Project Hierarchy

Projects can be nested to up to 5 levels of hierarchy with parent projects and sub-projects. When you create a project hierarchy, it will be visible in the left sidebar in the All Work tab, as well as reflected in Plan View.

While project hierarchy is one way to keep tasks organized, you also have the option to use task groups to structure and organize your projects.

Create New Sub-Project

The project hierarchy consists of parent projects and sub-projects. Sub-projects can be created from parent projects.

1. Identify or create the project that you want to have as the parent project (see Create Projects for more info). In the All Work tab, in the left sidebar, hover over that project and click on the More Actions icon that appears.
2. Select New Sub-Project.
   
3. This will open the New Project Details screen. Enter the Project Name. Notice that the Parent Project field is automatically populated.
4. Click Save & Next.
5. Optional: Adjust Team Members. By default, team members will be copied over from the parent project.
6. Optional: Click on the Chatter tab to adjust Chatter Groups connections. By default, Chatter Group connections will be copied over from the parent project.
7. Click Save.

Turn a Project into a Sub-Project

You can also turn existing projects into sub-projects and nest them under other (parent) projects.

1. Identify the project that you want to turn into a sub-project. In the All Work tab, in the left sidebar, hover over that project and click on the More Actions icon that appears.
2. Select Edit Project. Alternatively, double click on the project.
   
3. This will open the Project Details screen. Double click on the Parent Project field to enter inline editing mode.
4. Click on the lookup icon next to the Parent Project.
   
5. In the window that appears, in the search field, enter the name of the project that you want to have as the parent project and click Go!
6. In the search results, click on the needed project name to make a selection. This will be the parent project.
7. The lookup window will close and you will return to Project Details. Click Save or Save & Close.

Example: When to use Sub-Projects vs. Task Groups

Project Hierarchy using Task Groups

XYZ Co is a professional services business that implements SaaS solutions. Their product is people (billable hours). For each implementation, they follow a five phase project management cadence.
XYZ Co has the following requirements for their TaskRay implementation:

• The phases are dependent upon one another, such that phase 1 must be completed before the next can begin.
• There is one project team that needs visibility into the entire project.
• Based on customer-specific data points, there might need to be additional phases of tasks added to the project (e.g., enterprise customers receive an extended, on-site end user training phase).

Project Hierarchy using Parent and Sub-Projects

ABC Inc is a Property Management company. They manage multiple apartment complexes at a time. Each complex consists of multiple properties, often worked on by different teams.

• ABC Inc has the following requirements for their TaskRay implementation:
  The individual teams want to be able to search for their project, and display only its task groups, tasks, and checklists.
• The executive team wants to see all the projects and how they relate to the overall complex’s account.
• Each property project has a different timeline. There are no interdependencies between remodeling for different properties.
• Some properties have external stakeholders that would like insight into their project's progress
  For privacy reasons, some apartment complex projects should not be seen by teams who are not directly a part of that project.