Project settings allow you to change the project's name, description, target date, working days, project manager, customer, charge code, status, priority, short name, default rate and budget.
Adjust these settings when creating a new project or at any time for an existing project. Once changes are made, all members with access will see the changes.
Project Settings for a New Project
You can add information to project settings when you first create your project. Click "new" on the left-hand navigation menu and select "project."
On the create new project popup, click the gear icon next to the project name to update project settings.
Tip: If you want to change your working days from the default of Monday-Friday, edit that information before you create your project. Once the project is created, these working days cannot be changed.
For Projects That Already Exist, Use the Top Menu Bar
For an already-created project, you can access project settings using the top menu bar. Click on the name of the project and click "project settings."
Portfolio Overview
You can also access project settings on the Portfolio > Projects page. Click on "Portfolio" and use the top ribbon bar to navigate to the Projects page, where you'll be taken to your list of projects. Hover over the project and click on the ellipses to access project settings.
Customizing the Project Settings
You can edit the following project settings fields on the project settings popup or the portfolio overview page
Name
Assign a name to your project. Your project name can include symbols and numbers.
Description
Enter a description of your project. This can be used to enter important project details or goals.
Target Date
Enter the ideal completion date for your project.
Working Days
(Can only be updated when creating the project)
Choose which days of the week will be working days for you and your team. The default working days are Monday-Friday. Designate your working days before you create your project, as it can't be updated once the project has been created. Non-working days are indicated throughout the software, including on the Gantt and workload page.
Project Manager
Select a project manager for your project. Once designated, the project manager will be displayed on the portfolio overview page, portfolio status, and project status report pages. You can change the project manager on a project at any time.
The project manager is the project creator by default but can be changed to any project member. The project creator will retain creator access to the project, even if removed from the project manager role.
Customer
If relevant, assign a customer to the project using the drop-down menu. If additional customers need to be added, click the plus sign to the right of the field. A user must have the ability to edit important project information on an account security level to add a new customer.
Charge Code
Choose a charge code for the project using the drop-down menu. Add new codes by clicking the plus sign to the right of the field. A user must have the ability to edit important project information on an account security level to add a new charge code.
Status
Set a project status using the drop-down menu. Choose from an existing status or add a new status by clicking the plus sign to the right of the field. If a project status is set to close or deleted, it won't appear on the dashboard or the project list selector.
Hours logged on closed projects from previous weeks will, however, still be able to be viewed on the timesheets page. If you were working on a task last week for a since-closed project and you clicked copy last week, you'll see the task from the closed project on this current week's timesheet.
Priority
Set a priority using the drop-down menu. Choose from existing priorities, or add a new priority using the plus sign to the right of the field. The priority level is a label; it has no impact on the project, but it can be used to filter by priority level on the portfolio > projects page.
Short Name
Set a short name, or nickname, for your project. The short name can be a maximum of seven characters long.
Default Rate
Choose a default rate for resources on the project. If a resource doesn't have a custom hourly rate assigned, the default rate will be applied to both planned and actual resource costs.
Set a custom hourly rate on the manage users page by navigating to an individual user profile. The planned and actual resource cost populates automatically on the Gantt once hours are logged and is also displayed on the costs widget on the dashboard and the reports tab.
Budget
Set a budget for your project. The overall budget will appear on the portfolio > projects page, project and overview dashboards, portfolio status and project status report. On the portfolio summary page, you'll see a graph that compares the total of all of your active project budgets to the total actual cost.
Here, compare the cost to the progress to see if your project is over budget. On the portfolio and project dashboards, the overall budget will appear on the cost widget so you can see your budget, planned and actual side-by-side. On the project status report, your budget will appear under summary if you have the cost box checked.
On the portfolio status report, your planned and actual cost compared to your budget will display as red, amber and green:
- Green: Indicates that your projects are under budget
- Amber: Indicates that your projects are less than 50% over budget
- Red: Indicates that your projects are more than 50% over budget.
Tip! If hourly rates, costs and budgets are hidden on a Global Security level, you won't be able to see this data throughout the software.
Please email us at support@projectmanager.com if you have any questions!