Projects & Clients
Manage clients with color-coded profiles and billing rates, organize work into projects with budgets, and track progress across your portfolio.
Setting Up Clients and Projects
Clients are the top-level unit. Each client has projects, and each project has tasks and time entries. Set them up in this order to build a clean hierarchy.
Go to the Clients page and click "New Client"
Enter name, pick a color, add contact info and default billing rate
Open the client and click "New Project"
Name the project, set a budget (hours or currency) and optional deadline
Assign existing tasks to the project, or create new ones inside it
Choose visually distinct colors for your top clients. Their colors flow through to projects, tasks, and timelines.
Project Properties
Projects belong to a client and represent a distinct body of work. Configure them to enable budget tracking and progress monitoring.
- Name - identifies the project across the app
- Client (required) - parent client; color inherited by default
- Color override - optional project-specific color
- Budget - total hours or monetary amount
- Deadline - optional target completion date
- Description - scope notes, deliverables, reference links
- Billing rate - overrides the client's default rate
Billing Rates and Billable Features
Set rates at multiple levels. Nareli uses the most specific rate available when calculating revenue.
| Feature | Client Level | Project Level | Entry Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | Default rate for all projects | Overrides client rate | Overrides project rate |
| Billable toggle | - | - | ✓ (per entry) |
| Budget tracking | - | Hours or currency | - |
| Rate priority | 3rd (fallback) | 2nd | 1st (highest) |
Mark internal meetings, admin work, and learning time as non-billable to maintain accurate utilization metrics.
Tracking Project Progress
Progress is measured through two lenses: task completion and budget consumption. Compare them to catch scope or budget issues early.
- Both percentages shown on project cards with progress bars
- Project detail view includes a time breakdown chart by task
- No explicit status field - activity determines active/dormant state
| Metric | What It Measures | Warning Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Task completion % | Done tasks vs. total tasks | Low completion + high budget = over-budget risk |
| Budget consumption % | Tracked time vs. allocated budget | High consumption + low completion = scope creep |
| Hours per task | Time distribution within a project | One task consuming >50% of project time |
Archiving and Reports
Archive completed projects and clients to keep your workspace clean. Historical data is preserved for reporting.
- Archived items are hidden from active views and dropdown selectors
- All historical data (tasks, entries, billing) remains in reports
- Unarchive at any time to restore to active status
- Always archive rather than delete - deletion is permanent
Each client and project detail page includes built-in reports: total hours, billable amounts, and time distribution charts.
Related Documentation
Time Tracking
Track time with Nareli's floating timer bar and explore your entries in day, week, and month views.
Task Management
Organize your work with list, kanban, and calendar views. Create tasks manually or from AI suggestions and link everything to your time tracking workflow.
Reports
Generate time and billing reports by client, project, or date range. Visualize data with charts and export polished PDFs for invoicing.
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