Introduction
ianaiERP's Project Management module runs jobs end to end: plan the work, schedule it on a Gantt or Kanban board, budget it, staff it, track time against it, log what happens on site, and bill it — all linked to the same customers, items, workforce, and accounting records the rest of the ERP already uses.
It is built for project-driven businesses — construction, field installation, professional services, custom manufacturing, and internal initiatives — where a single job carries its own schedule, budget, crew, documents, and profit-and-loss.
What it gives you
- A schedule — phases, tasks, subtasks, dependencies, and milestones, viewed as a list, a Kanban board, or a Gantt timeline.
- A budget — a hierarchical cost tree (labor, materials, equipment, overhead) whose actual costs roll up automatically from time entries, bills, and expenses.
- A bid path — turn a budget into a customer Estimate or a signable Contract with e-signature.
- A crew — assign workforce and equipment, track allocation and utilization, and spot who is over-booked.
- A clock — log time against tasks, route it through approval, and flag it billable so it flows to invoices.
- A field record — construction-style daily logs with weather, photos, voice notes, and AI summaries; floor plans with work zones pinned to tasks.
- A document vault — folders, file links, and version history scoped to each project.
Where it lives
The module sits under /project:
| Screen | Route | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard | /project | Portfolio overview — KPI cards, status chart, budget chart, active projects, upcoming milestones, resource utilization, recent activity. |
| Projects | /project/list | The full project list — filter, sort, create, and open any project. |
| Project workspace | /project/:id | A single project, opened to its tabs (see below). |
| Tasks | /project/tasks | Every task across every project in one list or board — your personal or team work queue. |
| Timesheet | /project/timesheet | A weekly grid for logging your own hours. |
| Resources | /project/resources | Plan and allocate workforce and equipment across all projects. |
The project workspace
Open any project and you land in a tabbed workspace. Each tab is documented in its own guide:
| Tab | What you do there |
|---|---|
| Overview | Snapshot of status, progress, metrics, a mini-Kanban, upcoming deadlines, and milestones. |
| Work | The heart of the project — tasks in List, Board (Kanban), or Timeline (Gantt) view. |
| Time | Review, log, and approve time entries for the whole team. |
| Budget | The budget tree — plan costs, link sources, run the cost calculator, convert to estimate/contract. |
| Financials | Every invoice, payment, PO, bill, and expense tied to the project, plus a profit/margin summary. |
| Files | Project documents in folders, linked to tasks, contracts, and milestones. |
| Daily Logs | Field logs with weather, crew, checklists, photos, and AI summaries. |
| Floor Plans | Site plans with pinned work zones linked to tasks. |
| Team | A slide-out drawer to add people, set allocation, and drag them onto tasks. |
Who uses what
- Project manager — creates the project, builds the schedule, sets the budget, staffs the team, and watches progress, financials, and milestones from the Overview tab.
- Crew / team member — works tasks on the Kanban board, fills out their weekly Timesheet, and files Daily Logs from the field.
- Estimator / sales — builds a budget, then converts it to an Estimate or Contract and sends it for signature.
- Resource planner — uses the Resources page to balance who is on what, and to find available capacity.
- Executive — reads the Dashboard for portfolio health and the Financials tab for project profitability.
How the data connects
Customer ─────────────┐
Workforce ────────┐ │
▼ ▼
Phases ──► Tasks ──► PROJECT ──► Milestones
│ │
Time entries ├──► Budget tree ──► Estimate / Contract
(billable) │ ▲ │
│ │ │ actual cost ▼
▼ │ Bills / Expenses e-signature
Invoices ◄─────┘ Time entries
Daily logs · Floor plans · Files ──► attached to the project
The budget's planned numbers are what you enter; its actual numbers are pulled from the operational data — approved time entries, vendor bills, and expenses linked to the project — so cost-to-date stays live without re-keying.
Recommended setup order
- Set your defaults. On the Projects page, choose a default project type, priority, billing method, and a default daily-log template for your company. See Projects & the Workspace.
- Create a project — or spin one up from a project template that pre-loads phases, tasks, milestones, and a budget. See Projects & the Workspace.
- Build the schedule — add phases, tasks, subtasks, dependencies, and milestones, then view it on the Kanban or Gantt. See Tasks & the Work Tab.
- Build the budget — lay out the cost tree and link sources so actuals roll up. See Budgeting.
- Win the work — convert the budget to an estimate or a signable contract. See Estimates & Contracts.
- Staff it — add the team and balance allocation. See Resource Planning.
- Run it — log time, file daily logs, mark up floor plans, and store documents. See Time Tracking, Daily Logs, and Files & Floor Plans.
Related but separate
Field Service (/fieldservice) — service agreements, dispatching, and on-site service forms — shares the same backend but is its own module with its own dashboard. It is documented separately.