Create, Structure, and Schedule Projects

Whether you’re kicking off a brand new initiative or reworking an existing one, setting up a well-structured project is critical to ensuring a smooth execution. This article provides an overview of all the steps and considerations for building projects from scratch and making adjustments to existing project plans.

The article covers the following topics:

• Different approaches to structuring project plans, including setting up project hierarchies and using task groups for organization. 
• Creating and scheduling tasks to build out the project.
• Assigning project teams and delegating assignments.

Project Structure

There are different approaches to structuring projects in TaskRay, and choosing the approach depends on the complexity and requirements of the project plan. Below is a high-level overview of the main options:

1. Simple: A project can be set up with a flat structure, constructed using tasks. This approach is useful for projects that do not incorporate complexity.

2. Projects with Task Groups: A project can be set up with task groups to organize tasks. This approach is useful for projects that need to incorporate an added layer for organization of work, such as phases or themes.

3. Project Hierarchies: A structure incorporating parent projects and sub-projects (up to 5 layers). This approach can be considered for complex project plans or related initiatives tied to a larger goal. In this approach, each project can also be organized using task groups for an added layer of structure. For more information, refer to the Project Hierarchy article.

Want to learn more? Check out the Project Architecture article for further details.

Project Creation

Creating a project from scratch could be necessary when you need to build a custom project plan from the ground up or to manage an ad-hoc initiative. This section walks through the key steps to create a new project in TaskRay, including outlining project details, defining structure, assigning team members, and scheduling tasks.

Create a Project

While projects can be created in any of the main TaskRay views, the best option is to use Plan View. Plan View provides a comprehensive look at the project plan on a timeline, making it easy to define the project structure and manage task scheduling right from the start.

1. Navigate to Plan View. From the left sidebar with filters, click on the Plus icon (located at the top of the PROJECTS section).
   
2. This will open the Create New Project menu, which provides the following options:
   • New Project: Create a brand new project from scratch. This allows you to manually define the structure, tasks, and details.
     
     If you have Record Types enabled, the Create New Project menu will display different options in place of New Project. Instead, you will be asked to select a Project Record Type first. You can learn more about record types here.
   • Clone Template: Create a new project by cloning an existing template. This option copies over the task structure, details, and relative schedules from the selected template.
3. Select the New Project option.
4. This will open the New Project Details screen. Enter the Project Name along with any other necessary information.
   
5. Click Save & Next or Save & Close. 

Manage Project Details

Once the shell for the new project is created, the next step is to outline key details and set parameters, such as name, owner, or schedule mode for the project. Filling in this information helps ensure the project contains all relevant information for the assigned team.

Access Project Details

The main place to fill out project-specific information is the Project Details modal. If you’re not already viewing this modal, you can access it in a few ways in TaskRay:

• Left Sidebar: Using the left sidebar with filters, locate the project in the PROJECTS section. From here, you can double-click on the project name or click on the three-dot icon and select Edit Project.
  
• Plan View: In Plan View, locate the project in the Projects & Tasks sidebar and double-click the project name.
  

Once you’re in the Project Details modal, you’ll see the project’s field-level information. To update any of the values:

1. Click the Edit button at the top of the modal, or click the pencil icon next to the specific field.
2. Make your updates.
3. Click Save to apply changes.

Attach Files [Optional]

If you need to provide additional documentation or attachments for the project, you can add them through the FILES tab within the Project Details modal.

1. From the Project Details modal, click on the FILES tab.
2. To attach a resource:
   1. Link: Click on the Attach Link button and then provide the link URL and link title. To save, hit Enter on your keyboard.
   2. Click Upload File or drag and drop a file into the upload area.
3. Select the file from your device. Once uploaded, the file will appear in the list and be attached to the project.

All uploaded files will be visible to users with access to the project and can be downloaded or referenced as needed.

Set Project Schedule [If Applicable]

This step only applies if your org is using the Advanced Project Schedule mode.

If your organization is using the Advanced Project Schedule mode, you will need to set the schedule for the new project by associating applicable Salesforce Business Hours in the Project Schedule field. This will determine working and non-working days for task scheduling. Reference this article for in-depth information on Project Schedules.

Set Project Color [Optional]

When a new project is created, TaskRay will apply a randomized color to it to make it visually identifiable throughout the TaskRay app.  If you would like to change the assigned color for the project, follow the steps below: 

1. In the Project Details modal, locate the Color field.
2. Choose a color using the color picker, or enter a HEX value manually.
3. Click Save to apply changes.

Project Build

Now that your project details are in place, it’s time to start building out the plan and defining the structure using tasks and, if applicable, task groups.

Add Tasks and/or Task Groups to the Project

When building out a project:

• Use Task Groups to define the top-level structure of the project, such as phases, themes, or workstreams, to help organize related tasks.
• For simpler projects, you can skip task groups and add tasks directly to the project.

The best place to manage project structure is in Plan View, which provides a visual timeline and drag-and-drop interface for organizing work. Follow the steps outlined in the following Plan View article to create tasks and/or task groups on the new project.

Scheduling Tasks

Project schedules in TaskRay are driven by the tasks within them. As you add new tasks or update existing task dates, the project’s Start Date and Estimated End Date are automatically updated based on the schedule of those tasks.

This means you do not need to set dates for projects directly because they automatically reflect the earliest start date and the latest estimated end date of the tasks within them. Refer to Manage Task Schedules for detailed information and how-to instructions for scheduling. 

Configure Task Dependencies

Depending on the requirements of your project, you may need to set up task dependencies to define the order in which tasks should be worked on. Dependencies help ensure that work progresses in the correct sequence and that certain tasks don’t begin until others are finished. Refer to this article for more information on task dependencies. 

Add Team and Manage Assignments

Every project in TaskRay has a team, which can include a combination of Resources (actual users) and Roles (placeholder assignments). Using Roles is helpful when the specific assignee isn’t known yet—for example, assigning tasks to “Implementation Specialist” or “Design Lead” until the individual is determined.

Add a Role or Resource Using the Dynamic Team Builder

To assign team members:

1. Open the Project Details modal.
2. Click the Team tab. This will open the Dynamic Team Builder.
3. In the Add New Team Member section, search for the Resource or Role that you would like to add to the team and click on it in the returned results.
   
   TaskRay Pro Tip | Role Search
   When searching by role, the returned results will include team members assigned that role. This helps streamline the search by narrowing results to relevant team members, making it easy to locate resources to add to the project.
4. This will show matching Resources or Roles in the Not On This Team section below the search. Hover over the Resource or Role and click on the Add Team Member option that appears.

Allocate Work

Once your new project is built, you will need to allocate work to team members. There are a few options to assign tasks, which are outlined in the following article: Task Assignments.

Archive or Delete Projects

Refer to the Archive or Delete Projects article for further details.