BriefSpec Projects Guide

Projects

User Guide

BriefSpec

1. Introduction

Projects are the central organizing unit in BriefSpec. Every deliverable, requirement, defect, test case, test cycle, service request, and action item lives inside a project. A project defines the client engagement, assigns a module configuration template that controls which features are active, sets the software pillars and epics in scope, and brings together the team members who will do the work.

This guide explains how to create and configure projects, how to manage them from the Projects screen, how to navigate the project workspace sidebar, how execution status flows, and which users can view or change project settings.

2. Overview of Projects

What a project controls

• Module access – the assigned template determines which workspace sidebar items (Dashboard, Backlog, Phase, Boards, Defects, Test Cases, Test Cycles, Documents, and others) are visible inside the project.
• Scope – software pillars and epics define the functional areas covered by the engagement.
• Team – internal members and client users assigned with specific roles and permissions.
• Timelines – start and end dates, duration, and timezone drive scheduling and reporting.
• Artifact time budgets – per-artifact manual time estimates for create and update actions used for effort reporting.
• Execution status – a project-level lifecycle state (Draft, In Progress, On Hold, Completed, Archived) that governs which actions are available. Active/Inactive is a separate lifecycle flag on the Projects list.

Project lifecycle at a glance

• Draft – project created but execution has not begun. Template and scope changes are still allowed.
• In Progress – active delivery. Most configuration locks in place to protect data integrity.
• On Hold – paused engagement. Work suspended; records remain intact.
• Completed – delivery finished; required before Archived or before marking the project Inactive.
• Archived – closed engagement (only from Completed). Data is retained for reference.

Project List View

Project Grid View

3. Accessing Projects

From the sidebar

• Open the sidebar and click the Projects menu item.
• You arrive at the Projects screen, which lists all projects your role can view.
• Breadcrumb trail: Home > Projects.
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Filtering the list

• Use the Active Projects / Inactive Projects toggle to switch lists. A project can be set Inactive only when execution status is Completed. Active/Inactive is not the same as Archived.
• Filter by Project type and use Advanced Filters (including Execution Status). Switch Grid View / List View as needed. Search with the Search box.
• Stat cards on the page show Active Projects, Inactive Projects, Total Pillars, and Total Epics.

Prerequisites

• Your role must include project view permission (see Section 9).
• Projects visible to you depend on your assigned role and the projects assigned to you.

4. Creating a Project

Click Add Project on the Projects screen. The wizard opens with four steps: Project Details, Scope & Timeline, Team Members, and Settings. Disabled Next/Create shows To continue, add: with the missing required fields.

Step 1 – Project Details (Core information)

Complete the following fields:

• Project Name – required. A unique human-readable name for the engagement (for example ACME ERP Phase 2).
• Client – required. Search and select a client. If none exist, use + New client (or contact an Application Admin if you lack add-client permission).
• Project Type – select the engagement category (for example AMS Project, Testing, Implementation). AMS Project unlocks AMS template and Billing & Contract options when applicable.
• Project Template – required. Toggle System / Custom, then Select template. Only Published and Active global Custom templates appear for Custom. AMS vs Non-AMS plan entitlements may lock or hide templates (upgrade toasts explain when).
• Category and Priority (Low / Medium / High) – optional classification fields.
• Track Financials – when on, the project gets Budgeting with Financials and Financial Plan (and related Approver fields on the Team step when applicable).
• Description – optional field for project overview, objectives, or notes.

Step 2 – Scope & Timeline (Duration settings)

Define the engagement dates and functional scope:

• Start Date – the date the project work begins.
• End Date – the planned completion date. Must be after the start date.
• Software – required. Select software, or use + Set up software / Add Software (or Advanced setup in Software Management). Refresh list after setup.
• Pillars & Epics/Modules – required. Use + Add pillar and + Add epic. At least one pillar with at least one epic/module is required for Backlog, Service Requests, and related features.
• Project BP Depth – L1 only / L1 + L2 / L1 + L2 + L3. On AMS-capable project types, Billing & Contract may also appear on this step.
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Step 3 – Team Members (Assign resources)

Add the people who will work on the project by role. The table columns are ROLES, MEMBERS, and ACTIONS.

• Select the Role, then add Members. Use Add Roles/Members as needed.
• When Track Financials is on, Timesheet Approver and Budget Approver fields may appear.
• Add client users or client approvers when client-facing collaboration is required.
• Members can be added or removed after creation from Project Admin → Project Users in the project workspace.
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Step 4 – Settings (Final check)

The Settings step uses tabs. On create, focus on Template and Resource Rate first; Artifact, Solution Types, Personas, and Rules appear after the project is saved.

• Template – view the linked template; on Edit, Promote to Global may be available (not on AMS plans; subject to custom-template quota).
• After first save, Artifact Management and Solution Types become available on the project.
• Resource Rate – configure Average hourly rate and related project-level rates.
• Artifact Management is used configure the manual time budget (in minutes) for Create and Update actions for each artifact type (User Story, Test Case, Short Instruction, Requirement, Job Aid, Article). These values are used for effort and time reporting.
• Solution Types are used in requirements generation, initially derived from the Tenant level setting. User can later modify them
• Personas – By default during project creation, the Personas setup at the Tenant level are inherited.
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Saving the project

• Click Create Project (or Save / Update on edit) from the wizard footer after required fields are complete.
• On save, BriefSpec creates a project-scoped Draft copy of the selected template linked to this project.
• The project appears in the Projects list in Draft execution status.
• If your plan limit for active projects has been reached, creation is blocked.

5. Editing a Project

Opening the edit form

• From Projects, open the row actions menu and select Edit (Edit Project), or open the project and use edit from there when available.
• The same four-step wizard opens, pre-populated with existing values.
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What can be changed

• Project Name, Description – editable at any execution status.
• Pillars & Epics, Solution Types – editable until execution status locks these fields.
• Team Members – members can be added or removed at any time from Project Users in the project workspace.
• Artifact time budgets – always editable.
• Project Template (source and selection) – editable only while the project execution status is Draft.

What cannot be changed after Draft

• Project Template source type (System vs Custom) and the template selection are locked once execution begins.
• Use Change Project Template from the Projects list (Draft only). For AMS templates, Project Type must be AMS Project first.
• Client selection cannot be changed

Promoting the project template to global

• On the Settings step of Edit Project, click Promote to Global next to the linked template name.
• Enter a new unique global template name.
• This creates a new global Draft Custom Template in Settings > Project Templates for reuse on future projects.
• The project-scoped copy remains unchanged.

6. Project Workspace

Once a project is created, click its name (or card) to open the project workspace. It opens on Dashboard. The left Project sidebar groups depend on modules enabled in the project template. Use All Projects in the sidebar to return to the list.

Project sidebar groups (labels)

• Overview – Dashboard (default landing), Execution Plan.
• Budgeting – Financials, Financial Plan (when Track Financials / plan allows).
• Financials AMS – AMS financial views when the project type/plan supports them (Dashboard, Usage, Opening Months, Contract).
• Work – Backlog, Phase, Boards, Action Item.
• Testing – Test Cases, Test Cycles, Defects, Traceability.
• Governance – Key Decisions, RAID Logs, Documents, Service Requests.
• AI Tools – Scribe360.
• Project Admin – Project Users, Time Entry.
• Support – Widget Support Chat when enabled.
• Back link – All Projects returns to the Projects list.

Item availability

• Only modules enabled in the project template appear in the sidebar.
• If an item is missing, check the project template modules under Settings → Project Templates, and your role privileges.

7. Project Execution Status

Execution status is a project-level state separate from any individual record status. It controls which project-level actions and configuration changes are permitted.

Status values

• Draft – initial state after creation. Template and scope are editable. Change Project Template is available only in Draft.
• In Progress – active delivery. Template source changes are locked. Reset (row action) is available only in In Progress and returns the project toward Draft after confirmation (workspace data impact).
• On Hold – paused. Records are preserved. Resume by returning to In Progress.
• Completed – delivery finished.
• Archived – closed; can be set only when status is Completed. Data is retained. Use the Active/Inactive toggle separately (Inactive also requires Completed).

Changing execution status

• From the Projects list, use the Execution Status column (privilege start-project-projects) or edit the project to update status. Confirm when prompted (for example when moving to Completed).
• Status transitions may require confirmation depending on the downstream impact.
• Archiving does not delete the project-scoped template or module records. Prefer On Hold for temporary pauses; use Completed then Archived (or Inactive) when closing.

8. Managing Projects

Row actions on Projects

Each project row (or card menu) exposes the following actions (subject to role permissions and project state):

• Edit / Edit Project – open the four-step wizard to update details, scope, team, or settings.
• Change Template / + Assign Template – reassign System or Custom template. Draft only. AMS template requires Project Type AMS Project.
• Delete Project – permanently delete the project. Available for Draft, Completed, or Archived (not while In Progress / On Hold). Cannot be undone.
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• Clone Project – available only for AMS financial projects (when the host/plan allows). Audit Trail – view project configuration activity. Reset – In Progress only; confirm before resetting. Active/Inactive – toggle project active flag (Inactive requires Completed).

Active and inactive projects

• Active projects appear in the default Active Projects view.
• Inactive-flagged projects are accessible by switching to Inactive Projects. Archived is an execution status, not the same as the Inactive toggle.
• Client details and team assignments remain visible on inactive projects for historical reference.

Exporting project data

• Use the export options within individual modules (Defects, Backlog, Service Requests, Test Cases) to export records.
• Project-level summary data is available from Dashboard in the project workspace.

9. Role-Based Access

Project access is governed by two layers: tenant-level role privileges (Settings → Role Privileges) and project-level role assignments (Project Users or during project creation).

Tenant-level privilege keys

• view-projects – see Projects in the sidebar and open the Projects list.
• add-projects – Add Project button and create wizard.
• update-projects – Edit Project, Clone (when eligible), and Change Project Template.
• delete-projects – Delete Project (Draft / Completed / Archived).
• reset-projects – Reset action.
• make-active-projects – Active/Inactive toggle.
• start-project-projects – view/edit Execution Status.
• projects-activity – Audit Trail.

Privilege levels

• Hidden – feature not visible to the user.
• Read – controls and buttons may appear but create, edit, and delete actions are disabled.
• Read and Edit – full action enabled for that privilege.

Project-level roles

• Each user added to a project is assigned a project role (for example Author, Tester, Project Manager, Application Admin, Client User, Client Approver).
• Project roles govern which workspace tabs, actions, and records the user can interact with inside that specific project.
• Role privileges within a project can be reviewed and adjusted from the Project Users tab inside the project workspace.
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Typical access patterns

• Tenant administrators and application admins – full project creation, editing, template management, and deletion.
• Project managers and test managers – create and edit projects; manage team and execution status; may change templates on Draft projects.
• Authors and testers – assigned to projects by admins; access workspace tabs per project role; cannot create or delete projects.
• Client users and client approvers – limited access to specific workspace areas as defined by project role; may not see Projects admin actions.

10. Pillars and Epics

Pillars and Epics define the functional scope of a project and are used throughout all project modules.

What are Pillars and Epics

• Pillar – the top-level software product or functional domain (for example Oracle HCM, SAP Finance, Custom Portal).
• Epic (Module) – a functional area within a pillar (for example Payroll, General Ledger, User Management).
• Every Backlog item, Service Request, Defect, and Test Case is associated with a pillar and epic.

Adding Pillars and Epics

• On the Scope & Timeline step, use + Add pillar (and + Add epic). Software must be selected first.
• Select or create a pillar from the software catalog (Settings → Software Management, or quick setup from the wizard).
• Add one or more epics/modules within that pillar.
• Multiple pillars with their own sets of epics can be added to a single project.
• Pillars and epics can be edited after project creation while the project scope allows changes.

Impact of Pillars and Epics

• Transcript and AI features (AI-generated user stories, scripts, and parent-child linkage) require at least one active pillar and epic.
• Filtering in Backlog, Defects, Service Requests, and Test Cases is scoped to the project pillars and epics.
• Removing a pillar or epic that has existing records may be blocked to protect data integrity.

11. Artifact Management

Artifact Management allows you to configure the estimated manual time required for Create and Update actions on each artifact type in the project. These values feed into effort tracking and time reporting.

Configuring artifact time

• Open the Settings step of Create Project or Edit Project.
• Select the Artifact tab.
• For each artifact type, enter the estimated time in the Create column and the Update column.
• Time is specified in minutes.
• Artifact types include: User Story, Test Case, Short Instruction, Requirement (RTM Style or User Story), Job Aid, and Article.
• Input value can only be greater than the default value setup.
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12. Common Messages and Troubleshooting

• You have reached your limit for active projects – plan metric no_of_active_projects; contact sales/admin to increase the limit.
• You do not have permission to view this screen – your role lacks view-projects; ask an administrator to update Role Privileges.
• Template selection locked – execution status is no longer Draft; Change Project Template from Projects is Draft-only.
• End date must be after start date – correct the date range on the Scope & Timeline step.
• No pillars available – pillars must be configured in the tenant software catalog before they can be added to a project.
• Failed to save / cannot continue – check required fields (Project Name, Client, Project Template, Start/End dates, Software, Pillar, epic/module). The footer lists To continue, add: …
• Cannot delete project – delete is allowed only in Draft, Completed, or Archived. Use Completed → Inactive/Archived to retire an In Progress project instead of deleting mid-delivery.
• Missing authentication details – your session may have expired; refresh the page and log in again.
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13. Recommended Practices

• Define pillars and epics carefully before creating the project, as they drive all downstream scoping, filtering, and AI features.
• Choose the project Template before saving; changing it after execution begins requires the Change Template action and is restricted to Draft status.
• Keep project names descriptive – include client name, engagement type, and phase where relevant (for example ACME – ERP Rollout – Phase 1).
• Assign team members during project creation or immediately after, so role-based access is in place before work begins.
• Set artifact time estimates on the Settings step to enable accurate effort reporting from day one.
• Move the project to In Progress only when the team is ready to begin delivery; this locks template and scope configuration.
• Use On Hold for temporary pauses. Move to Completed before Archived or Inactive.
• Use the Promote to Global action when a project-scoped template proves successful and should become a standard for future projects.
• Coordinate execution status changes with your project team, as status transitions can affect which actions and modules are available.
• Review plan limits for active projects before large-scale rollouts to avoid creation being blocked mid-engagement.

Appendix

The following appendices provide detailed reference material. Each section identifies its target audience so you can find content relevant to your role.

Appendix A: Quick-Reference Tables

A.1 Project Wizard Steps Summary

Target audience: All users creating or editing projects.

• Step 1 – Project Details: Project Name*, Client* (+ New client), Project Type, Category, Priority, Project Template* (System/Custom), Track Financials, Description.
• Step 2 – Scope & Timeline: Start/End dates*, Software* (+ Set up software), Project BP Depth, Pillars & Epics*, Billing & Contract (AMS when applicable).
• Step 3 – Team Members: Roles / Members; Timesheet Approver / Budget Approver when financials on.
• Step 4 – Settings: Template (Promote to Global on edit), Resource Rate; after save Artifact, Solution Types, Personas, Rules.

A.2 Execution Status Transition Matrix

Target audience: Project managers managing the project lifecycle.

• Draft → In Progress: begins delivery; locks template selection.
• In Progress → On Hold: pauses delivery; data intact.
• On Hold → In Progress: resumes delivery.
• In Progress / On Hold → Completed: marks delivery finished (confirm when prompted).
• Completed → Archived: closes engagement (Archived only from Completed).
• Completed → Inactive (list toggle): hides from Active Projects list.
• Template change is only available in Draft status.

A.3 Privilege Matrix

Target audience: Tenant administrators configuring Role Privileges.

• view-projects: Shows Projects in sidebar and list.
• add-projects: Add Project button and wizard.
• update-projects: Edit wizard, Clone (when eligible), Change Template.
• delete-projects: Delete (Draft/Completed/Archived). Also: reset-projects, make-active-projects, start-project-projects, projects-activity.

A.4 Workspace Tab Availability by Module

Target audience: Project managers and template owners verifying workspace configuration.

• Dashboard / Execution Plan – Overview group; Dashboard is the default landing item.
• Backlog, Phase, Boards, Action Item – Work group (Boards replaces legacy Sprint naming).
• Phase – requires Phases module; Backlog usually required for phase requirements / Traceability.
• Test Cases – requires Test Cases module active.
• Test Cycles – requires Test Cycles module active.
• Defects – requires Defects module active.
• Service Requests – requires Service Requests module active (plan entitlement may also apply).
• Action Items – requires Action Items module active.
• Traceability – requires Backlog and Phases both active.
• Documents – Governance; Scribe360 – AI Tools; DocuGen when enabled by plan/template.
• Key Decisions, RAID Logs, Service Requests – Governance. Project Users, Time Entry – Project Admin. Budgeting / Financials AMS – when Track Financials / AMS apply.

Appendix B: Glossary and Term Mapping

Target audience: All users learning BriefSpec terminology.

• Project – the top-level container for all engagement deliverables, linking a client, template, team, and scope.
• Pillar – a top-level functional domain within a Software application in scope for the project.
• Epic (Module) – a functional area within a pillar.
• Execution Status – Draft, In Progress, On Hold, Completed, Archived. Active/Inactive is separate.
• Project Template (Module Configuration Template) – the template that drives which workspace tabs and modules are active.
• Project-scoped Template – a Draft copy of the selected template automatically created and linked to a project on save.
• Artifact Management – configuration of manual time budgets for create/update actions on each artifact type.
• Promote to Global – the action that converts a project-scoped template into a reusable global Custom Template.
• Solution Types – Used in requirements generation, applied to a requirement for categorization.

Appendix C: Scenario Playbooks

Target audience: Tenant administrators and project managers executing common project setup tasks.

Playbook 1: Create a standard delivery project

• 1. Confirm the correct Project Template exists as Published and Active in Settings > Project Templates.
• 2. Click Add Project on Projects.
• 3. Fill in Project Name, Client, Project Type, and select the template.
• 4. Add pillars and epics in Scope & Timeline.
• 5. Add team members in Team Members step.
• 6. Set artifact time estimates in Settings > Artifact Management.
• 7. Click Create Project.
• 8. Update execution status to In Progress when the team is ready to begin delivery.

Playbook 2: Change project template on a Draft project

• 1. Confirm the project execution status is Draft.
• 2. On Projects, open the row action menu and click Change Template (or Assign Template).
• 3. Select the new System or Custom template source and template name.
• 4. Save; a new project-scoped Draft template copy is created.

Playbook 3: Promote a project template to a global standard

• 1. Open Edit Project on the relevant project.
• 2. Go to the Settings step and click Promote to Global next to the template name.
• 3. Enter a descriptive global template name.
• 4. Save; the new global Draft Custom Template appears in Settings > Project Templates.
• 5. Publish the global template when ready for wider use.

Appendix D: Related Settings Cross-Reference

Target audience: Tenant administrators navigating adjacent configuration areas.

• Settings > Role Privileges – Assign view-projects / add-projects / update-projects / delete-projects / reset-projects / make-active-projects / start-project-projects / projects-activity per role (Appendix A.3).
• Settings > Project Templates – Manage System and Custom templates that can be assigned to projects.
• Settings > Manage Plan – View active project count limits and other plan entitlements.
• Settings > Software Management – Configure the software pillars available for project scope.
• Projects > Add / Edit Project – Primary workflow described in this guide.
• Projects > Change Template – Reassign template on Draft projects.