This article describes functionality of our new project module. This module is being rolled out gradually in the upcoming months, so it is possible you do not have access to the features described here yet. If that is the case, you can still find documentation on the previous project module here.

The project module in Teamleader Focus allows you to create, organise and monitor your projects from start to finish. You can break down complex tasks into manageable components, set deadlines, assign responsibilities, and track progress—all in one place. Read all about it here.

The project module

In the realm of productivity and efficient task management, having a comprehensive system to organise and track projects is essential. By adding a project, you establish a dedicated space where you can outline project goals, define specific tasks, allocate resources accordingly or add materials. This not only helps you gain a clear understanding of the project scope but also enables you to identify potential roadblocks or areas that require additional attention.

You can also stay up to date with time management. By setting deadlines for individual groups, tasks or materials within the project, you can effectively manage your time, prioritise activities, and ensure that important tasks are met in a timely manner.

How To

You can create a project from scratch or you can create one based on a quotation. For the purpose of this article we’ll create one from scratch, but you can follow the flow described in this article if you want to convert a quotation into a project.

1. Go to Projects > Add project or click on the + > Project in the top right-hand corner in your account 
2. Now you get to the project page. You will notice there is a header on top.
   • Fill in the fields as this will give you a clear overview of the most important information about the project. Click on the three dots in the top right-hand corner to find the following options:
     
     • If you have different types of projects and you want to categorise them you can colour code them by clicking on Change colour.
     • There are 4 default fields in the header: Owners, Customers, Assignees and Price. You can add extra fields to the header by clicking the three dots in the top right-hand corner > Customise header.
       Note: keep in mind you are editing the header for every user opening that project. So each project can have a different header, but all users will see the same header for that project.
     • Choose Export timesheet if you for example want to send your customers an update on the time tracking of a project without creating an invoice first. Or select this option to have an internal overview of the time already spent.
       • This option is only accessible to admins or project owners
       • You can export a report both to PDF and Excel
       • Pick a language to match the language of your customer
     • Click on Set user rates to set custom user rates per project. Find more information here.
       
     • Manage preferences gives you the opportunity to define access/edit rights in a project. Discover more information about that here.
     • Duplicate the project. Read all about that here.
     • Close or Delete the project.
       • Closed projects cannot be selected anymore when adding tasks, time trackings, deals or invoices later on.  
         • When closing a project, you have the option to immediately mark all open work as completed:
           
         • You can always reopen the project afterwards. 
       • Deleting a project is permanent, and you can’t recover it anymore via the recycle bin.
     • By clicking on Hide details, you can hide the header.
   • An owner is responsible for the project, they receive notifications and have more rights than an assignee (participant). Read more about the different rights in a project here.

     Note that an admin will always have the same rights as an owner, even though they are not set as an owner.

   • An important field in the header is the billing method, you have three choices:
     • Time and materials: If you choose this option, you will invoice the billable time and materials in the project.
     • Fixed price: It doesn't matter how much time or money you actually spend on the project, you simply invoice the budget you set out initially.
     • Non-billable: You have the option to set the entire project as non-billable, which means that all time tracking for that project is non-billable by default.
     • Whatever billing method you pick in the header, this will become the default billing method for the whole project. Find more information on the billing method of a project here.
       
       
3. Below the header, you can find the ‘Work breakdown’ tab. This is where you will structure your project. You can add groups, tasks and materials to your project. Groups will help you categorise your project. 
   • Add a group by clicking on Add group. 
     • Add a title. If you click the group again, you can add assignees to it. The ones you add here will be auto assigned in the header.
     • Add the start and end date.
     • Since we want to keep the project module flexible, it is possible to pick a different billing method for the group than the default billing method you chose in the header.
   • Add a task by clicking on Add task or +Add line.
     • Add a title. If you click the task, you can select the work type.
     • You can also add an assignee or multiple assigneesto the task.
       • All assignees added to a task in the project will automatically appear in the assignees field in the header. 
       • You can filter on multiple assignees next to the ‘show all’ field in the Work Breakdown overview.
     • Fill in the start and end date.
     • Even though you selected a project or group billing method in the header, you can still set a specific billing method for your task. 
     • Add time tracking on a task by clicking on +Add time tracking. Here you can decide if the time tracking should be billable or not; this makes it possible for example to add non-billable timetracking to billable tasks.
   • Add a material by clicking on the arrow next to Add task > Add material or +Add line.
     • Start typing to select a product from your product catalogue, or just type a title
     • Set the quantity
     • When selecting a product from your products:
       • You'll also be able to view the remaining stock of your product.
       • The description, product unit, unit price and unit cost are taken over, but these can of course be edited.
     • Fill in the start and end date
     • Choose the billing method
       
       Find more information on adding materials to your project and invoicing them here.
       
       
   • To improve the flexibility of the project module, you can drag and drop groups, tasks and materials to alter the order or move something to another group.
     
   • Depending on how things are going, you can change the status of the tasks and materials to: To do, In progress, On hold, Done. Note that the statuses are also colour coded.
   • You can add columns to and delete them from the work breakdown overview. In order to do that, click on the cogwheel and add all the columns you want.
     
     
     Maybe you want to see the price next to different columns for a clear overview. In that case you can add the same columns multiple times and just move them around by dragging and dropping them. It is possible to scroll horizontally to see all information if you have too many columns.
   • Also note that you can always duplicate tasks, materials, groups one by one or altogether:
     • One by one by clicking on the three dots next to the item > Duplicate:
       
     • Select the whole group or several items by checking the box next to it:
       
       
       
   • Lastly, you can merge groups by dragging one group and dropping it into the other:
     
     
     
4. Next to the Work breakdown tab there’s the ‘Project info’ tab:
   • You find an overview on budget spent, margin and time tracked:
     
     • Budget spent = (billable hours + material) * sale price.
     • Margin = If the time tracking is marked as billable, the margin between the price and cost is added to your profit. If the time tracking is non-billable, costs will increase, but the profit will not.
   • There's also a 'Description' field to provide more details about your project.
     
   • At the bottom, you'll find 'Activities':
     
     • When a project is created, closed, reopened or renamed this will be mentioned here
     • Notes can be added as well
5. The third tab on the project page is the ‘Invoices’ tab, in which you can invoice your project or find the invoices attached to your project. Read all about invoicing a project here.

Note

It’s not possible to add a meeting to your project. You can however invoice the time tracked on a meeting via Invoices > ‘Invoice unbilled time’, and while creating the invoice you can still link that invoice to your project. It will then show up in the ‘Invoices’ tab of the project.

Project overview

When navigating to your project module, you can find all your projects in a handy overview. This is valuable as it allows for effective follow-up on open or running projects and enables efficient filtering according to some specific criteria. Read more about it here.

That’s it, you’re all set to create your first projects in Teamleader Focus! Want to learn more about the project module? Click here.