> ## 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. # Project sections > Sections are the per-project stages tasks move through in TimeTracker. Learn how to add, rename, reorder, categorise and delete them safely. A **section** is a workflow stage inside one project. It is the board column on the Board tab and the group heading on the List tab. A task's section **is** its status. ## What is a section? Every project defines its own sections. There is no fixed, workspace-wide status list – "Awaiting client copy" can exist on one project and nowhere else. Every new project starts with three: | Section | Category | | --------------- | ----------- | | **Todo** | Not started | | **In Progress** | Active | | **Completed** | Done | Rename them, add more, remove ones you do not need. ## Sections vs categories Each section carries a **category**. The name is yours; the category is what the rest of the product keys off. | Category | Meaning | Used for | | --------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | **Not started** | Work that has not begun | Task counts, analytics | | **Active** | Work in progress | Task counts, analytics | | **Done** | Finished work | Completion percentages, recurring tasks, dependency gating | Rename **Completed** to "Shipped" and it still counts as finished, because its category is still **Done**. The category is the meaning; the name is the label. ## Where to manage sections Open a project, then the **List** tab or the **Board** tab. Both show the same sections. * The **List** tab has a **+ Add section** button above the sections. * Every section header has a **three-dot menu** with the section actions. ## Add a section Sections render as cards, each with its task count. An inline field appears. Use 1 to 200 characters. A new section is created with the **Active** category and appended at the end. Change its category from the three-dot menu if it should be a Not started or Done stage. ## The section menu Click the three dots on a section header. | Item | What it does | | ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Rename** | Opens a dialog with the current name. Press Enter or click **Save**. | | **Set category** | A submenu with Not started, Active and Done. Picking one applies it at once. | | **Move left** | Moves the section one place earlier. Disabled on the first section. | | **Move right** | Moves it one place later. Disabled on the last section. | | **Delete section** | Opens a confirmation modal. | ## Delete a section A section can only be deleted if the project keeps a working board afterwards, and no task is left stranded. The modal names the section. The modal says "This stage holds 7 tasks. Choose where to move them." and shows a **Move tasks to** picker of the project's other sections. **Delete** stays disabled until you choose. The tasks move to the section you picked, keeping their order, and the section is removed. An empty section says *"This stage is empty."* and deletes immediately on confirm. ## The three rules TimeTracker enforces These hold on every project, so nothing else has to guess. You cannot delete the last one. Finished work needs somewhere to land. Recurring tasks and completion counts depend on it. New work needs somewhere to start, and an unchecked task needs somewhere to return to. The same rules apply to **Set category**. You cannot demote the only Done section, and you cannot promote the only non-Done section to Done. ## How tasks move between sections | Where | How | | ------------- | ------------------------------------ | | **Board** tab | Drag a card between columns | | **List** tab | Drag a row into another section card | | Task detail | Change the section on the task | Moving a task into a **Done** section marks it complete. Moving it out reopens it. ## Example Northwind Studio's **Website Redesign** starts with Todo / In Progress / Completed. Priya reshapes it for a design workflow: 1. She renames **Todo** to `Backlog`, keeping the category **Not started**. 2. She adds `Design`, `Build` and `Client review`. Each is created as **Active**, which is right for all three. 3. She renames **Completed** to `Shipped` and leaves its category as **Done**. 4. She uses **Move left** so the order reads: Backlog → Design → Build → Client review → Shipped. Sarah's task `WR-14 Homepage wireframes` starts in Backlog, moves to Design, then to Client review, then to Shipped. When it lands in Shipped, the project's completion percentage goes up, because Shipped is a **Done** section. Later Priya tries to delete `Shipped`. TimeTracker refuses: *"A project keeps at least one Done section, so finished work has somewhere to land."* She adds a `Done` section first, then deletes `Shipped`. ## What sections feed | Surface | What it uses | | --------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Board columns | The sections themselves, in order | | List groups | The same | | Task completion percentage | The share of tasks in a **Done** section | | The project list **Tasks** column | The same percentage | | Recurring tasks | The Done category, as the trigger | | Dependency gating | The Done category | ## Permissions | Action | Capability | | ---------------------------- | ---------------- | | Add a section | `project.manage` | | Rename a section | `project.manage` | | Set a category | `project.manage` | | Reorder a section | `project.manage` | | Delete a section | `project.manage` | | Move a task between sections | `task.edit` | Structure changes are a management action. Working the board is not. ## App and plan gating Sections are part of the **Projects & tasks** app, which is included on **Free**. If the app is switched off, projects and their sections are hidden entirely. ## Common questions No. Each project defines its own. That is why a "status" that makes sense for one client's workflow can exist without polluting every other project. Yes. `Shipped` and `Cancelled` can both be Done. Anything in either counts as finished. Sections are the user-facing model – what you see and drag. Filters also expose an underlying status field with values like `todo`, `in_progress` and `done`, but sections are what you configure. Sections are reordered with **Move left** and **Move right** in the section menu. Nothing. Time belongs to the task. Moving a task to another section keeps every hour logged against it. Deleting is the action offered on the section menu, and it requires you to rehome any tasks first – so nothing is lost either way. ## Troubleshooting | Message | Meaning | Fix | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | "A project keeps at least one section." | You tried to delete the last one | Add another section first | | "A project keeps at least one Done section, so finished work has somewhere to land." | You tried to remove or demote the only Done stage | Create another Done section first | | "A project keeps at least one section that isn't Done, so new work has somewhere to start." | You tried to remove or promote the only open stage | Create another non-Done section first | | "This section still has tasks. Choose where they should move before deleting it." | The section is not empty | Pick a target in **Move tasks to** | | "Pick a different section for these tasks to move to." | You chose the section being deleted | Choose a different one | | "That section name won't work." | Blank or too long | Use 1 to 200 characters | | No three-dot menu on the header | You lack `project.manage` | Ask an admin or the project manager | ## Related guides List and Board, side by side. Add work into a section. The rest of the project configuration. Why a Done section is required. Where completion shows up.