In the Projects Element > Prefs, you have the opportunity to configure project settings, create stages and build templates. In some of the preference buttons you will see an Update button in the lower right side of the page. Click this button to save any changes.
The six preference menus within the Projects Element do the following:
1. Settings
• Set default project manager: If this applies, select the employee from the list.
• Set display order: Display projects by index number, project ID or code. Note: code is a field that may be customized on the settings page.
• Customize the “Code” label: In project management, it is very common to have a project code. If this does not apply to your processes, you may change the name
of the field to whatever you’d like. This field appears in the Projects Element >
Project, under the “Project” tab of the Data Editor.
• Set message options: check (or uncheck) the automated messages project managers will receive in their Message Element with project status updates.
2. Project Categories Categories
Under the Projects Element > Prefs > Project Categories, you can create customized categories of information about your projects. This would generally be used as another field of information that does not already exist by default in projects.
To create a Custom Category:
1. Click on the icon in the lower left side of the Data Editor. If no categories have been entered in the system, click on the Create Category button that will appear in the middle of the Data Editor.
2. Fill in the information about the category in the box that appears. Create parent categories first and then you may create sub-categories by selecting the parent category from the popup menu. Note: parent categories are rarely used.
Categories can be created in 3 different formats:
1. Free Form - Any text or value can be entered. Most useful when each would be a unique value, or one with many many options.
2. Options - Creates a popup menu of options. Works great for keeping data clean and organized.
3. Date - Creates a date field.
Once your categories are created, they can be edited in the General, Options, and Utilities tabs of the Data Editor.
To Edit a category:
1. Click on the category in the Data Viewer to select it. Information will appear in the Data Editor.
2. Click in the field you want to update and begin typing.
3. Click on the icon to save your changes or the icon to reset the field.
There are multiple tabs in the Data Editor for editing categories including:
• General: Describes the category and is a place for changing basic settings.
• Options: Create and edit options for each category (only applies when using
“Options”). Click Add to add additional categories, the icon to edit them, and the icon to delete the category.
• Utilities: Used to assign the category to all projects or remove it from all projects.
Categories applied to projects appear in the Projects Element > Accounts under the Custom tab of the Data Editor.
3. Project Templates
Project templates are templates you create for projects that you commonly complete.
How to Create a Project Template To create a project template:
1. Project templates can only be created from duplicating or converting an existing project. If you do not already have a project created, navigate to the Projects Element
> Projects > My Projects and create a project.
2. Navigate to the Projects Element > Prefs > Project Templates.
3. Click on the icon in the lower left side of the Data Editor. (If no project templates have been added to the system, click on the Add Template button in the middle of the Data Editor.)
4. In the box that appears, select a source project (which is a project you’ve already built) and choose to duplicate the project, or to convert the project into a template.
5. Click on the Create button.
Editing Project Templates
Information regarding the project template can be added and edited in the different tabs of the Data Editor.
To edit information about a project template:
1. Select the project template in the Data Viewer.
2. In the Data Editor, click in the field you want to update and begin typing.
3. Click on the icon to save your changes or the icon to reset the field.
There are many tabs in the Data Editor for managing information about the project template including:
• Project: General info about the project. Assign sales account or product, choose project type (if applicable), enter budget, change managers, etc.
• People: A list of team members involved in the project.
• Custom: Customized categories created in the project prefs. Only the categories that have been created will appear in the Add popup menu.
• Tasks: All items that must be completed for the project.
• History: Project communication history with clients, sub-contractors, etc. Add a time-stamped note by clicking on the Add button at the bottom of this section. View sales notes by selecting it from the options menu at the bottom right of this section.
• Docs: Documents associated with that particular project. To add, drag it from you Mac and drop it into the Docs section.
• Dates: Shows project submission date and place to edit project goal date.
• Description: General description of the project.
• Email: Tracks project-specific email communications through a tracking token.
Generate a token and include it all emails you wish to store about the project.
Note: Elements Mail must already be setup and operating to use this feature.
Need to delete a project template? Click on the icon to the right of the project name.
5. Project Types
Project types are categories of projects that you create within Elements to better define your projects. You may create parent project types to define them even further. Project types are an optional feature and are not required to create projects.
To create a project type:
1. Navigate to the Projects Element > Prefs > Project Types.
2. Click on the icon in the lower left side of the Data Editor. (If no project types have been created, then click on the Create Project Type button that will appear in the middle of the Data Editor.)
3. Type in the information about your new project type.
4. Click on the Add button when you are finished.
Setting a Parent Type allows you to group Project Types together in a list.
To edit information about a project type:
1. Select the template in the Data Viewer.
2. In the Data Editor, click in the field you want to update and begin typing.
3. Click on the icon to save your changes or the icon to reset the field.
To delete a project type, click on the icon to the right of the project type.
6. Task Templates
Task templates are templates you create for tasks that you commonly add to projects.
Rather than defining the same task over and over, you can define it once here and select the template each time you need to add the task to a project.
How to Create a Task Template To create a task template:
1. Navigate to the Projects Element > Prefs > Task Templates.
2. Click on the icon in the lower left side of the Data Editor.
3. Fill out the information in the box that appears.
4. Click on the Add button when you are finished.
Once added, you can review and edit information about the task template in the multiple tabs of the Data Editor including:
• Info: General info about the task. Change owner and other details.
• Financial: Estimated time and rate, billing settings and task budget.
• Products: Products required to complete the task.
• Description: General description about the task.
• Notes: Notes about the task.