Setup projects
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This article applies to:

  • Product: DT Practice

Setting up projects for a client

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:
    There are several ways to access the
    Project
     dialog:
    • In the
      Clients
       screen (Setup > Clients), select the client for which you want to add project information and select the
      Edit
       button. On the Projects tab, selecct the
      Add
       or
      Edit
       button to open the
      Project
       dialog.
    • In the
      Manage Projects
       screen (Actions > Manage Projects), right-click the project list and choose either
      Add Project
       or
      Edit Selected Projects
       from the context menu.
    • You can also right-click any
      Project
       field (for example, in Time & Expense Entry) and choose
      Add Project
       or
      Edit Project
       from the context menu.
    • Select the
      Add
       button on the main toolbar and choose
      Project
       from the drop-down menu.
    .
  2. Go to 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.
        When the
        Base on task
         checkbox is marked in the Project dialog, the
        Hours
         field is read-only and shows the sum of the hours of all tasks entered in the Tasks tab.
        When the
        Base on task
         checkbox is marked in the Project dialog, the
        Amount
         field is read-only and shows the sum of the amount of all tasks entered in the Tasks tab.
        When the
        Base on tasks
         checkbox is marked in the Project dialog, 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.
        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 select the More 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.
      note
      • 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. Select 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: Select the More 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 select the More 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 select 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, select the More button next to the
        Solution path
         field to navigate to the solution.
        When you select a solution (Microsoft Word or Excel, or other application) for a project or task, DT Practice will do the following when you launch the solution from the project or task:
        • If the client exists in the solution that you have selected, the client will be opened automatically.
        • If you have entered a file path for Word or Excel, the document in the file path will open automatically.
        • DT Practice will automatically start a timer, if you have the
          Start Timer for Projects
           checkbox marked in Setup > User Preferences > Time & Expense Entry. When you close the client, document, or application, the timer is stopped. You then need to post the recorded time to Time & Expense Entry.
    11. GoFileRoom Workflow
      : If you are licensed for GoFileRoom, select the More 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. Select 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

Go to 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.
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 DT Practice, including documents stored in DT FileCabinet. You can also link to interaction items within DT Practice.
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.
DT Practice allows you to create your own custom fields and field names for offices, staff, activities, clients, engagements, projects, tasks, and time & expense entry. Using custom fields enables you to track additional information in the application. You can create checkboxes, date fields, numeric fields, text fields (up to 4000 characters long), lists, and staff lists.
To create custom fields, choose Setup > Custom Fields and then Offices, Staff, Activities, Clients, Engagements, Projects, Tasks, or Time & Expense Entry, depending on where you want the custom fields to appear within DT Practice.
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.