Project Management Guide

• Tags :projects,management,collaboration,workflow

Project Management Guide

MONTON’s project management system provides comprehensive tools for planning, executing, and monitoring projects from inception to completion. The system supports multiple project types, team collaboration, and detailed tracking.

Project Overview

What is a Project?

Projects in MONTON are structured work containers that include:

  • Defined scope: Clear objectives and deliverables
  • Team assignments: Designated team members and roles
  • Timeline management: Start dates, deadlines, and milestones
  • Budget tracking: Cost management and resource allocation
  • Task organization: Structured task hierarchy and dependencies
  • Client association: Link to clients and stakeholders

Project Types

MONTON supports three distinct project types with different billing and management approaches:

  • Time & Materials (T&M): Billing based on actual time spent and materials used
  • Manpower (MP): Resource-based billing with dedicated team allocation
  • Turnkey / Fixed (KEY): Fixed-price projects with predetermined deliverables

For detailed information about project types, see the Project Types Guide.

Creating Projects

Access Requirements

Who can create projects:

  • ADMIN: Full project creation access
  • MANAGER: Can create and manage projects
  • CONTRIBUTOR: Limited project creation (organization-dependent)
  • GUEST: Cannot create projects

Project Creation Process

1. Navigate to Projects

  1. Go to Work > Projects in the sidebar
  2. Click “Create New Project” button
  3. Select project type if prompted

2. Project Type Selection

Choose project type:

  • Time & Materials (T&M): For hourly billing based on actual work
  • Manpower (MP): For dedicated resource allocation
  • Turnkey / Fixed (KEY): For fixed-price deliverable-based projects

Project type determines:

  • Billing and cost tracking approach
  • Time tracking requirements
  • Resource allocation methods
  • Reporting and management workflows

3. Basic Information

Required fields:

  • Project name: Descriptive project title (max 255 characters)
  • Project code: Unique identifier for the project
  • Description: Detailed project description
  • Start date: Project commencement date
  • End date: Expected completion date

Optional fields:

  • Client association: Link to existing client
  • Project manager: Assign primary project manager
  • Priority level: Set project priority (High, Medium, Low)
  • Status: Initial project status

4. Team Assignment

Staffing options:

  • Project manager: Primary project leader
  • Team members: Assigned contributors
  • Role definitions: Specific roles for team members
  • Access levels: Define team member permissions

5. Budget and Resources

Financial setup:

  • Total budget: Overall project budget
  • Hourly rates: Rate structure for different roles
  • Cost tracking: Enable/disable cost monitoring
  • Billing settings: Client billing configuration

6. Project Settings

Configuration options:

  • Time tracking: Enable time logging for the project
  • Task management: Set up task structure
  • Milestone tracking: Define key project milestones
  • Reporting: Configure project reporting preferences

Project Structure

Project Dashboard

Overview section:

  • Project summary and key metrics
  • Progress indicators and status
  • Recent activity and updates
  • Quick action buttons

Key metrics:

  • Completion percentage: Overall project progress
  • Time spent: Total hours logged
  • Budget utilization: Spent vs. allocated budget
  • Team utilization: Resource allocation efficiency

Project Sections

Overview Tab

  • Project overview: High-level project information and status
  • Key metrics: Important project statistics
  • Recent activity: Latest project updates and changes

Summary Tab

  • Project summary: Detailed project information
  • Key statistics: Important project metrics
  • Status indicators: Current project health

Tasks Tab

  • Task management: Create, edit, and manage project tasks
  • Task assignments: Assign tasks to team members
  • Progress tracking: Monitor task completion status
  • Task organization: Organize tasks by priority and status

Staffing Tab

  • Team assignments: Manage project team members
  • Role assignments: Define team member roles and responsibilities
  • Resource allocation: Allocate team members to project work

Files & Links Tab

  • File management: Upload and manage project files
  • Document sharing: Share documents with team members
  • Link management: Manage project-related links and resources

Updates Tab

  • Project updates: Post and view project status updates
  • Communication: Team communication and announcements
  • Activity feed: Chronological project activity history

Task Management

Creating Tasks

Task creation process:

  1. Navigate to project’s Tasks tab
  2. Click “Add Task” or “Create Subtask”
  3. Fill in task details
  4. Assign team members
  5. Set deadlines and priorities

Task properties:

  • Task name: Descriptive task title
  • Description: Detailed task requirements
  • Assignee: Responsible team member
  • Due date: Task deadline
  • Priority: Task importance level
  • Status: Current task state
  • Estimated hours: Time estimation
  • Tags: Categorization labels

Task Hierarchy

Organization structure:

  • Parent tasks: Main task categories
  • Subtasks: Detailed work items
  • Dependencies: Task relationships
  • Milestones: Key achievement points

Task Status Management

Status options:

  • Not Started: Task not yet begun
  • In Progress: Currently being worked on
  • Under Review: Awaiting approval or feedback
  • Completed: Task finished successfully
  • On Hold: Temporarily paused
  • Cancelled: Task no longer needed

Team Collaboration

Project Communication

Communication tools:

  • Comments: Task and project-level discussions
  • Notifications: Real-time updates and alerts
  • Activity feed: Chronological project activities
  • File sharing: Document and asset management

Role-Based Access

Project roles:

  • Project Manager: Full project control
  • Team Lead: Section or team leadership
  • Contributor: Task execution and reporting
  • Observer: View-only access to project information

Collaboration Features

  • Real-time updates: Live project status changes
  • Mention system: Tag team members in comments
  • File attachments: Share documents and resources
  • Progress reporting: Regular status updates

Project Monitoring

Progress Tracking

Monitoring tools:

  • Progress bars: Visual completion indicators
  • Milestone markers: Key achievement tracking
  • Time logging: Actual vs. estimated time
  • Budget monitoring: Cost tracking and alerts

Reporting and Analytics

Available reports:

  • Project status reports: Overall project health
  • Time reports: Detailed time tracking analysis
  • Budget reports: Financial performance analysis
  • Team utilization: Resource allocation efficiency
  • Milestone reports: Achievement tracking

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Project metrics:

  • On-time delivery: Schedule adherence
  • Budget variance: Cost control effectiveness
  • Quality metrics: Deliverable quality measures
  • Team productivity: Efficiency indicators
  • Client satisfaction: Stakeholder feedback

Project Type Management

Time & Materials (T&M) Project Management

Key management focus:

  • Accurate time tracking: Ensure all team members log detailed time entries
  • Regular reporting: Provide clients with frequent time and progress reports
  • Scope flexibility: Manage evolving requirements and scope changes
  • Cost transparency: Maintain clear communication about costs and billing

Best practices:

  • Require detailed work descriptions in time entries
  • Set up regular client reporting schedules
  • Monitor time tracking compliance across the team
  • Maintain open communication about scope changes

Manpower (MP) Project Management

Key management focus:

  • Resource allocation: Manage dedicated team member assignments
  • Utilization tracking: Monitor resource utilization and availability
  • Long-term planning: Plan resource capacity for extended engagements
  • Team stability: Maintain consistent team composition when possible

Best practices:

  • Define clear resource allocation percentages
  • Track team member availability and capacity
  • Plan for resource scaling needs
  • Focus on outcomes rather than detailed time tracking

Turnkey/Fixed (KEY) Project Management

Key management focus:

  • Scope control: Strict management of project scope and deliverables
  • Milestone tracking: Monitor progress against defined milestones
  • Change management: Formal process for handling scope changes
  • Cost control: Manage internal costs against fixed project price

Best practices:

  • Define detailed project scope and acceptance criteria
  • Implement formal change request processes
  • Track actual costs against fixed price for profitability
  • Focus on efficient delivery within agreed timeline

Advanced Features

Project Dependencies

Dependency management:

  • Project-to-project dependencies: Inter-project relationships
  • Task dependencies: Sequential task requirements
  • Resource dependencies: Shared resource management
  • Timeline dependencies: Schedule coordination

Advanced Project Features

Enhanced functionality:

  • Progress tracking: Manual progress updates and calculations
  • Notifications: Project alerts and reminders
  • Reporting: Project-specific reports and analytics
  • Workflow management: Structured project processes

Best Practices

Project Setup

  1. Clear objectives: Define specific, measurable goals
  2. Realistic timelines: Set achievable deadlines
  3. Proper staffing: Assign appropriate team members
  4. Budget planning: Establish realistic budget expectations
  5. Risk assessment: Identify potential project risks

Ongoing Management

  1. Regular updates: Maintain current project status
  2. Team communication: Foster open communication
  3. Progress monitoring: Track progress consistently
  4. Issue resolution: Address problems promptly
  5. Documentation: Keep thorough project records

Project Closure

  1. Final deliverables: Ensure all deliverables are complete
  2. Client approval: Obtain final client sign-off
  3. Team feedback: Collect lessons learned
  4. Documentation: Archive project information
  5. Celebration: Recognize team achievements

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot create projects

  • Check your user role and permissions
  • Verify organization settings allow project creation
  • Contact admin if access is needed

Missing project features

  • Confirm your role has access to specific features
  • Check if features are enabled for your organization
  • Verify project-specific settings

Team members cannot access project

  • Ensure team members are properly assigned
  • Check individual user permissions
  • Verify organization membership

Budget tracking not working

  • Confirm budget features are enabled
  • Check if cost rates are properly configured
  • Verify user permissions for financial data

Getting Help

  • Project documentation: Review project-specific help
  • Team collaboration: Ask team members for assistance
  • Admin support: Contact organization administrators
  • Technical support: Reach out for system issues

Next Steps

After mastering project management:

  1. Understand project types in detail
  2. Learn advanced time tracking
  3. Explore reporting capabilities
  4. Understand team management