Creating and Managing Projects

Projects are at the heart of Site Service Pro. This guide walks you through creating projects, understanding project types, working with sub-projects, and managing the project lifecycle.

What is a Project?

A project represents a job, contract, or piece of work you're doing for a client. Projects contain:

• Timesheets and labor records
• Documents and files
• RFIs (Requests for Information)
• Cost tracking and budgets
• Team member assignments

Creating a New Project

Who Can Create Projects?

Only users with Admin or System Admin roles can create projects.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Navigate to Projects

   • Click Projects in the left navigation menu

2. Click New Project

   • Look for the button in the top right corner

3. Fill in Required Information

   Field	Required?	Description
   Client	✅ Yes	Select the client this project is for
   Project Type	✅ Yes	LT, PR, or SC (see below)
   Project Name	✅ Yes	Descriptive name for the project

4. Add Optional Details

   • Description
   • Location (address, city, state, ZIP)
   • Start date and estimated completion date
   • Budget settings
   • Rate overrides

5. Click Create Project

   • You'll be taken to the new project's detail page

Understanding Project Types

Site Service Pro has three project types, each suited for different kinds of work:

LT - Labor & Time

Best for: Time-and-materials work where you bill by the hour

Examples:

• Maintenance contracts
• Hourly consulting
• Emergency repairs
• Service agreements

PR - Project

Best for: Fixed-price contracts or complete deliverables

Examples:

• New construction
• Installation jobs
• Renovation projects
• Contracted work with defined scope

SC - Service Call

Best for: Quick service visits and small jobs

Examples:

• Repair calls
• Site inspections
• Warranty work
• One-time services

Project Numbers Explained

Site Service Pro automatically generates project numbers using this format:

[ClientCode][Counter]-[Type]

Examples:

• WIL1001-LT = Client "WIL", Project 1001, Labor & Time
• MAS2015-PR = Client "MAS", Project 2015, Project type
• ABC1001-SC = Client "ABC", Project 1001, Service Call

The counter increments automatically for each new project.

Creating Sub-Projects (Phases, Change Orders, Work Orders)

For larger projects, you can create sub-projects that are linked to a parent project.

When to Use Sub-Projects

• Breaking a large project into phases
• Tracking change orders separately
• Managing individual work orders

How to Create a Sub-Project

1. When creating a new project, select a Parent Project from the dropdown
2. A new field appears: Sub-Item Type
3. Choose the type:
   • PH - Phase (for project phases)
   • CO - Change Order (for scope changes)
   • WO - Work Order (for specific work tasks)

Sub-Project Numbering

Sub-projects have their own numbering format:

[ParentNumber]-[Counter]-[SubType]

Example:

• Parent: WIL1001-PR
• Phase 1: WIL1001-PR-001-PH
• Phase 2: WIL1001-PR-002-PH
• Change Order: WIL1001-PR-001-CO

Project Settings and Options

Location Information

• Address: Street address of the job site
• City: City name
• State: Select from dropdown
• ZIP Code: Postal code

Timeline

• Start Date: When work begins
• Estimated Completion: Target completion date
• Actual Completion: Filled in when project completes

Project Requirements

• ✅ Require Daily Reports: Team members must submit daily reports
• ✅ Require Timesheet Approval: Timesheets need manager approval before finalizing

Budget Tracking

Site Service Pro can track your project against a budget.

Enabling Budget Tracking

1. Check Track Budget when creating or editing the project
2. Select the Budget Type
3. Enter the Budget Amount

Budget Types

Example

• Budget Type: Total Cost
• Budget Amount: $25,000
• The system will track all project costs against this $25,000 budget

Rate and Markup Overrides

You can override default rates for specific projects:

Per Diem Rate Override

What to pay employees for daily expenses on this project

Truck/Tool Rate Override

• Billing Rate: What to charge the client
• Cost Rate: Your actual cost (for profit calculations)

Markup Overrides

• Subcontractor Markup %: Additional percentage on subcontractor costs
• Equipment Rental Markup %: Additional percentage on equipment rentals

Tip: Only use overrides when you have special pricing arrangements for a project. Otherwise, use the default rates from Settings.

Project Statuses

Projects go through different statuses during their lifecycle:

Changing Project Status

1. Open the project detail page
2. Click Edit
3. Change the Status dropdown
4. Click Save

Managing the Project Team

After creating a project, assign team members who will work on it.

Adding Team Members

1. Open the project
2. Click the Team tab
3. Click Assign User
4. Select or enter the user
5. Choose their Project Role
6. Set permissions
7. Click Save

Project Roles

Custom Permissions

You can customize what each team member can do on the project:

• Timesheet permissions (view, create, edit, approve)
• Document permissions (view, upload, delete)
• RFI permissions (create, respond)
• Financial access (costs, job costing, invoices)

Linking RFIs to Projects

For Change Orders and Work Orders, you can link related RFIs:

1. When creating a sub-project, check Link RFI
2. Select an existing RFI from the dropdown
3. The RFI will be associated with this project

This helps track the paper trail from request to work order.

Project Permissions

Who Can See Projects?

Who Can Edit Projects?

To edit a project, a user needs:

• Can Edit Project global permission, OR
• Project Manager role on that specific project, OR
• Admin/System Admin role

Best Practices

Before Creating Projects

1. Set up your clients first (projects require a client)
2. Decide on your project type conventions (LT vs PR vs SC)
3. Configure default rates in Settings

Project Organization

• Use consistent naming conventions
• Add complete location information for field reference
• Set realistic start and completion dates
• Enable budget tracking for cost-sensitive projects

Team Management

• Assign a Project Manager to every project
• Set appropriate permissions based on role
• Review team assignments when projects complete

Sub-Projects

• Use phases for long-term projects with distinct stages
• Use change orders to track scope modifications
• Use work orders for discrete tasks that need separate tracking

Quick Reference

Related Articles

• Creating and Managing Clients
• Understanding Users and Permissions
• Working with Timesheets
• Managing Documents