Last updated on May 25, 2026

Project Management

Projects are at the core of Belvak. Every client engagement, whether it is a one-time deliverable or recurring work, is tracked as a project. This guide covers how to create projects, move them through your workflow, assign team members, and keep project billing, documents, notes, and status organized.

Creating and Managing Projects

Projects represent the work you do for clients. Each project ties to a client record, carries a contract value in your chosen currency, and serves as the anchor for invoices, payments, purchases, team assignments, notes, and activity history. To see the projects belonging to a single client, open the client and switch to the Related tab.

Creating a new project

Click the Add Projects button at the top of the Projects page. A multi-step form opens on the right side of the screen, guiding you through the required information in logical stages.

Step 1 - Project Info - Enter the project name, select the client, add a description, and set the current status.
Step 2 - Timeline & Contract - Choose start and end dates, set the contract value and currency, select the project type, and configure recurring billing. If the project is recurring, set the recurring interval (monthly, quarterly, etc.) to define the billing frequency, and the next due date to indicate when the next recurring invoice should be generated.
Step 3 - Team & Documents - Apply tags for categorization, assign team members from your employee list, and attach any relevant documents. You can drag and drop files onto the drawer or click the upload area to browse.

Required and optional fields

Project name: A descriptive name that will appear anywhere this project is shown, including linked invoices.
Client: The client this project belongs to. Must be an existing client record.
Contract value: The agreed amount for the project. For one-time projects, Belvak uses this value to warn you when the invoiced or paid total exceeds the contract value.
Currency: The billing currency for this project (defaults to your system currency). Currencies available here are controlled in Settings > Preferences.
Start / End dates: The planned timeline for the engagement.
Description: Optional free-text notes about scope, deliverables, or special terms.
Type: A classification for the project: One Time or Recurring. This helps you categorize, filter, and group projects by billing model.
Tags: Optional labels for filtering and grouping projects (e.g., "Web Development", "Retainer", "Priority").
Recurring interval: Sets the billing frequency for recurring projects (monthly, quarterly, etc.). When configured, Belvak tracks billing periods and surfaces upcoming invoices for approval.
Next due date: Tracks when the next recurring invoice is due. This date advances automatically each time you approve or skip a billing period.

The project drawer

Click any project row to open the project drawer. The drawer has a hero header showing the project name, client, and status badge at a glance. Below the header, information is organized into grouped sections for timeline, financial details, project details, configuration, tags, documents, team members, and notes. You can upload files directly from this view - drag a file onto the drawer or click the "click to browse" link in the documents section.

Editing and deleting projects

Open the project drawer and click the Edit button to modify any field. The same multi-step form appears with the current values pre-filled. To delete a project, open the project drawer and use the Delete button. Deletion requires confirmation.

Changing a project's currency

If you change the currency on a project that already has linked invoices but no recorded payments, Belvak shows a confirmation dialog before updating the project and its linked invoices. This keeps the project and invoice currencies aligned.

If the project has no linked invoices or payments, the currency change applies immediately with no confirmation needed.

If payments have already been recorded for the project, the currency cannot be changed. Delete or reverse those payments first if the project currency needs to be corrected.

Important: Changing a project's currency updates the currency code on linked invoices but does not convert the amounts. If you switch a project from USD to EUR, a $5,000 invoice becomes a 5,000 EUR invoice. Review and adjust amounts manually after a currency change if the values need to differ.

Note: Deleting a project does not automatically delete its linked invoices or payments. Review associated records before removing a project.

Linking projects to proposals

Projects and proposals have a bidirectional relationship. When you create a project, you can optionally link it to an existing proposal. The link appears in both the project drawer and the proposal drawer, so you can always trace a project back to the deal that originated it.

To convert a proposal into a project, open the proposal and use the "Convert to Project" action. This automatically approves the proposal and opens the project creation form with the client, contract value, and description pre-filled from the proposal.

Tip: Converting a proposal is the fastest way to start a project. All key fields carry over, so you only need to set dates and any project-specific details.

Cloning Projects

When you need to set up a new project that mirrors an existing one, use Clone Project to duplicate it instead of starting from scratch. This is especially useful for recurring engagement types (e.g., "Website Redesign" or "Monthly Retainer") where the same team, tags, and contract terms apply each time.

How to clone a project

Open the three-dot menu on any project row (or right-click the row) and select Clone Project. The system opens the project creation form with the following fields pre-filled from the original:

Project name - prefixed with "Copy of" so you can rename it.
Client, description, contract value, and currency.
Project type and recurring interval (if applicable).
End date (if set on the original).
Tags and team assignments - the same tags and employees are carried over.

What gets reset

The clone resets the status to Active, the start date to today, and leaves the next due date empty so you can set a fresh billing schedule. Documents are not copied - upload new contracts as needed.

Tip: Keep a "template" project for each service type you offer. When a new client signs up for the same service, clone the template and adjust the client and dates - everything else is ready to go.

Project Statuses and Workflows

Every project has a status that reflects where it stands in your delivery pipeline. Statuses help your team know what needs attention and drive automated behaviors like recurring invoice generation.

Available statuses

Active: Work is currently in progress. This is the default status for new projects. Recurring invoices are only generated for active projects.
On Hold: Work has been temporarily paused. The project remains visible but recurring invoice generation is suspended.
Completed: All deliverables have been handed over. The project is finished but stays in your records for reporting and reference.

Changing a project's status

Open the project for editing and choose the new status. Status changes are recorded in the activity log so your team can see when a project moved between stages. If the reason for a status change is important, add a note in the project drawer.

Filtering by status

Use the filter controls at the top of the projects table to show only projects in a specific status. This is useful for daily standups (filter to Active), pipeline reviews (filter to On Hold), or end-of-quarter reporting (filter to Completed).

Impact on invoicing

Recurring invoices are tied to project status. Only projects with an Active status will generate upcoming invoices. If you place a project On Hold or mark it Completed, the recurring schedule pauses automatically. When you reactivate the project, invoicing resumes from where it left off.

Tip: Before marking a project as Completed, check the Upcoming Invoices page to make sure all outstanding billing periods have been invoiced or intentionally skipped.

Contract overrun alerts

Belvak monitors billing totals on one-time projects and alerts you when the total invoiced or paid amount exceeds the contract value. When an overrun is detected, you will see three levels of notification:

Row highlight: The affected project row is visually flagged with a red indicator on the left edge and a warning icon next to the contract value.
Page-level alert: A banner appears at the top of the projects table listing all projects that have exceeded their contract value, so you can spot issues at a glance.
Drawer warning: When you open the project drawer for an affected project, a warning alert is displayed prominently below the header, making it clear that this project has gone over budget.

Note: Contract overrun alerts apply only to one-time projects. Recurring projects are excluded from these checks because their invoiced totals are expected to grow beyond the per-period contract value over time.

Assigning Team Members

Knowing who is working on what helps your team stay coordinated. Belvak lets you assign employees to projects so everyone can see team composition at a glance.

Adding employees to a project

When creating or editing a project, use the team members field to select employees from your organization. You can assign multiple employees to a single project, and a single employee can be assigned to multiple projects simultaneously.

Open the project for editing (or create a new one).
Navigate to the team assignment step in the form.
Search for and select the employees you want to assign.
Save the project. The assignments are stored immediately.

Viewing team members

Open the project drawer to see the full list of assigned team members in the team section, making it easy to identify who is connected to the work.

Keeping assignments current

Team assignments give you a practical view of who is attached to each active project. Review assignments regularly when work changes hands, new employees join, or a project moves into a different phase.

Tip: Keep team assignments up to date as projects progress. Removing employees who have finished their contribution and adding new ones keeps the project drawer useful for the next person who opens it.

Tracking Project Progress

Belvak gives you several ways to monitor how a project is progressing, from billing status to day-to-day notes. Here is how to use each one.

Paid vs invoiced progress

The projects table includes a progress bar that compares the total paid amount against the total invoiced amount for each project. This gives you a quick view of how much invoiced work has been collected.

Invoiced: The total amount invoiced for the project.
Paid: The sum of payments recorded against those invoices.
Contract value: The agreed project amount, shown separately and used for one-time project overrun warnings.

Invoice tracking

To review invoices for a project, open the row's three-dot menu or right-click the row and select View Invoices. Belvak opens the Invoices page filtered to that project, where you can review invoice status, amounts, due dates, and payments.

Activity log

Every change to a project is automatically recorded in the activity log. This includes creation, edits to any field, status changes, team member updates, tag updates, and deletion. Each log entry captures who made the change, when it happened, and the updated record details. You can review the activity log in the Settings page to see a chronological history across all records.

Notes

Use the notes section in the project drawer to add project-level comments. Notes are visible to all team members with access to the project and are useful for documenting decisions, meeting summaries, scope changes, or anything that does not fit into a structured field.

Tip: Use notes to record client feedback or internal decisions as they happen. Having a written trail in the project drawer saves time when onboarding new team members or reviewing project history months later.

Tags and organization

Tags let you categorize projects beyond the standard fields. Common tagging strategies include tagging by service type (e.g., "Web Dev", "Consulting", "Design"), priority level, or department. Tags are filterable in the projects table, so you can quickly pull up all projects of a certain type.

Row actions

Each project row offers quick actions accessible from the three-dot menu or by right-clicking the row. These let you take common actions without opening the project drawer:

Clone Project - duplicates the project with its tags and team assignments pre-filled into a new creation form.
View Invoices - opens the Invoices page filtered to show only invoices linked to that project.
Add Invoice - opens the invoice creation form with the project already pre-linked.
Add Maintenance - opens the maintenance contract form with the project already pre-linked.
Activate / Complete / Mark on Hold - quick status changes directly from the table, without needing to open the edit form.

Column visibility and context menu

Use the column visibility toggle (the eye icon in the action column header) to show or hide table columns, tailoring the view to the information you need for your current task. The same popover also contains the Group By option described below. All row actions described above are also available via a right-click context menu on any row, giving you a faster alternative to the three-dot dropdown.

Searching and filtering

The projects table supports full-text search and column-level filtering. Use the search bar to find projects by name, or apply filters on status, client, tags, and available table columns. Filters can be combined to narrow results.

Note: Table pagination adjusts automatically based on your screen size. If you do not see all your projects, check if a filter is active or navigate to the next page.

Grouping Projects

When you have many projects, it can be helpful to visually cluster them by a shared attribute instead of scrolling through a flat list. The Group By feature organizes your project table into collapsible sections, each with a header showing the group name and how many projects it contains.

How to group projects

Click the eye icon in the action column header to open the column visibility popover.
Scroll to the Group By section at the bottom.
Select a grouping option. Currently available options are:
- Client - groups projects by the client they belong to.
- Type - groups projects by their type (One-time or Recurring).
Select None to return to the default flat list view.

Working with grouped rows

When grouping is active, the table displays section headers that span the full table width. Each header shows the group name and a count badge indicating how many projects are in that group.

Collapse and expand: Click any group header to collapse or expand it. This lets you focus on the groups you care about and hide the rest.
Works with filters: Grouping applies on top of your current status tab and search filters. Only projects that match your active filters appear in the groups.
Persisted preference: Your grouping choice is saved and will be remembered the next time you visit the projects page.

Tip: Grouping by Client is a great way to review all work for a specific client during a status meeting. Collapse the clients you have already discussed and focus on the remaining ones.

Note: Column sorting is temporarily disabled while grouping is active, since sorting would break the group structure. To sort within groups, remove the grouping first.