Create a project
Overview¶
A project tracks capital work on your property, from a roof replacement to a routine inspection, from the point you decide to do it through completion. Property Managers, Reserve Analysts and Account Admins with access to the "Projects" module use it to schedule the work, link it to the components it affects, and track its cost. SmartProperty sets up "Projects" for your property before you can use it.
Setup¶
"Projects" appears in the left navigation only while the current fiscal year is selected. It is not available while a past or planning fiscal year is selected.
SmartProperty turns on "Projects" for your property. Contact SmartProperty if you do not see "Projects" in the navigation and expect to.
Your project permission level determines which projects you can see and create. Creating a project requires at least assigned-level access to the "Projects" module. See What Can Each User Role Do? (Role Permissions Reference) for what each role can do.
Before creating your first project, review "Projects" > "More Actions" > "Manage Stages". The stages set here become the starting stages for every new project on this property, and you can still adjust stages on an individual project afterward.
How-to¶
Add a project from the Projects list¶
Open "Projects" in the left navigation. This opens the "Projects" list, which you can view as a "List" or a "Gantt chart".
Select "Add Project". This opens the "Add Project" window.
Enter a "Project Name" and choose a "Project Type". These are the only two required fields. "Project Type" options are "Preventative Maintenance", "Repair", "Replacement", "Inspection", "Miscellaneous" and "Strategic Plan".
"Start Date" defaults to today and "Status" defaults to "Planned". You can change either before saving.
Optionally enter a "Project Description", a "Project Schedule", and search for components to link to the project. You can add or remove linked components later from the project's "Components" tab, so you do not need to decide this now.
The "Project Schedule" uses a single date range control for "Start Date" and "End Date". It will not accept an "End Date" earlier than the "Start Date".
Select "Save". This creates the project and adds it to the "Projects" list.
Create a project from existing components¶
Open "Components" in the left navigation.
Select the checkbox for one or more components you want the project to cover.
From the bulk actions menu, select "Create Project". This opens a "Create Project" window.
Enter a "Project Name". This is the only field you need to fill in here.
The new project is created with "Type" set to "Replacement" and "Status" set to "Planned". You can change the type, status, and other details afterward from the project itself.
Select "Create Project". This creates the project with your selected components already linked to it.
Convert an expenditure review item to a project¶
Open the "Reserves" dashboard.
In the anticipated expenditure review banner, select the item or items you want to convert, then select "Convert to Project".
Confirm the project name and schedule in the wizard, then complete it. This creates a project linked to the component the expenditure came from.
Add assignees¶
Open the project and select the "Assignees" tab.
Add the people who should work on this project and choose a role for each: Project Manager, Collaborator, or Watcher.
"Assignees" are added after the project exists. You cannot add them from the "Add Project" window.
Reference¶
Fields on a new project¶
"Project Name" and "Project Type" are required. Everything else, including "Project Description", "Project Schedule", "Status", and linked components, is optional at creation and can be filled in or changed later.
Project Type¶
"Preventative Maintenance", "Repair", "Replacement", "Inspection", "Miscellaneous", "Strategic Plan".
Status¶
A project has one of nine statuses: "Planned", "Scheduled", "In Progress", "On Hold", "Awaiting Approval", "Awaiting Funding", "Completed", "Cancelled", "Deferred".
Most statuses are informational and used for filtering the "Projects" list. Setting status to "Completed" is different: it updates your reserve study, and the update cannot be reversed.
If you set a project to "Completed" by mistake, change its status back to "In Progress". The components the project updated keep their updated values. When you set the project to "Completed" again, the component updates run again.
Do not create a new project with "Status" already set to "Completed".
Stages¶
Every new project starts with the "Stages" set for your property at "Projects" > "More Actions" > "Manage Stages", on the "Edit Project Stages" page. You can add, remove, or rename stages on an individual project after it is created without affecting the property default. Each stage can hold tasks and sub-tasks.
Linking components¶
"Components" are optional on a project and can be added or removed at any time from the project's "Components" tab, not only when you create the project.
Project tabs¶
A project has "Overview", "Stages & Tasks", "Components", "Financials", "Assignees", "Photos & Files", "Notes", "Timeline", and "Activity" tabs.
Troubleshooting¶
If "Projects" does not appear in your left navigation, confirm the current fiscal year is selected. If it is and "Projects" is still missing, contact SmartProperty.
If "Save" is not available on the "Add Project" window, check that both "Project Name" and "Project Type" are filled in, and that the "Project Schedule" does not have an "End Date" earlier than the "Start Date".