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Creating Projects

What is a Project?​

A project is a container for organizing time tracking, tasks, and budgets related to a specific piece of work. Projects belong to workspaces and help you categorize your time entries for better reporting and client billing.

Project Examples
  • Freelancer: "Client ABC Website Redesign", "Monthly Retainer - Company XYZ"
  • Agency: "Marketing Campaign Q1", "Product Development - Mobile App"
  • Enterprise: "Internal HR System Upgrade", "Sales Dashboard 2026"

Project Creation Process​

Step 1: Navigate to Projects​

  1. Log in to your CADENSA account
  2. Select your workspace from the workspace selector
  3. Navigate to Projects in the sidebar
  4. Click the "New Project" button

Step 2: Fill in Project Details​

Required Fields​

Project Name

  • Clear, descriptive name for the project
  • Length: Maximum 200 characters
  • Examples:
  • "Website Redesign - ABC Corp"
  • "Q1 Marketing Campaign"
  • "Project 1" (too generic)
  • "P" (too vague, but technically allowed)

Optional Fields​

Client Name

  • Name of the client or customer
  • Helps organize projects by client
  • Example: "ABC Corporation", "John Smith"
  • Use case: Generate client-specific reports

Description

  • Detailed project description
  • Visible to all workspace members
  • Length: Up to 1000 characters
  • Example: "Complete website redesign including homepage, about page, and contact form. Includes mobile responsiveness and SEO optimization."

Project Color

  • Visual identifier for quick recognition
  • Color picker with predefined palette
  • Default: Random color assigned
  • Use case: Quickly identify projects in timer and reports

Deadline

  • Target completion date
  • Format: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Optional but recommended for tracking
  • Alerts: System can notify you when deadline approaches (PRO+)

Budget (PRO+ only)

  • Financial limit for the project
  • See Project Budgets for details
  • Types:
  • Fixed budget (e.g., €5,000)
  • Hourly budget (e.g., 100 hours × €50/hour)

Is Billable

  • Toggle: Billable or Non-billable
  • Billable: Time tracked will be included in invoices
  • Non-billable: Internal work, overhead, training
  • Default: Billable (enabled)

Client Contact (PRO+)

  • Client email and phone number
  • Used for project-specific communications
  • Example: john.doe@abccorp.com, +36 30 123 4567

Step 3: Advanced Settings (Optional)​

Project Template (ENTERPRISE)

  • Use existing project as template
  • Copies tasks, rates, and settings
  • Use case: Recurring projects with similar structure

Task Import (PRO+)

  • Import tasks from CSV
  • Bulk task creation
  • Format: task_name, description, priority, deadline

Rate Override

  • Set project-specific hourly rate
  • Overrides workspace default rate
  • See Rate Management for hierarchy

Time Entry Settings

  • Require task for time entry: Force task selection
  • Auto-start timer: Timer starts when opening project
  • Round time entries: 5, 10, 15, or 30-minute intervals

Step 4: Create Project​

Click "Create Project" button to finalize.

What happens next:

  1. Project created and visible in project list
  2. 📧 Team members notified (if notifications enabled)
  3. 🎨 Project color appears in timer dropdown
  4. 📊 Project available in reports

Tier Restrictions​

Different subscription tiers have different project limits:

TierMax Projects per WorkspaceBudget TrackingProject TemplatesArchiving
FREE10
PROUnlimited
ENTERPRISEUnlimited
FREE Tier Limit

FREE tier allows only 10 projects per workspace. Upgrade to PRO for unlimited projects.

Project Types & Use Cases​

Client Projects (Billable)​

Configuration:

  • Billable: Enabled
  • Budget: Set fixed or hourly budget
  • Client contact: Add client email
  • Deadline: Set project deadline

Example:

Project Name: Website Redesign - ABC Corp
Client: ABC Corporation
Description: Redesign corporate website with 5 pages
Budget: €5,000 (fixed)
Deadline: 2026-03-15
Billable: Yes
Color: Blue

Internal Projects (Non-billable)​

Configuration:

  • Billable: Disabled
  • 📝 Description: Internal purpose
  • 🔄 Recurring: May use template (ENTERPRISE)

Example:

Project Name: Internal Team Training
Client: (empty)
Description: Q1 professional development sessions
Budget: Not applicable
Deadline: 2026-03-31
Billable: No
Color: Grey

Retainer Projects​

Configuration:

  • Billable: Enabled
  • ⏰ Budget: Monthly hour budget
  • 🔄 Recurring: Create monthly (use template ENTERPRISE)

Example:

Project Name: Monthly Retainer - XYZ Company
Client: XYZ Company
Description: 20 hours/month ongoing support
Budget: 20 hours × €75/hour = €1,500
Deadline: End of each month
Billable: Yes
Color: Green

R&D Projects​

Configuration:

  • Billable: Disabled (internal)
  • Budget: Department budget allocation
  • Deadline: Quarter or year-end

Example:

Project Name: AI Integration Research
Client: (empty)
Description: Research and POC for AI features
Budget: 200 hours
Deadline: 2026-06-30
Billable: No
Color: Purple

Best Practices​

Do's​

  • Use descriptive names - Include client and project type
  • Set deadlines - Helps with prioritization and alerts
  • Assign colors strategically - Group related projects with similar colors
  • Add descriptions - Future you will thank present you
  • Track budgets - Even if not client-facing (PRO+)
  • Mark billable status correctly - Affects invoicing and reports
  • Use client names - Enables client-based reporting

Don'ts​

  • Don't use generic names - "Project 1", "Test", "Misc"
  • Don't create too many projects - Consolidate related work
  • Don't forget to archive - Old projects clutter project lists (ENTERPRISE)
  • Don't skip budget setup - Hard to add retroactively (PRO+)
  • Don't mix billable/non-billable - Create separate projects

Quick Start Examples​

Freelancer: 10-Project Setup (FREE Tier)​

Project 1: Client Work - Active Projects
 Billable: Yes
 Use for: Current client billable hours

Project 2: Administrative Tasks
 Billable: No
 Use for: Emails, invoicing, marketing

Project 3: Professional Development
 Billable: No
 Use for: Learning, training, networking

Agency: Multi-Client Setup (PRO Tier)​

Client A Projects:
 - Website Development
 - Monthly Retainer
 - Bug Fixes & Support

Client B Projects:
 - Marketing Campaign Q1
 - Social Media Management

Internal Projects:
 - Team Meetings
 - Training & Development
 - Sales & Marketing

Enterprise: Department-Based Setup (ENTERPRISE Tier)​

Marketing Department:
 - Q1 Campaign Planning
 - Website Updates
 - Content Creation

Development Department:
 - Product Feature A
 - Product Feature B
 - Technical Debt

Operations:
 - Process Improvement
 - Team Onboarding
 - Documentation

After Creation​

Once your project is created:

  1. Add tasks - See Task Management
  2. Set project-specific rates - See Rate Management
  3. Configure project settings - See Project Settings
  4. Start tracking time - See Timer Usage
  5. Invite project members - Assign team to project (PRO+)

Troubleshooting​

"Maximum projects reached" error​

Problem: You've reached your tier's project limit.

Solutions:

  1. FREE tier: Delete unused projects or upgrade to PRO
  2. Check workspace: Limit is per workspace, not total
  3. Archive instead of delete: ENTERPRISE tier only

Cannot create project​

Problem: "Create Project" button is disabled.

Reasons:

  • No permission (must be Manager or Owner)
  • Workspace limit reached
  • Browser issue (try refresh)

Solutions:

  1. Check your role in Team → Active Members
  2. Ask workspace Owner to create project
  3. Refresh browser (F5)

Project not showing in timer dropdown​

Problem: Created project doesn't appear when starting timer.

Solutions:

  1. Refresh page (F5)
  2. Check if project is in correct workspace
  3. Verify project wasn't accidentally deleted
  4. Check browser console for errors

Budget not working​

Problem: Cannot set budget for project.

Reason: Budget tracking is PRO+ feature only.

Solution: Upgrade to PRO or ENTERPRISE tier.

Project Limits Summary​

FeatureFREEPROENTERPRISE
Projects per Workspace10UnlimitedUnlimited
Total Projects (all workspaces)20 (2 workspaces)UnlimitedUnlimited
Project Budgets
Budget Alerts
Project Templates
Project Archiving
Custom Fields
Client Contact Info
Task Import (CSV)

Next Steps​

Need Help?​