How to Configure Project Settings in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required.
Overview
Project settings control the defaults every new project inherits and the reminders your team receives about deadlines. Configuring them once means project managers do not set the same options on every project, and categories stay consistent so project reporting is comparable across the company.
How It Works
You set the defaults in the project settings area. New projects pick them up automatically, and the deadline reminder configuration applies across the account.
Open project settings → Set default status → Create categories → Configure deadline reminders → Save
- Deadline reminders can be directed to project members or to project administrators.
- Categories group projects for filtering and reporting.
- Default status is the status a new project starts at.
- Companies can also define custom coloured project statuses alongside the standard lifecycle.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Set the default status applied to new projects.
- Create and maintain project categories.
- Configure deadline reminders and choose whether members or project administrators receive them.
This functionality is available only to Administrators.
Prerequisites
- You have Administrator access to Settings.
- You know which categories your company wants to report projects by.
- You have agreed who should receive deadline reminders.
- Email delivery is configured for the account, so reminders can be sent.
For Administrators
Step 1: Set the default project status
What to do: Choose the status new projects should start at, then select Save. Most companies start projects at not started, so that in progress means work has genuinely begun.
What to verify: Create a test project and confirm it opens at the chosen status.
Step 2: Create project categories
What to do: Add the categories your company reports by, such as service line or contract type. Keep the list short; categories group projects, they do not describe them.
What to verify: The categories appear on the project form and as a filter on the project list.
Step 3: Configure deadline reminders
What to do: Turn on deadline reminders and choose whether they go to project members or to project administrators. Send them to project administrators where you want a single point of accountability, and to members where the whole team should react.
What to verify: A project approaching its deadline generates a reminder for the intended recipients.
Step 4: Review custom project statuses
What to do: Where the standard lifecycle does not match your delivery process, define custom coloured statuses so the project list and card view stay readable.
What to verify: The custom status can be selected on a project and shows its colour in the list and card views.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Default status | The status applied to a newly created project. | Yes |
| Categories | Groupings used to classify and filter projects. | No |
| Deadline reminders | Reminders about approaching project deadlines. | No |
| Reminder recipients | Whether reminders go to project members or project administrators. | No |
Expected Result
New projects are created at your chosen default status and can be assigned your project categories. Deadline reminders are issued to the recipients you selected, and any custom coloured statuses are available on the project form and visible in the list and card views.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
In a service organisation these defaults are quiet governance decisions. They determine whether every engagement is classified consistently enough to compare, and who is accountable when a client deadline approaches. Setting them once also spares project managers from re-deciding the same options on each new engagement, which is where inconsistency between delivery teams normally starts.
How It Supports Professional Services
- Project categories are how most service organisations classify engagements for reporting — by service line, practice or contract type — so that later filtering and export are comparable across the firm.
- Deadline reminders can be directed to project members or to project administrators. Sending them to project administrators gives each engagement one named person answering for the date, which is usually what a client-facing commitment needs.
- The default status keeps the distinction between a signed engagement that has not started and one where delivery has genuinely begun, which matters when the project list is being read as a pipeline of live work.
- Custom coloured statuses let a firm's own delivery stages — awaiting client input, in review, awaiting sign-off — be visible at a glance in the list and card views.
- The related control over back-dated time is the
manual_timelogtoggle, set on each project rather than here: with it off, consultants must use the timer, and with it on they may enter time after the fact.
Typical Service Workflow
Configuration → Engagement → Delivery → Deadline reminder → Reporting
These settings sit before any engagement is created and shape everything after it. Reminders are issued by the product where email delivery is configured; agreeing which categories the firm reports engagements by is a practice decision that no default can make.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
Categories and deadline reminders serve any project-based account equally — site or building type in construction, installation type in solar, or internal work streams in a general business.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Create and Manage Projects — where the per-engagement toggles, including manual time logging, are set.
- How to Track Time with the Timer and Manual Entries — what the manual time log setting permits in practice.
- How to Configure Notifications, SMTP and Slack — the delivery channel deadline reminders depend on.
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.
- Changing the default status affects new projects. Existing projects keep their current status.
- The per-project toggles for manual time logging and client visibility are set on each project, not here.
- Deleting or renaming a category affects how existing projects are grouped in reporting. Review before you change it.
- Deadline reminders depend on working email delivery for the account.
Common Scenarios
Example: accountability on deadlines. A company sends deadline reminders to project administrators only, so one named person is responsible for reacting instead of the whole team receiving the same message.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| New projects do not start at the expected status. | The default was not saved, or the creator selected a different status. | Re-save the default and confirm the setting on the project form. |
| No deadline reminders are received. | Reminders are off, the recipient choice excludes those users, or email delivery is not configured. | Turn reminders on, check the recipient choice, and confirm the account's email configuration. |
| Categories are not offered on the project form. | No categories have been created. | Add the categories in project settings. |
| A custom status does not stand out in the card view. | The status was created without a colour. | Set a colour for the status. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do these settings change existing projects?
The default status applies to new projects. Categories and reminders apply going forward across the account.
Can each project have different reminder recipients?
The documented choice is between project members and project administrators at the settings level.
Where are the client visibility options set?
On the individual project, using its client visibility and time-logging toggles.
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