Understanding Projects in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

🏗️ Understanding Projects in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

⚡️ Executive Summary: Understanding Projects in Ontraccr

• Projects are the central workspace for managing job-specific information, timelines, budgets, documents, costs, and billing.
• Every project includes:
  • Project Info (core data like client, location, division, etc.)
  • Project Tabs (files, notes, forms, billing, cost codes, analytics, and more)
  • Budget Tracking (internal cost forecasting and monitoring)
  • Contract Tracking (external billing schedule and progress draws)
  • Linked Records (forms, board cards, invoices, attachments, and progress updates)
• Projects integrate across the platform:
  • Central hub for managing forms, boards, equipment, cost codes, and analytics
  • Tie time tracking, cost tracking, and client billing together
  • Drive project-based visibility and reporting for field and office teams
• Well-built project profiles anchor your entire operational workflow — connecting tasks, documents, financials, and communication into one ecosystem.

🧭 What Are Projects in Ontraccr?

Projects are the backbone of work management inside Ontraccr.

Each Project is a dynamic, live workspace that connects:

• People (field and office users)
• Documents (forms, files, notes, attachments)
• Money (budgets, contracts, payables, billings)
• Time (tasks, hours worked, schedules)

Think of a Project as a single source of truth for every job your business manages — from small service jobs to large multi-year builds.

🎯 Why Use Projects?

Projects allow you to:

• Centralize all job-related information in one place
• Track actual costs against budgets in real time using time tracking features
• Organize files, contracts, invoices, and communications for easy access
• Enable cross-team visibility between field, office, and management
• Standardize project creation and billing workflows
• Connect project data to company-wide reporting and forecasting

In short: Projects turn your operational chaos into organized, trackable execution.

🛠️ How Projects Function Conceptually

A Project in Ontraccr is built from multiple connected layers:

Each project becomes a live, evolving system as work progresses — capturing costs, labor, documents, and updates automatically.

🧩 How Projects Fit Inside the Ontraccr System

Projects are deeply integrated into almost every major Ontraccr function:

In Ontraccr, Projects aren’t isolated data points — they are dynamic hubs where work happens, costs flow, and reporting builds itself.

🏗️ Types of Projects and Creation Methods

Projects can be created:

Choosing how to create projects depends on how formalized your intake and operations processes are.

🔁 How Projects Drive Operational Workflow

Once a project exists in Ontraccr, it becomes the anchor point for:

• Tracking labor, materials, equipment, and overhead
• Collecting and storing forms (change orders, safety reports, invoices, etc.)
• Managing contracts and billing schedules
• Organizing files and notes
• Running progress reports and audits
• Connecting field updates to office financials

Everything your teams do ties back to projects — ensuring accountability, visibility, and control across the organization.

📈 Why Projects Matter (Beyond Just "Job Records")

Without proper project management, costs go untracked, files get lost, and accountability disappears.

Projects in Ontraccr connect every action — time entries, costs, forms, tasks — into a centralized live record of work performed, money spent, and outcomes achieved.

You gain:

• Real-time financial visibility over budgets vs. actuals
• Centralized communication across field and office
• Faster billing and cash flow management
• Accurate historical records for audits, compliance, and client reporting
• Scalable systems to manage 10 projects or 1,000 without chaos

🧠 Best Practices for Using Projects

• Always define the Project Type when setting up (to customize tabs and tracking)
• Apply folder and cost code templates to standardize setups
• Track budgets and contracts separately (internal vs. external financials)
• Use Notes and Attachments for better internal documentation
• Leverage Boards and Forms for project workflows (service tickets, purchase orders, inspections)
• Regularly update Progress Tracking to catch issues early

📌 Quick Summary