How to Configure the Project App

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Click on the Project App in the Project Cloud Drawer.

Click the ‘Configuration’ Menu. Begin with the ‘Settings’ menu item.

Here there are two headings: Task Management and Time Management.

Task Management:

Collaborative Pads: By configuring a pad server and entering the Api Key, turn the description tab in the task form into a collaborative pad which can be shared with other users.

Rating on Tasks: Track customer satisfaction on tasks. In the past, before the total experience platform software’s such as CloudOffix had evolved this feature was used as helpdesk support.

Sub-tasks: create smaller tasks within tasks to break up the workload.

Require Projects on Tasks: this feature ensures all tasks belong to a project, therefore preventing free floating tasks.

Time Management:

Timesheets: Track the time spent on each task and project.

Require Tasks on Timesheets: Require task selection on each timesheet entry by default.

Continuing with the Configuration Menu, the next item is ‘Stages’. The stages in projects work similarly to the sales channels and their pipelines.

The previously created stages are listed in the stages dashboard.

Stages can be moved by clicking and dragging the cross on the left side of the stage name.

Click into an existing stage to edit. OR Click ‘New’ to create a new stage.

The Stage Name is a mandatory field.

Email Template: If set, an email will be sent to the customer when the task or issue reaches this step.

Rating Email Template: If the project’s rating configuration is ‘Rating when changing state’, then an email will be sent to the customer when the task reaches this step. 

Color: set the color for the stage.

Default for New Projects: If this field is checked, this stage will be proposed by default on each new project. It will not assign this stage to existing projects.

Folded in Kanban: This stage is folded in the Kanban view when there are no records in that stage to display. 

Closed: Tasks in this stage are considered closed.

Projects: Select projects this stage will be available to.

Sequence: Determines the placement of the Stage on the Kanban view.

Stage Description and Tooltips

Each stage can be blocked or marked as ready for the next stage. Define custom labels here that will be displayed for the state instead of default labels. Define a different label for each color.

Write a tooltip about the use of stars available in the kanban and form views.

Add a description to help your coworkers understand the meaning and purpose of the stage.

Click ‘Save’ when complete.

The following item in the Configuration menu is ‘Activity Types’.

The current Activity Types are the different types of activities that can be assigned to users for execution throughout the system, such as phone calls, sending emails, or meetings. Previously created and current Activity Types are displayed in the dashboard.

Click ‘New’ to create a new Activity Type.

The Name field is mandatory.

Category: Selecting a category will trigger certain behavior such as opening the calendar. This occurs when the category selected is ‘meeting’ and the activity type requires the calendar to be opened.

Model: Select a model if the activity type is to be exclusive to a certain model and not available when creating activities for other models.

Summary: write a summary about the activity type.

Icon: set an icon for the activity type

# Days: The number of days before executing the activity. This allows for planning deadlines.

Recommended Next Activities: Activities to be recommended after completing the selected activity type. For example, if the activity is email, perhaps phone call could be selected as recommended activity to ensure the user follows up with the email sent.

Returning to the configuration menu and the next item is ‘Project Templates’. All previously created project templates will be listed in the dashboard. Click ‘New’ to create a new project template.

In the new project form, the Project Name field is mandatory.

Name of the Tasks: Tasks can be given names in line with their purpose in the project. For example, I could be running a law firm and my tasks could be cases related to a certain company.

Use Milestones: Milestones are goals that are set within projects. Click this to activate milestones for this project. The milestones tab will appear when this is activated.

Allow Timesheets: activate this field if timesheets related with our project should be created.

Require Tasks on Timesheets: Users will not be able to enter timesheets without a task

Settings tab:

Project Manager: Assign a Project manager for the project.

Sub-task Project: Selecting a sub-task project will both enable sub-tasks and set their default (possibly the project itself).

Privacy: Holds visibility of the tasks or issues that belong to the current project:

On invitation only: Employees may see the followed project, tasks, or issues

Visible by all employees: Employees may see all project, tasks, or issues

Visible by following customers: Employees see everything: if website is activated, portal users may see project, tasks or issues followed by them or by someone in their company.

Customer: Select the customer for the project. Don’t forget to set up the email templates on the stages for which you want feedback from customers.

Customer (s) Ratings: ask for customer feedbacks

Rating when changing state: Email will be sent when a task/ issue is pulled to another stage.

Periodical Rating: Email will be sent periodically.

No Rating: No action taken

Use collaborative pads: Activate if collaborative pads are to be used for tasks in this project.

Billable: Click this checkbox if the project is billable.

Contract /Analytic Link this project to an analytic account if you need financial management on projects. It enables you to connect projects with budgets, planning, cost and revenue analysis, timesheets on projects, etc.

Configuration:

Sequence: Gives the sequence order when displaying a list of projects.

Time Scheduling:

Working Time: Timetable working hours to adjust the Gantt diagram.

Start Date: Enter a date for the project to start.

Expiration Date: The date the project is expected to end.

Milestones Tab:

To add a milestone, click ‘Add an item’ and the ‘Create Milestones’ form screen will pop up.

Name: This field is mandatory. Write a name for the milestone.

Target Date: The date when the milestone should be completed.

Progress: percentage of completed tasks

Project: The project to which the milestone should apply.

Project Tasks: The tasks to complete in order to reach the milestone. Click ‘Add an item’. Either select from the list of existing tasks available or create a new task.

Description Tab:

Write a description for the project.

Emails:

Email Alias: Create an email alias for all emails regarding this project to be sent to one inbox.

Accept Emails From: Select from whom to accept incoming emails to this inbox.

Everyone: everyone can post

Partners: only authenticated partners

Followers: only followers of the related document or members of following channels

Task Stages Tab:

All stages marked as Default for New Projects are listed under this tab. Select the desired stages for the current project. Click ‘Add an item’ for more stages, which will reveal a pop up screen with a list of the remaining stages available. Simply click ‘Create’ to create new stage if the existing ones don’t suit your purpose

There are smart buttons at the top of the form will navigate to the form screen for the selected button. The smart buttons consist of ‘Documents’, ‘Tasks’, ‘Meeting’, ‘Timesheets’ and ‘Risks’.

Once the Project template is created, make sure to mark the project as a template then click ‘Save’.

To use this project as a template for a new project, click ‘Create Project From Template’.

Returning to the ‘Configuration’ Menu, the next menu item is ‘Tags’.

All previously created existing tags are displayed in the tags dashboard. To create a new Tag, click ‘New’. Write a name for the Tag and click ‘Save’. Create as many tags as necessary.

The next item in the Configuration menu is ‘Risk Categories’. Anything that could effect the course of the project either positively or negatively are known as ‘Risks’. Risk Categories are the titles given to any risks that might occur. An example could be increase or decrease in resources. In which case the Category would be ‘resources’. And the positive or negative impact on the project is calculated by clicking the ‘Risks’ smart button within the project.

Click ‘New’ to create a new Risk Category. Write the category name and click ‘Save’.

‘Risk Response Categories’ is the list of responses to possible risks. Click ‘New’ to create a new Risk Response Category.

Click ‘Project Statuses’ in the configuration menu to create new statuses for projects. To do this, click ‘New’. Write the status name, Write a description, and state whether the status should be folded in the Kanban if there’s no content. Click ‘Is Closed Status’ if this is the final and closing status for the project.

The next menu item under the configuration menu is ‘All Milestones’. This navigates to the Project Milestones screen, where all milestones within all project are displayed. Create a new milestone by clicking ‘New’ and completing the Create Milestone form that pops up.

Now that the Configuration Menu is complete, continue on to the remaining Menu headings, starting with the ‘Reporting’ menu.

Click ‘Task Analysis’ to get visual analysis by selecting parameters.

Click ‘Measures’ select from the dropdown list. Use the filters to access the optimum desired results. Select the graph in which to view the data.

Customer Ratings menu item will show how the customers have voted for the tasks where the customer ratings option had been set up earlier in the configuration menu.

Under the ‘Tasks’ menu, click on ‘My Tasks’ to access all tasks which have been assigned to you. From this tasks dashboard, all tasks are displayed in a Kanban view. View tasks in various views by clicking on the desired view at the top right of the screen. the available view options are Kanban, List, calendar, Gantt, pivot, and chart.

Remove the ‘My Tasks’ filter from the filter bar to access all other tasks.

‘Risks’ is the following item in the Tasks menu. The risks screen displays all previously created risks. Click ‘New’ to create a new risks and impact calculations.

Complete the New Risk form.

Name: this is a compulsory field

Project: Select the project for the risk to be applied..