Creating a project sets up the space where your team plans tasks, shares files and tracks time for a piece of work. A clear setup at the start decides who can see the project, which client it belongs to and which views your team works in.
In this guide you’ll learn how to:
- Create a new project from the Projects page
- Link the project to a client
- Choose who can see the project
- Pick the views your project uses
- Start a project from a template
Before you start
- You need permission to create projects. Without it, the Create button does not show.
- If you don’t see Projects in the sidebar, an admin can switch it on in Settings, Customize Navigation. Open Settings from the account menu: click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, then Settings.
- To link a client, the client can already exist in Clients, or you can add one from the drawer. See Adding Clients.
How to create a project
You create a project by clicking Create on the Projects page and filling in the Create Project drawer.
- Click Projects in the sidebar, under Organize.
- Click Create in the page header.
- Enter the Project Name.
- Optional: pick a client under Client (optional).
- Choose Private or Public under Privacy.
- Set the Status.
- Under Choose view for your project, untick any view your team won’t use.
- Optional: pick a template under Use a project template for quick start.
- Click Create Project.
Create Project fields
| Field | Required | Options and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project Name | Yes | Placeholder Enter project name. |
| Client (optional) | No | Search your clients or choose No client. Click Add Client to create a client without leaving the drawer. |
| Privacy | Yes | Public (the default) or Private. |
| Status | Yes | Working (the default), Completed, Archived or Paused. |
| Choose view for your project | At least one | Overview, Board, List, Calendar, Files, Timesheet, Billing. All start ticked. |
| Use a project template for quick start | No | Pre-fills sections and tasks. Leave it empty for a blank project. |
| Project timeline | Only with some templates | Start date and Due date. Appears once you pick a template. |
Who can see a private or public project?
A Public project is open to every team member in your business, and a Private project is open only to you and the project’s collaborators.
The drawer explains each option in a tooltip:
- Private: “Only you & collaborators can access”
- Public: “All the team members of your business can access”
Which views should your project have?
Each view becomes a tab on the project, so tick only the ones your team will use.
| View | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Overview | Project summary and status |
| Board | Drag-and-drop task flow |
| List | Detailed task breakdown |
| Calendar | Calendar view |
| Files | All project documents |
| Timesheet | Log and manage work hours |
| Billing | Rates, budget and fees |
You must keep at least one view. If you untick them all, OneSuite shows Please select at least one view and does not create the project.
Rates, budgets, fees and invoice settings live on the Billing view. See How to Set Up Project Billing and Budgets.
How to start a project from a template
You start from a template by picking one under Use a project template for quick start, which pre-fills the project’s sections and tasks.
- In the Create Project drawer, open the template picker under Use a project template for quick start.
- Pick a template. Once it is selected, a template you saved yourself shows a Custom badge.
- If a Project timeline section appears, set the Start date and Due date. They set when the template’s tasks are scheduled.
- Click Create Project.
Some templates schedule tasks relative to the project start or due date. For those, the dates are required, and OneSuite stops with one of these messages if something is missing:
- Please set a project start date for this template
- Please set a project due date for this template
- Due date cannot be earlier than start date
To browse every template first, click See all templates. To build a new one, open the picker and choose Create Project Template. See Project Templates.
How to change a project after you create it
You change a project’s name, client, privacy or views by choosing Edit from the project’s row menu, which opens the same drawer titled Update Project.
- Click Projects in the sidebar.
- Open the menu on the project’s row and click Edit.
- Change the fields you need.
- Click Update Project.
If you remove the linked client, the drawer warns you that the client’s people are also removed from the project, along with their project rates and task assignments.
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FAQs
How do I create a new project in OneSuite?
Click Projects in the sidebar, click Create, enter a Project Name and click Create Project. Every other field is optional or has a default.
Do I have to link a project to a client?
No. Client (optional) can stay empty for internal work. You can link a client later by editing the project.
Why does OneSuite ask for a start date and due date when I pick a template?
The template schedules some tasks relative to the project start or due date, so OneSuite needs those dates to place them. A blank project, or a template without date-based tasks, does not need them.
Where do I set the project budget and rates?
On the project’s Billing view, not in the create drawer. Keep Billing ticked under Choose view for your project, then follow How to Set Up Project Billing and Budgets.
Can I just use a shared to-do list instead of a project?
A shared list works for a handful of tasks. A project also ties the work to a client, keeps its files in one place, and records the time and costs you later bill on an invoice.
What to do next
Set up billing: Choose rates, a budget and alerts in How to Set Up Project Billing and Budgets.
Save time on the next one: Reuse your project structure with Project Templates.
Plan the work: Add sections and tasks with Managing Project Boards in OneSuite.