Setting up projects for a client

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Use the Project dialog to add and update project and task information for a client.

Note: The Project dialog is available only if you are licensed for the Project Management module.

Adding a project for a client

Note: Before you can add a project for a client, you must first create one or more project templates.

Main tab

  1. Open the Project dialog .
  2. Click the Main tab and enter the following information.
    1. Identification:
      • Number: When you save the Project, the application will assign the next available number by default. If necessary, you can enter a different number here.
      • Client: The name of the selected client.
      • Project: Select a project template ID from the drop-down list. If you have security privileges, you can right-click in this field to add or edit a project template.
      • Description: The project template description.
      • Invoice description: The description of the project as it will appear on invoices.

        Note: The Description and Invoice description come from the project template, but you can change these for the current project, if necessary.

    2. Project information:
      • Engagement: The default is the engagement that is set up on the project template. You can select a different engagement, if necessary.
      • Priority: Select Low, Medium, or High as the priority for the project.
      • Tracking: Select a tracking description for the project. If you have security privileges, you can right-click to add or edit tracking descriptions in the drop-down list.
    3. Budget information:
      • Base on Tasks: Mark this checkbox if you would like budget information to be based on the information set up on the project’s tasks. When this checkbox is marked, the Hours, Amount, and % Complete fields are read-only.

        Example.

        A task is completed when the Tracking field is set to Completed.

        Note: When the Base on tasks checkbox is not marked, budget information is not calculated automatically. In this case, you can manually enter a percentage in the % Complete field.

      • Calculate amount automatically: Mark this checkbox to have budget information calculate based on staff rates. The project must be assigned to a staff member, and staff rates must be set up for that staff member and the engagement.
      • Budgeted: Budgeted amounts calculated from tasks or staff rates. If neither calculation method is chosen, you can enter budget information manually.
      • Actual: Actual amounts are the amounts entered in Time & Expense Entry that have been associated with the tasks (if the Base on Tasks checkbox is marked) or project (if it is not marked).
      • Est. Remaining: You can make manual adjustments to the estimated remaining hours needed to complete the project. Enter a number in this field or click the More Ellipse button to enter the new balance in the Estimated Remaining Hours dialog, where you can also enter comments. This field is not available if the Base on tasks checkbox is marked.
      • % Complete: When the Base on tasks checkbox is marked, the % Complete field is read-only, and shows a calculated percentage of the budgeted hours for all completed tasks relative to the total budgeted hours for the project. When the Base on tasks checkbox is not marked, budget information is not calculated automatically. In this case, you can manually enter a percentage. Overridden percentages show in red.
    4. Target dates: For a new project, the Start and Complete dates are set to the date calculated based on the selected project template and client. You can edit these dates, if necessary.
    5. Actual dates:
      • Received: The project template gives you the option to base project and task target dates on the date that you enter in the Received field. If the assigned project template has this option selected, the application calculates and populates the target dates on the project and tasks when you enter a date in this field.
      • Start: The date that you enter must be on or after the received date. When you enter a date in this field, the Tracking field changes to Started.
      • Complete: The date that you enter must be on or after the start date. When you enter a date in this field, the application sets the project’s and tasks’ Tracking fields to Completed and populates the task’s completed dates with the date that you entered.
    6. Due dates: The drop-down list contains the descriptions of any extensions that have been set up for the project. If you choose an extension, the extended due date calculated by the application appears in the Current field.

      Notes

      • If the project template did not have any extensions set up, no extensions will be available from this drop-down list. However, you can add an extension by right-clicking the list and choosing Add Entry from the context menu.
      • Extensions that you later add to a project template are not added to existing projects. To add an extension to an existing project, right-click the drop-down list and choose Add Entry from the context menu.
    7. Click the Recurrence button to open the Recurrence dialog, where you can specify the project frequency, dates, and generation options for future projects.
    8. Groupings: Groupings let you categorize projects for filtering the list of projects and for creating reports. You can group projects by department and by the staff responsible.
      • Responsible: The staff member responsible for the client or engagement.
      • Department: The department of the responsible staff member.
    9. Assigned: Click the More Ellipse button to assign staff members to the project.

      If you are licensed for the Staff Management module, you can also:

      • Manually assign staff to the project based on their qualifications. Select a filter from the drop-down list, or click the More Ellipse button next to the Staff qualifications field and create a filter to specify which qualifications the assigned staff must possess to work on the project.
      • Automatically assign staff to the project based on a work queue. When you click the Work queue option, the project is placed in a queue that appears in the Work Queue portlet of the Staff Dashboard for staff who meet the qualifications.
    10. Solution:
      • Select solution: Select the solution you will use to complete the project from the drop-down list. If the solution you want to use is not available from the drop-down list, click the More Ellipse button next to the Solution path field to navigate to the solution.
      • Completion event: This field is available when you select UltraTax CS in the Select solution field. Select the status event that marks the task’s completion from the drop-down list.
      • Extension event: This field is available when you select UltraTax CS in the Select solution field. Select the status event that will extend the project. You must have at least one extension set up on a project to extend the project via a status event from UltraTax CS.
    11. GoFileRoom Workflow: If you are licensed for GoFileRoom, click the More Ellipse button to launch GoFileRoom and select a workflow to associate with the project.
    12. Notes: Use this field to enter any additional information about the project. Text that you enter here will appear on the Routing Sheet report.
    13. Click the Scheduling button to open the Scheduling dialog, where you can schedule the project for one or more staff members. If you have specified staff qualifications for the project, only those staff who meet those qualifications will appear in the Scheduling dialog.

Tasks tab

Click the Tasks tab. This tab shows any tasks that were set up on the project template. You can update task information here and add new tasks, if necessary. See Adding and updating tasks on a client’s project for details.

Links tab

The Links tab enables you to add links to any items that you want to associate with the project. You can link to files, websites, or documents outside of Practice CS, including documents stored in FileCabinet CS or GoFileRoom. You can also link to interaction items within Practice CS.

The links you add to a client project apply only to the project to which you add them. You can also add links to project templates, which apply to all new projects generated from that template.

Custom Fields tab

The Custom Fields tab provides fields in which you can enter additional information for the project.

Custom fields can be checkboxes, dates, lists, numeric fields, staff lists, or text-entry fields. Custom fields for dates have a drop-down calendar. Numeric custom fields have a drop-down calculator. See Custom fields setup overview for more information on custom fields.

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