Project Management – Initial Setup

Module

Project Management

Before creating and managing projects, a set of prerequisites and configurations must be in place.
The Initial Setup ensures that projects can be created consistently, follow the correct governance rules, and expose the appropriate features during execution.

This article explains what must be configured before users start working with projects operationally.

1. Purpose of Initial Setup

The Initial Setup phase allows organizations to:

Ensure projects follow standardized execution models
Align operational usage with governance rules defined in the Control Center
Avoid incomplete or inconsistent project configurations
Guarantee that required master data is available

Proper setup is essential for accurate planning, tracking, reporting, and financial control.

2. Required Control Center Configuration

Before creating projects, the following configurations must exist in the Control Center.

2.1 Project Processes

At least one Project Process must be defined.

A Project Process determines:

Methodology (Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid)
Enabled features (Timeline, Board, Risks, Commercials, etc.)
Work item structure and lifecycle
Summary and analytics visibility

Projects cannot be created without selecting a process.

💡Configured in:
Control Center → Project Management → Process

2.2 Status Configuration

Statuses define how work progresses and is tracked.

Required status configurations typically include:

Work Item Statuses
Milestone Statuses
Risk Statuses (if risks are enabled)

Statuses must be mapped to work item types within the selected Project Process.

💡Configured in:
Control Center → Project Management → Status

2.3 Work Item Types

Work Item Types define the structure of project work, such as:

Timeline
Phase
Task
Issue
Epic / Story (Agile)

Each Project Process controls which types are available and how they behave.

💡Configured in:
Control Center → Project Management → Work Item Types

2.4 Users & Resources

To assign and execute work, the following must be available:

Active users
Roles and permissions
(Optional) Resource Manager configuration
(Optional) Fixed Assets and Services for costing

💡Configured in:
Control Center → Users & Access
Assortment Planning → Services / Fixed Assets (if used)

2.5 Commercial & Financial Configuration (Optional)

If projects include financial tracking, the following may be required:

Commercial settings
Billing plans
Revenue recognition rules
Budget and margin configuration

💡Configured in:
Control Center → Commercials
Operations Management → Invoicing (if applicable)

3. Agile-Specific Prerequisites (Optional)

If Agile features are enabled in the Project Process:

Sprints must be allowed
Backlogs must be enabled
Agile work item types (Epic, Story, Bug) must exist
Board visualization must be active

These settings are controlled by the Project Process features.

4. Permissions & Access

Users must have appropriate permissions to:

Create projects
Edit project settings
Manage work items
View summaries and KPIs

Permissions are role-based and may vary by company or team (users).

5. Validation Checklist (Before Creating Projects)

Before creating projects, ensure:

✔ At least one Project Process exists
✔ Required statuses are configured
✔ Work item types are mapped correctly
✔ Users and roles are active
✔ Optional financial features are configured (if needed)

Completing this checklist prevents configuration issues during execution.

6. Summary

The Initial Setup ensures that Project Management operates smoothly and consistently.
By validating processes, statuses, work item types, and permissions upfront, organizations establish a strong foundation for effective project execution and reporting.

Once setup is complete, users can proceed to create and manage projects confidently.

Project Management – Process (Overview)
Project Management – Process: Core Configuration
Project Management – Create a Project
Project Management – Work Items (Structure & Management)
Assortment – Overview
Users, Profiles and Access Rules

Project Management – Initial Setup