HelpProject & Resource Managers

Setting up a project

When adding a new project, you can either create one from scratch, or you can copy an existing project.

If you need to add or edit multiple projects, you can use the Replicon Import Add-in (RIA) to import projects via a spreadsheet. Refer to Common RIA use cases for examples how of the project import templates work. You can also mass edit basic project information directly, from within the Replicon interface.

Adding a new project from scratch

To add a new project:

  1. Go to Projects > Projects.
  2. Click Add New Project.
  3. Give the new project a name, and complete the other fields.
  4. Click Add Project.

The project is now available for further editing.

Key new project fields

Field name

This field...

Dates

Defines the date range for the project. Defaults to the project creation date as the start day, but you can change this.

These dates do not limit time entry in any way – that is, open projects can be used from the moment they’re created, even if their start date is in the future.

Status

Defines the project’s completion status. For new projects, this is typically set to In Progress. Time and expenses cannot be entered against projects with Completed, Deferred, Cancelled, or Archived status.

Client

Specifies the client or clients that any billable hours and expenses for the project will be billed to. 

You can assign multiple clients to a single project and allocate a percentage of the hours and costs to each.

Clients cannot be changed once an invoice for the project has been created.

Program

Associates the project with a program, if applicable. A program is a group of projects, typically budgeted or managed as a unit.

Billing Type

Defines whether the project is billable and, if so, whether it will be billed using hourly rates (Time and Materials), or on a Fixed Bid basis

Billing Rate Time Period

Defines whether a Time and Materials project's billing rate is Hourly, Daily, or Monthly Fixed.

Time & Expense Entry

Determines the billable status of the project: Billable Only, Billable & Non-Billable, or Non-Billable. Applies only to time entered against the top, project-level ‘task’.

If you select Billable & Non-Billable, resources will be able to choose which option to apply to each task they work on in their timesheet.

Select the Allow Time Entry against Task Only check box to prevent time entry against the top, project-level ‘task’.

Invoice Currency

Determines the currency used for the Project Invoice Currency column in reports.

Completing project setup

Depending on how you plan to use the project, you may need to do all or some of the following:

If you’re setting up a project that will be used for expense entry, billing, or costing, refer to the following topics for additional setup information:

FAQs

How can we prevent users from entering time beyond the start and end dates of a project?

A project’s start and end dates do not affect team members’ ability to enter time against that project. Instead, the Allow time entry beyond start and end date of project option available in timesheet templates can be used to block time entry. To prevent a user from entering time outside of a project’s dates, ask your administrator if they can clear this option in the user's assigned template.

Does the order of setup matter?

For most settings, the order of setup doesn’t matter. However, if most team members will be assigned most tasks, we typically recommend assigning your team before adding tasks, since all existing team members will be automatically assigned to any tasks you add.

Obviously, you must customize rates and add a team before you can assign rates to team members, and you must add team members before you can allocate them.

What is the maximum number of characters supported for project fields?

Refer to the table below for the number of characters supported for key fields.

Field

Maximum characters allowed

Project, Task, or Client Description

255

Project, Task, Client, or Program Name

255

Project, Task, or Client Code

50

If the Time & Expense Entry field applies only to time entered, how do we specify the billable status of projects and tasks used for expense billing?

Whether an expense is billable or non-billable is determined solely by the status of the Bill Client field in expense sheets. Ensure your team members know which expenses should be marked as billable in their expense sheets.