Step-by-step guides

Create a project

1. (Optional) Prepare a templateIf you run similar projects often, set up a project template under Delivery → Templates first.
2. Start the projectIn Projects, choose New project. Pick a template or start blank.
3. Fill in the basicsEnter the project key (it can't be changed later), the name, the owner, and the planned dates.
4. Add the teamAdd members and give each one a role. Work items will be numbered from the key: KEY-1, KEY-2, …

Initiate the project

1. Write the charterRecord why the project exists, its objectives, the high-level scope, the sponsor, the constraints, and the first risks. More about the charter
2. Write the business caseRecord the options, expected benefits, costs, and major risks, and name the three project board members.
3. Record measurable benefits in GoalsThe business case reviews these same benefits.
4. Define stages and tolerancesSet the stage boundaries and the six tolerances: time, cost, scope, quality, risk, and benefit.
5. Capture requirementsAdd requirements in Scope and link them to work items as you build the backlog.

Plan time, cost, and resources

1. Build the scheduleCreate work items, set dates, and add dependencies. Check the critical path on the Timeline.
2. Build and approve the budgetIn Financials, create the budget lines, enter amounts, then submit and approve. Spread the approved amounts across months so earned value can be calculated.
3. Freeze the schedule baselineSave the approved schedule as a baseline from the Timeline. Slip is measured against it from then on.
4. Balance the workloadCompare capacity and demand in Workload. Try scenarios before changing real assignments.
5. Connect the ERP (if used)Import actual costs from the ERP view. Imported figures stay read-only.

Deliver the work

1. Work on the boardMove items through their statuses in Work. Group them into sprints if your team works in cycles.
2. Collect requests with formsUse intake Forms for incoming requests, and project Automations for routine reactions.
3. Track deliverablesKeep products and their acceptance criteria up to date, separate from the tasks that produce them.
4. Record time and triageEach team member records time in Timesheets and works from My Work and Inbox.
5. Log risks and issues as they appearWhen a response needs real work, link it to a work item.

Control a change

1. Raise a change requestIn Changes, describe what should change, why, and the impact on scope, schedule, cost, risk, and benefits.
2. Submit it for a decisionThe request moves to the approvers.
3. Approve or rejectAn authorized approver decides. Who decided, and when, is saved.
4. See the resultIf approved, the affected baseline gets a new version and the old one is kept. If rejected, the baselines stay as they were. ERP actuals are never edited by the decision.

Pass a stage gate

1. Keep the stage currentKeep the boundaries and tolerances up to date in Stages.
2. Report a highlightWhile the forecast stays within tolerance, progress is reported as a highlight.
3. Handle an exceptionIf the forecast breaches a tolerance, record an exception. Raise a change request if the plan itself must move.
4. Record the decisionAt the stage boundary, an authorized person records go or no-go with a reason. If the gate names a quality checklist, complete it first.

Close a project

1. Capture lessonsRecord what went well and what to do differently in Lessons.
2. Work through the checklistIn Closeout, confirm or waive each line: deliverables, financial reconciliation, open risks and issues, contract closure, and lessons.
3. Review the End Project ReportAdd narrative if needed. It never rewrites financial or risk records.
4. FinishComplete closeout, then set the project status to Completed in the project center.

Give someone access (administrators)

1. Prepare the roleCreate or edit a role under Administration → Roles.
2. Assign itGive the role to the user. Use a direct grant only for a true exception.
3. Add them to projectsAdd the person to the projects they need, from the project or from their user hub.
4. VerifyCheck, with that person, that their menus and project tabs match what you intended.