Final answer:
A process cost summary is a tool used in cost accounting to summarize the four steps of process costing: total costs charged to the department, physical flow of units, equivalent units of production, and cost flow of units.
Step-by-step explanation:
A process cost summary is a tool used in cost accounting to summarize the four steps of process costing. These steps include:
- Total costs charged to the department: This step involves recording and accumulating all costs incurred in the production process, such as direct materials, direct labor, and factory overhead.
- Physical flow of units: This step tracks the movement of units through the various stages of production, from raw materials to finished goods.
- Equivalent units of production: This step calculates the number of partially completed units in terms of fully completed units, taking into account the stage of completion.
- Cost flow of units: This step assigns costs to the completed and partially completed units based on the equivalent units of production.