Solution is a project orientated system and as such cannot be used for producing documents for a project until the project is entered in the Project Register.
Once entered in the project register, a project can be selected in the main dashboard and any buttons then selected from the dashboard (except those in the User Defined section) will relate to that project.
Open the Project Register by selecting Projects from the Dashboard.
Figure 1.1 - Project Register
You need to be given Project Add permission in order to add new projects and Project Edit permission to be able to edit project details.
The Project Register should contain all your projects but should also contain project references for non-project related activities such as Administration, CPD, College Courses, Statutory Holidays, etc. since these will be selected from the Project Register when filling in a time sheet etc.
In addition it is often useful to have a project reference for General work (e.g. Office administration, Practice finance, etc) so that documents can be created that do not relate to specific projects.
Whilst the main function of the Project Register is to enable you to register your projects into the system, it can also be useful for finding a project number, given say it's client and location, or to analyse your projects by using the filter e.g. how many live projects is an architect currently responsible for, how many commercial jobs have you done in a particular area in the last two years, etc.
The Project Register displays a list of all the projects in your system (this may exclude selected projects depending on their status). The list can be sorted by clicking on the column headings. For example, to sort by client name, click on the client column heading, clicking on the same heading again will then sort in descending order.
You can limit the list to a selected group of projects by using the row filter options.
The Office column is mainly of use to organisations that have more than one office and can also be used to specify the location of files in various folder locations on an office by office basis, typically on a local server.
Row Filter selections under the column headings at the top of the form enable quick filtering of the project list by Office, Status, Partner/Director and Job type etc.
- Adding a new Project Distribution entry can be accessed from here.
Figure 1.1.1 - New Project Distribution Entry
- A new task can be created based on the project you have selected.
Figure 1.1.2 - New Task Item
- A print of the Project Register is also possible here.
Figure 1.1.3 - Print Preview
Creating a New Project
Enter your new project by selecting the New button on the Project Register and filling in the necessary details.
Figure 1.2 - New Project
Project Number
There is an option for suggest project number, this is only possible if the last entered project's last 3 characters where numeric, failing that just enter a project number manually.
If you enter a duplicate project number, the system will highlight this.
Note : Any illegal characters will be corrected when entering a project number ie full stop(s), forward and back slashes etc, as the project number will be used to create folder names.
Date
The date is initially set as current, this can be changed accordingly.
Client
Select the client name from the drop down, this is linked to the main contacts section.
Description
Enter a description for the project.
Location
Normally where the project is located.
Site
Gives an added option for location of the project, helpful for additional filtering.
Job Type
Enter the type of job ie Commercial, Industrial etc. again helpful when filtering.
Status
Enter the status of the project ie Live, Completed, Speculative etc. Status items can be added/updated/deleted in global settings.
Service
Enter the service that you are providing ie Planning and Building Control, Architectural etc.
Team leader and Partner/Director
Team leader is the person(s) responsible for the day to day running of the project and Director/Partner is the person(s) in overall responsibility for the project.
Office
Use this to record which office is in charge of the project. It can also be used to specify where the documents are located for this project.
There are various other sub features that are automatically linked to the active project you have created.
Figure 1.3 - Sub Features
Project Team
A Project Team ie Client, Architect, Sub Contractor can be added, these are commonly used in various reports.
Project Distribution
Project Distribution(s) can be set up, these can be used throughout the software for various communication purposes ie Letters, Meetings, Emails etc.
User Fields
User fields can be added to the Project Register, allows for additional fields that are not set by default to be added.
Workstages
Project workstages can be set up, these can then be accessed by various parts of the software and will only display what has been set for the project, if no project workstage has been created, then only the default workstages set in global settings will be displayed.
Components
Components can be set up for the project and used in timesheets, only components set for the project will be displayed in any component dropdown, if no project components are created, then only default ones created in global settings will be displayed.
Floor Levels
Floor Levels can be set for the project, any part of software that uses a floor level list, will only display the list that has been set up for the project, if no floor levels have been added, then only the default list will be displayed.
Background
Background is an option to project background notes.
Objectives
Objectives is an option to record project objectives.
Project Notes
Project Notes is an option to record project notes.
Additional Notes
Additional Notes is an option to record additional notes.
Once you have completed the necessary details and added any required sub features for your project, select save and close.