Set up a project with a budget
This guide walks you through the end-to-end creation of a fully configured project in RevasOS: from defining the engagement to building the budget with cost and revenue estimates, assigning resources, and verifying the workload.
The reference scenario is a consulting firm that needs to manage a client project with a team of collaborators, internal costs (worked hours) and external costs (suppliers).
Before you start:
To follow this guide you need:
- An organisation in RevasOS with project-management permissions. See roles and permissions.
- The Projects app installed from the RevasOS Store.
- At least one contact (client) already registered in the Contacts app.
1. Create the project
- Open the Projects app in your RevasOS environment.
- Click + New project.
- Fill in the main fields:
- Name — The engagement name (e.g. "Acme Ltd Website").
- Client — Select the client organisation from your contacts.
- Start date and Expected end date.
- Status — Leave on Planning during the configuration phase.
- Click Save.
The project is now visible in the All projects dashboard.
2. Define milestones
Milestones represent macro phases of the project. Use them to segment work into measurable objectives.
- Open the project you just created.
- In the left sidebar select Milestones.
- Click + New milestone.
- Enter the name, start date and end date.
- Repeat for each project phase.
Example:
For a web-consulting project you might create three milestones:
- Analysis & wireframes (weeks 1–2)
- Development (weeks 3–6)
- Testing & release (weeks 7–8)
3. Create tasks
Tasks are the operational activities the team will carry out. Each task can be linked to a milestone or attached directly to the project.
- In the project, select Tasks from the left sidebar.
- Click + New task.
- Fill in the fields:
- Name — Short description of the activity.
- Assignee — Select a contact from the team.
- Milestone — Associate the task with a milestone (optional).
- Start date, End date, Estimated hours — Required for the task to be included in the report.
- Click Save.
Repeat for all project activities.
Note:
Tasks are self-contained entities. Associating a task with a project makes it flow into the financial report. For details, see Project structure.
4. Activate budgeting and create expense estimates
The budget is the core of the financial report. Without it, the "Planned" columns in the report will remain empty.
Activate budgeting
- In the project, select Budget lines from the left sidebar.
- Click Activate budgeting.
The system automatically creates a General expenses budget line. For more granular monitoring, delete it and create specific budget lines instead.
Create budget lines
- Click + New budget line.
- Enter the title, description and time frame.
- Enter the planned cost and planned price (revenue).
- Click Save.
Create one budget line for each cost/revenue type in the project (e.g. "Analysis", "Front-end development", "Supplier hosting").
Tip:
To learn more about how budget lines work, see Understanding budget lines.
5. Assign resources to the project
Resource assignment lets RevasOS calculate the workload and productive capacity of the team.
Assign contacts as resources
Every person involved in the project must be added as a resource. Resources are selected from the Contacts directory when creating tasks (the Assignee field).
Enable allocation calculations (optional)
To see the full workload view with allocations (available hours vs assigned hours), resources must also exist in the Workforce module (workforce management) with a configured work schedule.
- Open the Workforce app.
- Verify that every resource assigned to the project has a profile with contractual data.
- Make sure each resource has a Work schedule associated.
Note:
The work schedule determines each resource's weekly available hours. Without this information the workload view cannot calculate overload or remaining availability.
6. Verify the workload
With tasks assigned and resources configured, you can check the team's workload.
- In the project, select Workload from the left sidebar.
- The system shows a Gantt chart with colour coding:
- Green — The resource is within available capacity.
- Red — The resource is overloaded.
- Grey — No allocation in the period.
- Switch the time scale (week, month, year) for a wider analysis.
If overloads appear, redistribute tasks among resources or adjust milestone dates.
7. Enable team self-service
To let collaborators log their hours independently, they must be added as collaborators of the organisation's workspace.
- Open the Organisations app.
- Select your organisation.
- In the Collaborators section add the team members.
- Assign the appropriate permissions via the IAM module (roles and policies).
Once enabled, collaborators can:
- Log hours on timesheets directly from the web or from the mobile app.
- Update the status of their assigned tasks.
- View their tasks and deadlines.
Mobile app:
The RevasOS mobile app (iOS and Android) lets collaborators log hours to project tasks in seconds, directly from the job site, the client's office, or on the road. It is the ideal tool for quick field-level time reporting.
8. Generate the first report
With the project structured and the budget configured, you can generate the financial report to verify everything is connected correctly.
- In the project, select Report from the left sidebar.
- Set the parameters: Based on (by task or by resource), Filtered by (week, month) and the Time range.
- Click Generate report.
The Planned column populates from budget lines and task allocations. The Actual columns will fill in as the team logs hours and invoices are reconciled.
To learn how to read the report in detail, see The financial report.
Flow summary
Create the project
└── Define milestones
└── Create tasks (with assignees, dates, estimated hours)
└── Activate budgeting
└── Create budget lines (planned costs and revenue)
└── Verify the workload
└── Enable the team for self-service
└── Generate the first report