The projects list, templates, and adding a client
Use the project list to manage existing jobs, templates to reuse setup, and the client wizard to create a workspace with an optional first project.
All Projects
Open All Projects. Choose Cards or List to change the presentation without changing the projects.
Filter by Active, From Quote, Completed, or All, and narrow to a client. The From Quote view identifies projects auto-created from accepted quotes and links back to their source.
The Invoices waiting on you panel surfaces relevant draft billing needing attention. For the broader billing picture, use the client's billing page or Revenue Dashboard.
What the project view shows
Cards and list rows expose the project and client, status, billing type, billable and total hours, estimated unbilled value, surcharge run rate, budget indicator, pricing, and recent activity.
Hover the column help for the metric's scope. For example, the list's Budget used indicator compares unbilled value with the configured base budget; it is not necessarily the same as the approval system's all-usage cap including approved extensions.
A surcharge run rate is a comparison figure, not proof that every displayed surcharge has client approval or has already been invoiced.
Creating a project from here
Open the project's actions menu and choose the creation action. Select the client, name the project, and review its pricing profile and optional dates. Complete the surcharge-disclosure fields when required.
Leaving a profile unset does not invent a price: eligible work may use the client's retainer, but otherwise you must configure the intended pricing. Quote acceptance also does not infer an hourly rate card from a labor line.
Project-retainer pricing
Separately priced project retainers are unavailable for new projects and templates because their monthly base-fee billing is not supported yet. Use a supported client-level retainer without a separate project rate card, or choose hourly, block, or fixed project pricing.
An existing project-retainer selection stays visible. Editing unrelated project details preserves its saved rates, even if the catalog changed; the generic project form does not reprice that agreement. Billing for that unsupported project-retainer scope remains paused for review rather than silently omitting its fee. This does not disable client-level retainer agreements or provider-direct recurring cost disclosures.
Project templates and the library
Open Templates for reusable project setups and links to contract templates, saved quotes, clauses, pricing, and service plans.
Creating a project template
A project template can prefill a name, description, billing profile, and budget. Save defaults you actually want to review on future projects rather than treating the template as a signed agreement.
Using a template
Use Start from template in the project form when available. Review the filled fields and any existing values before saving. A template fills the form; it does not change an already-created project's terms.
A legacy template selecting a separate project retainer cannot be applied to a new project. Choose a supported project profile instead; existing projects created from that template are not rewritten.
Archiving
Archiving removes a template from future selection. Projects previously created from it keep their own records.
Adding a new client
Open New → Add Client. The guided form has four steps. Navigation between steps keeps your current form values; final submission creates the workspace.
If the page requires payment setup, follow its connection prompt before proceeding.
Step 1: Client details
Enter the contact's first name, last name, email, and phone. Company and address are optional. Check the email because invitations and client notifications use it.
Step 2: Pricing
Choose the industry context, optional retainer tier, and first-project billing profile. Review the actual fee, included hours, overage, and currency—not just the plan name.
The retainer tier is a client-level agreement, distinct from the unsupported separately priced project-retainer option described above.
Selecting a new retainer requires reviewing and confirming its terms. Those agreed values are saved separately from later catalog edits. If the email already belongs to a client, their existing agreement is preserved; review any intended changes on that client's page.
Step 3: Surcharges and costs
Answer whether surcharges were disclosed in the signed contract. Marking them disclosed can allow charges without another per-charge approval, so answer from the actual agreement, not convenience.
You can add surcharges your business bills and recurring provider costs the client pays directly. These settings and costs attach to the first project; without a first project, they are not saved as project charges.
See Approvals and surcharges for approval ceilings, recurring allocation, and payer differences.
Step 4: First project (optional)
Name a kickoff project, set its optional budget, deposit percentage, and dates, or leave the name blank to create only the client.
A deposit percentage is a billing setting, not an invoice or payment created just by entering it. Review the actual billing workflow before telling the client a deposit request has been sent.
The Email them a portal invite right away checkbox controls the invitation. If you leave it off, use Send Portal Invite later. An emailed invitation still requires the client to complete the appropriate access/sign-in step.
Review the summary and any agreed retainer terms, then click Create Client Workspace. If submission reports an error, inspect the client list before repeating it; do not assume a failed later step means no record was created.
Locked prices and changed terms
Projects and client retainer agreements preserve their applicable agreed pricing and term snapshots. Editing a template or catalog is not authorization to reprice an existing engagement.
Review project-specific pricing changes deliberately. Use the retainer agreement workflow for verified original terms or future client-approved retainer changes.