Once a project is running, it largely documents itself: booked time, stored documents as well as progress and status keep a record of the course automatically. Three things you maintain actively – status, progress and time – and teamspace warns you when something gets out of hand.
Set the status
The current status is shown in the “Status” column; you change it directly in the field or via the context menu (the “chocolate bar”) of the element. Which statuses exist (e.g. “In planning”, “In progress”, “Completed”) and which transitions are allowed is governed by the project type’s workflow.
Note: If a status cannot be set, this is usually down to the transition permission in the workflow – often a direct jump (e.g. “In progress” → “Archived”) is blocked and only the route via “Completed” is allowed. More on this in Tidy up and archive projects.
Maintain progress
Every main project, subproject and work package has a progress from 0 to 100%. Superordinate elements calculate their progress automatically from the subordinate ones.
Recommendation: Change the progress manually only at work-package level – the values above it follow on their own. To update it, click the progress icon in the structure view and enter the value in the dialog.
In addition you can give a current status as free text (e.g. “going well, absolutely in the green”).
Recording time – four ways
Booked time is the basis for analysis and billing. There are four ways:
- Structure view: via the element’s context menu → “Book time”. The element turns green after booking.
- “My day” (time tracking): under “their projects” you see the projects you are assigned to → click and book. Time can be combined and changed.
- Task manager (below): shows all subprojects you are assigned to.
- “My projects”: shows projects with your role – as an assignee all work packages, as the responsible person the main projects.
The details of time tracking are in the topic Time tracking.
Warnings and alarms
Both report deviations but work differently:
- Warnings arise automatically when planning limits are exceeded – if you book more hours than were planned, for example, the work package generates a warning that accumulates upwards to the main project.
- Alarms you set yourself per subproject, e.g. “send me an SMS or internal message when 70% of my budget is used up”.
This way you spot schedule and budget problems early enough to steer against them.
Notes
- Staff see their assigned tasks and plan the day-by-day delivery themselves – the bookings flow automatically into analysis and billing.
- How you analyse the figures afterwards is in Analyse projects.
Common questions & needs
| You want to … | How to |
|---|---|
| Change a project’s status | Switch it directly in the “Status” column or via the element’s context menu. |
| When a status cannot be set | Usually the transition permission in the workflow is missing – often only the route via “Completed” is allowed (see Tidy up and archive projects). |
| Update the progress | Click the progress icon in the structure view and enter the value (0–100%) – best only at work-package level, the rest rolls up. |
| Leave a short status message | Give a current status as free text (e.g. “going well, in the green”). |
| Book time onto an element | Via the element’s context menu → “Book time” (the element then turns green) – alternatively via “My day”, the task manager or “My projects”. |
| Be warned automatically when the plan is exceeded | Warnings arise automatically when planning limits are exceeded and accumulate up to the main project. |
| A notification when a budget threshold is reached | Set an alarm per subproject (e.g. “message when 70% of the budget is used up”). |
Related topics
- Assign people – who does what? (with video) Project management How-to
- Analyse projects Project management Concept
- Topic: Time tracking Time tracking
- Project controlling software