Project Management

Comprehensive guide to NetSuite Project Management for professional services automation.

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Overview

PROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFECYCLE
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

PLAN                EXECUTE              TRACK                CLOSE
────                ───────              ─────                ─────

┌──────────┐       ┌──────────┐       ┌──────────┐       ┌──────────┐
│ Create   │       │ Assign   │       │ Track    │       │ Bill     │
│ Project  │──────►│ Tasks &  │──────►│ Time &   │──────►│ Customer │
│ Plan     │       │ Resources│       │ Expenses │       │ & Close  │
└──────────┘       └──────────┘       └──────────┘       └──────────┘
     │                  │                  │                  │
     ▼                  ▼                  ▼                  ▼
  Templates          Gantt Chart       Timesheets         Invoices
  Budgets            Allocations       Expenses           Revenue
  Tasks              Work Calendar     Progress           Profitability

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What is NetSuite Project Management?

NetSuite Project Management is a Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution that provides:

Capability	Description
Project Planning	Create projects, tasks, and budgets
Resource Management	Allocate resources based on skills and availability
Time Tracking	Track time against projects and tasks
Expense Management	Capture and manage project expenses
Billing	Multiple billing methods (T&M, Fixed, Milestone)
Costing	Track costs and project profitability
Revenue Recognition	Recognize revenue based on progress

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Project Types

By Billing Type

Type	Description	Use Case
Time & Materials	Bill for actual time and expenses	Consulting, support
Fixed Price	Bill fixed amount regardless of effort	Defined deliverables
Fixed Bid, Milestone	Bill at milestone completion	Phased projects
Non-Billable	Internal projects, not billed	Internal initiatives

By Structure

PROJECT STRUCTURE OPTIONS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

SIMPLE PROJECT                  COMPLEX PROJECT
──────────────                  ───────────────

Project                         Project
├── Task 1                      ├── Phase 1
├── Task 2                      │   ├── Task 1.1
└── Task 3                      │   ├── Task 1.2
                                │   └── Task 1.3
                                ├── Phase 2
                                │   ├── Task 2.1
                                │   └── Task 2.2
                                └── Phase 3
                                    ├── Task 3.1
                                    └── Task 3.2

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Key Features

Planning

Feature	Description
Project Templates	Reusable project structures
Task Management	Hierarchical tasks with dependencies
Gantt Charts	Visual project timeline
Budgets	Cost and billing budgets

Execution

Feature	Description
Resource Allocation	Assign resources by hours or percentage
Work Calendars	Define working hours and holidays
Time Entry	Weekly timesheets or single entries
Expense Reports	Capture project-related expenses

Billing & Revenue

Feature	Description
Charge Rules	Define how charges are created
Billing Rate Cards	Customer-specific rates
Invoice Generation	Create invoices from charges
Revenue Recognition	Percent complete or milestone-based

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Prerequisites

Feature Enablement

ENABLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Navigation: Setup > Company > Enable Features

Transactions Tab:
  ☑ Projects                    (Required)
  ☑ Time Tracking               (Required)
  ☑ Expense Reports             (Recommended)
  ☑ Project Management          (Required)
  ☑ Advanced Project Accounting (Recommended)
  ☑ Job Costing                 (For cost tracking)
  ☑ Resource Allocations        (For capacity planning)

Required Permissions

Permission	Level	Purpose
Projects	Full	Manage projects
Time Tracking	Edit	Enter time
Expense Reports	Edit	Enter expenses
Project Tasks	Edit	Manage tasks
Resource Allocations	View/Edit	Manage resources

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Navigation

Task	Path
View Projects	Lists > Relationships > Projects
New Project	Lists > Relationships > Projects > New
Time Entry	Activities > Scheduling > Track Time
Expense Report	Transactions > Employees > Expense Reports
Project Tasks	Via Project Record

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Project Status Flow

PROJECT STATUS LIFECYCLE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

┌────────────┐      ┌────────────┐      ┌────────────┐
│  Proposed  │─────►│ In Progress │─────►│ Completed  │
└────────────┘      └────────────┘      └────────────┘
                          │
                          ▼
                    ┌────────────┐
                    │  On Hold   │
                    └────────────┘

Status Descriptions:
  Proposed     - Project in planning phase
  In Progress  - Active project execution
  On Hold      - Temporarily paused
  Completed    - Project finished

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Related Topics

• Project Setup - Creating projects
• Project Tasks - Task management
• Resource Allocation - Resource planning
• Time & Expense - Tracking time and expenses
• Charge Rules - Billing rates
• Project Billing - Invoicing
• Project Costing - Cost tracking
• Revenue Recognition - Rev rec