What are projects?
Projects represent fixed-scope work with:- Defined scope - Clear deliverables and objectives
- Budgeted phases - Design, development, or custom phases with allocated time
- Task-based workflow - Break work into manageable tasks
- Progress tracking - Monitor completion against budget
- Client sign-off - UAT tracking for client approval
Projects are separate from retainer work. Use projects for larger fixed-bid initiatives and the schedule for ongoing retainer work.
Project components
Basic information
Every project includes:- Title - Project name
- Client - Associated client
- Project Manager - Assigned PM (optional)
- Target completion date - Expected delivery date
- Status - Current project status
- Progress - Overall completion percentage
Phases
Projects are organized into phases:- Design - UI/UX, visual assets, creative work
- Development - Code, features, technical implementation
- Custom phases - Any other work groups you need
- Budgeted phases - Have allocated time (days) and QA budget
- Non-budgeted phases - No time allocation, just organization
Tasks
Each phase contains tasks:- Individual work items
- Assigned to team members
- Tracked through workflow statuses
- Time logged against tasks
- Schedules with start/end dates
Project statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Active | Currently in progress |
| On Hold | Paused temporarily |
| Completed | All work finished |
| Archived | Closed and archived |
Creating projects
Who can create
Users with project creation permissions:- Project Managers
- Managers
- Admins
What you need
Required:- Project title
- Client selection
- Assigned PM
- PM allocated time (days sold for PM work)
- Target completion date
- Initial phases (Design, Development, or both)
Phase setup
For each phase you can specify:- Phase name (Design, Development, or custom)
- Allocated days (quoted work time)
- QA days (testing budget)
- Whether phase is budgeted
- Design: 25 days allocated + 5 days QA
- Development: 35 days allocated + 5 days QA
Viewing projects
Projects list
The main projects page shows all projects as cards:- Project title and client
- Status badge
- Progress percentage
- Target completion date
- Assigned PM
Filtering
Filter projects by:- Status (active, on hold, completed, archived)
- Client
- Assigned PM
Project detail view
View options
Two ways to view project tasks: List view:- Tasks grouped by phase
- Table format with all details
- Drag to reorder tasks
- Bulk actions available
- Quick inline editing
- Kanban-style columns by status
- Visual task flow
- Drag tasks between statuses
- Focused on task progression
Phase groups
Each phase shows:- Phase name (editable)
- Task count
- Add new tasks within phase
- Reorder phases (move up/down)
- Delete phase (also deletes tasks)
Progress tracking
Task-level progress
Task statuses:- Not Scheduled - Not yet planned
- Scheduled - Dates assigned
- In Progress - Work started
- Awaiting Review - Submitted for review
- Complete - Finished
Phase progress
Calculated from task completion:- Based on tasks marked complete
- Updates automatically
- Shows percentage per phase
Project progress
Overall project progress:- Weighted average across budgeted phases
- 0-100% completion
- Visible on project card and detail page
Only budgeted phases contribute to project progress calculation.
Who sees what
Access by role
Project Managers:- See all projects
- Create and manage projects
- Assign tasks
- Mark tasks complete
- See projects they’re assigned to
- View their tasks
- Update task status
- Log time
- See all projects
- Full management capabilities
- Activity log access
- See projects for their clients
- View-only access
- Cannot manage tasks
Common workflows
Starting a new project
1
Create project
Add project with title, client, phases
2
Set up phases
Configure budgeted phases with allocated time
3
Add tasks
Break work into tasks within each phase
4
Assign team
Assign tasks to team members
5
Schedule work
Add start and end dates to tasks
Working on tasks
1
Start task
Change status from Scheduled to In Progress
2
Log time
Record time spent on the task
3
Submit for review
Complete work and submit (In Progress → Awaiting Review)
4
PM approval
PM marks task complete after review
Client UAT tracking
Projects support client sign-off tracking:- Pending - Not yet ready for client
- In Review - Client reviewing
- Approved - Client approved
Time tracking
Logging time on tasks
Time can be logged:- When marking task complete
- Via “Log Time” action
- Retrospectively for any date
Aggregation
Time logged rolls up:- Task → Phase actual minutes
- Phases → Project total
- Compared against budgeted time
Viewing budget vs actual
Each phase shows:- Allocated minutes (quoted)
- QA minutes (testing budget)
- Actual minutes (time logged)
- Overage indication
Best practices
Right-size tasks
Break work into tasks that take 1-3 days maximum
Budget realistically
Include QA time in phase budgets
Assign early
Assign tasks to team members upfront for capacity planning
Log time promptly
Record time daily to track budget accurately
Use phases wisely
Only make phases budgeted if they have quoted time
Track sign-offs
Use client sign-off status for UAT tracking