indirect cost.
Methods of Tracing
Traceability means that costs can be assigned easily and accurately,