How to Create and Manage Projects in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. The Budget tab requires the Budget add-on module and the roadmap view requires the Project Roadmap add-on module.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. The Budget tab requires the Budget add-on module and the roadmap view requires the Project Roadmap add-on module.
Overview
A project in CrmLeaf is the workspace where delivery happens. It holds members, milestones, tasks, time logs, discussions, files, notes, expenses and invoices for one piece of work, plus a client rating at the end. Projects link what you sold to what you bill, so most delivery and profitability reporting starts from a project record.
How It Works
You create the project, staff it, attach the client, break the work into milestones and tasks, then track progress until you mark it finished with a summary.
Create → Assign members → Attach client → Milestones → Tasks → Log time → Finish
- Status moves through not started, in progress, on hold, and finished or canceled. An overdue state is derived from the dates rather than set by hand.
- Companies can define their own coloured statuses alongside the standard set.
- Members are added individually or from a saved group, and a project admin is nominated.
- Milestones group tasks and can be invoiced directly once complete.
- Projects can be pinned, duplicated, imported from CSV, and saved as a template for reuse.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Configure project categories, the default status and custom coloured statuses.
- Control which records each role can see through ownership-based permissions.
User
- Create projects and nominate the project admin and members.
- Attach a client, add milestones and tasks, and log time.
- Track progress and mark the project finished with a completion summary.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- The people who will work on the project exist as users.
- The client record exists, if the project is client-facing.
- Project categories and the default status have been configured, if your company uses them.
- Your role grants permission to add projects.
For Administrators
Step 1: Prepare project configuration
What to do: Set the default status for new projects, create your project categories, and configure deadline reminders.
What to verify: A newly created project opens at the default status and offers your categories.
Step 2: Define custom coloured statuses
What to do: Where the standard lifecycle does not match your delivery process, create the additional statuses with a colour for each so they are recognisable in list and card views.
What to verify: The new status can be selected on a project and shows its colour in the project list.
For Users
Step 1: Create the project
Select Add, enter the project details including the dates, select a category and status, then select Save.
Step 2: Assign the project admin and members
Nominate the project admin, then Assign members individually or add a saved group of members in one step.
Step 3: Attach the client and set the toggles
Attach the client record, then set the project toggles: manual_timelog to allow time entries without the timer, client_view_task to let the client see tasks, calculate_task_progress to derive progress from task completion, and allow_client_notification to notify the client of activity.
Step 4: Break the work down and track it
Add milestones for the deliverable stages and tasks beneath them, log time against those tasks, then follow progress on the project dashboard and the Gantt chart. Pin the project if you need it near the top of your list.
Step 5: Close the project
Set the status to finished and enter the completion summary. Where you use it, the client can then leave a rating for the project.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Status | not started, in progress, on hold, finished or canceled, plus any custom coloured status. Overdue is derived. | Yes |
| Project admin | The user accountable for the project. | Yes |
| Members | Users assigned to the project, individually or from a saved group. | No |
| Client | The client the project is delivered for. Required for milestone invoicing. | No |
manual_timelog | Allows time to be entered manually instead of only by timer. | No |
client_view_task | Lets the attached client see the project's tasks. | No |
calculate_task_progress | Derives project progress from completed tasks. | No |
allow_client_notification | Sends the client notifications about project activity. | No |
Expected Result
The project is saved and appears in Projects with its status, members and client. Milestones and tasks can be added under it, time can be logged against those tasks, and the project can be pinned, duplicated or saved as a template.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
A project in CrmLeaf is a general container for a body of work, and any business can use it that way. For a professional services organisation it also answers a specific problem: the thing being sold is an engagement, and its scope, people, hours, costs and revenue usually sit in different tools. Because one project record already carries members, an attached client, milestones, tasks, time logs, expenses, invoices and a client rating, an engagement's delivery and its commercial position can be read in one place.
How It Supports Professional Services
- Where a project is delivered for a client, the same record can represent a client engagement, a consulting assignment, an implementation project, a retainer or a service delivery initiative. The interface still calls it a Project.
- Attaching a Client makes the engagement billable. A CrmLeaf Client record usually represents the client organisation the work is delivered for, and it is a precondition for invoicing a completed milestone.
- Members, added individually or from a saved group, staff the delivery team, and the nominated project admin gives the engagement one accountable owner.
- Milestones let a phase-based or deliverable-based engagement be structured the way it was sold.
- The
manual_timelogtoggle decides whether consultants may enter time without the timer — the practical control over back-dated timesheet entry.
Typical Service Workflow
Client → Engagement → Project → Delivery → Time → Billing
The project is the container the other stages hang from. CrmLeaf links some of them directly — a completed milestone can be invoiced from its approved unbilled work, and billable time logs and expenses can be billed onto an invoice — while staffing, rate setting and margin review remain practices the organisation operates around the records.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
The same record serves internal operational work with no client attached, a manufacturing production job, a solar installation, or a construction build, where it carries site and payment-schedule context instead of an engagement.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Create and Complete Project Milestones — how a deliverable-based engagement is structured and billed.
- How to Manage Clients and the Client Portal — the client organisation the engagement belongs to.
- How to Track Time with the Timer and Manual Entries — where billable effort is captured.
- How to Create a Project Budget — the planned-versus-actual view of an engagement.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Overdue is derived from the project dates and cannot be set manually.
- A project must have a client attached before a completed milestone can be invoiced.
- Project visibility follows ownership-based permission scopes, so members may see a different list from managers.
- The Budget tab and the roadmap view are add-on modules. Confirm they are included in your plan.
Common Scenarios
Example: repeat delivery work. An agency runs the same onboarding project for every new client, so it builds the project once and saves it as a template. Each new engagement then starts with the same milestones and tasks.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| A member cannot log time manually. | The project's manual_timelog toggle is off. | Turn the toggle on, or ask members to use the timer. |
| The client cannot see project tasks. | client_view_task is off, or no client is attached. | Attach the client and turn the toggle on. |
| A completed milestone cannot be invoiced. | The project has no client, the milestone is not complete, or it was already invoiced. | Attach a client, complete the milestone, and check for an existing invoice. |
| Project progress stays at zero. | calculate_task_progress is off, or no tasks are complete. | Turn the toggle on and confirm task completion. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy an existing project?
Yes. Projects can be duplicated, and they can also be saved as a template for repeated use.
How does a project become overdue?
Overdue is derived from the project's dates, so it appears automatically once the project runs past its deadline.
Can we use our own status names?
Yes. Companies can define custom coloured statuses alongside the standard lifecycle.
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