> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a project

> Create a project in TimeTracker: set the name, project key, client, billing method, manager, members, dates, tags and icon, then start adding tasks.

A new project needs a name and a project key. Everything else has a sensible default you can change later.

## Before you start

You need the **Manage projects** capability (`project.manage`), and the **Projects & tasks** app must be switched on.

## How to create a project

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Projects">
    Click **Projects** in the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click New project">
    The **New project** form opens with a freshly generated icon.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the project name">
    Up to 200 characters. As you type, the **Project key** fills itself in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the project key">
    2 to 5 letters, A to Z. It prefixes every task number in the project, so `CL` gives you `CL-1`, `CL-2` and so on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the client">
    Or leave it on **No client** for internal work.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a billing method">
    Hourly, Fixed fee, Retainer, Milestone or Non-billable. Defaults to **Hourly**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a project manager">
    Or leave **No manager** – you become the manager automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add members">
    Search and select the people who will work on it. You can change this any time.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set dates and tags (optional)">
    Start date defaults to today. Due date is blank. Tags are comma separated.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Create project">
    You see **"Project created."** and land on the new project.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The fields

### Project icon

A random pattern is generated the moment the form opens, and that pattern is what gets saved.

| Control                 | What it does                                               |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Upload** / **Change** | Pick your own image. PNG, JPG, GIF or WebP, under 5 MB.    |
| **Regenerate**          | Generate a different pattern.                              |
| **Remove**              | Replaces an uploaded image with a fresh generated pattern. |

<Note>
  SVG is not accepted. Only passive image formats are allowed.
</Note>

### Project name

Required. 1 to 200 characters. A blank or whitespace-only name is rejected.

### Project key

Required. 2 to 5 uppercase letters, A to Z. The field forces uppercase and strips anything that is not a letter, so it can never hold an invalid key.

It is derived from the name until you edit it, after which your value sticks:

| Name                | Derived key |
| ------------------- | ----------- |
| `Website Redesign`  | `WR`        |
| `Acme Web Redesign` | `AWR`       |
| `Migration`         | `MIG`       |

Keys must be unique across the workspace. Two projects cannot share one.

### Client (optional)

Pick a client, or **No client**. Only active clients appear – an archived client is not offered.

### Billing method

| Method           | Meaning                                                                                       |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Hourly**       | Billed by the hour                                                                            |
| **Fixed fee**    | One agreed price for the whole project                                                        |
| **Retainer**     | A recurring arrangement. This is the only method that unlocks a **monthly** resetting budget. |
| **Milestone**    | Billed at agreed milestones                                                                   |
| **Non-billable** | Work you do not charge for                                                                    |

### Project manager

A single member. If you leave it on **No manager**, **you** become the manager.

<Warning>
  This matters for visibility. A project with no manager is invisible to every scoped role – including whoever just created it. Defaulting the manager to the creator stops a new project vanishing the moment it is saved.
</Warning>

### Members

A multi-select over workspace members, with search and a "select all" row. Members are the people staffed on this project. They can log time against it, and a scoped role sees the project because they are on this list.

### Start date and due date

Two independent date pickers. Start date defaults to today; due date is blank. Either can be set without the other – a project can carry a deadline with no start date.

### Tags

Comma separated free text, for example `web, retainer`. These are project tags, separate from task tags.

## What happens when you save

1. The project is created and you are sent to it.
2. Three **sections** are seeded automatically – **Todo**, **In Progress** and **Completed** – so the List and Board tabs have their columns from the first render.
3. The icon is saved. If the icon upload fails, the project still exists and shows a letter fallback.
4. If no manager was chosen, you are set as the manager.

## Example

Priya Raman sets up the Bluebird Coffee website work.

| Field           | Value                    |
| --------------- | ------------------------ |
| Project name    | `Website Redesign`       |
| Project key     | `WR`                     |
| Client          | `Bluebird Coffee`        |
| Billing method  | `Fixed fee`              |
| Project manager | Priya Raman              |
| Members         | Sarah Lin, Jonas Bergman |
| Start date      | today                    |
| Due date        | the launch date          |
| Tags            | `web, design`            |

She clicks **Create project**. The board opens with Todo / In Progress / Completed, and the first task Sarah adds becomes `WR-1`.

Priya then opens **Settings → Finance** and sets a `$40,000` money budget.

## What to do next

<Steps>
  <Step title="Rename the sections to match your workflow">
    See [/projects/project-sections](/projects/project-sections).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a budget">
    See [/projects/project-budget](/projects/project-budget).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the rates for each member">
    See [/projects/project-rates](/projects/project-rates).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add tasks">
    See [/tasks/create-a-task](/tasks/create-a-task).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Permissions

| Action                    | Capability       |
| ------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Create a project          | `project.manage` |
| Set the budget afterwards | `budget.manage`  |

Owner, Admin and Project Manager hold `project.manage` by default. Members and Contractors do not – the server refuses the create even if the button is reachable.

## Plan gating

Creating projects is free. The budget you may want to set afterwards is a **Pro** feature. See [/concepts/plans-and-features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I change the project key later?">
    Yes, in **Settings → General**. Changing it only affects **new** task numbers. Tasks that already have a number keep the prefix they were stamped with.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I create a project from a template?">
    Not from this form. It creates a project with the three default sections, which you then rename or replace.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to add members at creation?">
    No. Add them later in **Settings → Group**. Note that a scoped role cannot see a project until they manage it or are on it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What status does a new project start in?">
    Draft. Change it in **Settings → General** whenever you are ready.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can two projects have the same name?">
    Yes. Names are not unique. **Keys** are – a duplicate key is rejected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I set a budget on the create form?">
    No. Budgets live in **Settings → Finance**, so there is exactly one place a budget is written.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Message                                                                            | Meaning                                      | Fix                                                     |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Enter a project name."                                                            | The name is blank                            | Type a name                                             |
| "Keep the name to 200 characters or fewer."                                        | Too long                                     | Shorten it                                              |
| "Use 2–5 letters (A–Z), e.g. CL."                                                  | The key is the wrong shape                   | Use 2 to 5 letters, no digits or symbols                |
| "Another project already uses that key."                                           | The key is taken                             | Pick a different one                                    |
| "We couldn't create this project. You may lack permission, or a field is invalid." | The server refused                           | Check the fields, and confirm you hold `project.manage` |
| "Project created – the icon couldn't be saved."                                    | The project exists, the image did not upload | Open **Settings → General** and upload again            |
| "Use a PNG, JPG, GIF, or WebP image."                                              | Unsupported format                           | Convert the file                                        |
| "Image must be under 5 MB."                                                        | Too large                                    | Resize it                                               |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Project settings" icon="sliders" href="/projects/project-settings">
    Change anything you set here.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project sections" icon="columns" href="/projects/project-sections">
    Shape the workflow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project members" icon="users" href="/projects/project-members">
    Staff the project.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project budget" icon="target" href="/projects/project-budget">
    Set the ceiling.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task numbers" icon="hash" href="/tasks/task-numbers">
    What the project key does.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Projects overview" icon="briefcase" href="/projects/overview">
    Back to the list.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>