Professional Services Project Creation

Getting your project started sometimes can be a cumbersome speed bump for professional service (PS) teams. There's usually short lead times, missing information and it's all organized in 4 different disparate systems. If you're not currently leveraging Clarizen's Salesforce integration, then it's important to make sure you leverage Clarizen to it's fullest when it comes to getting started. 

There are two main ways to start projects in Clarizen. Below is a quick overview of each option and some suggestions on when to use either option:

OOTB Form

Clarizen comes OOTB with a form you can use to create a project. That form is configurable by profile, you have 2 columns  in the layout and you can add any field of data to the form via a drag and drop interface. Additionally you can access to multi-reference object fields for form entry. Think adding 5 resources to a project. It's important to remember that you can still take advantage of Clarizen's workflows to drive notifications and automate any additional data transformations. Lastly, it's just SIMPLE and EASY to manage. 

There's a lot of benefits to using the OOTB from, but there are some drawbacks to consider. You only get one version per profile. If you need different entry fields based on project type for instance, you're best to go the custom action route. You also can't populate any default information, like a project template. 

It's recommended that you use the OOTB form if you have a simple intake process without much variation.

Admin Setup:

1. Go to Settings
2. Profiles --> Select the target profile
3. Expand Work Item and select projects
4. On the right now, select "Edit for Add Mode / Edit mode
5. Click and drag the fields of data from the left on to the form on the right
6. Save

End User Steps:

1. Log in
2. Navigation --> New --> Project
3. Fill out form and select "Save"

Custom Action

To create projects, most of our customers use some flavor of a custom action. It enables an immense flexibility to control Clarizen to match your optimal business process. Easily mandate certain information and use cascading custom actions to create different forms to capture the information you need in succession. Unlike the OOTB forms, you can also pre-populate fields with recommended data. 

With all of this functionality, the only main drawbacks to custom actions are form layouts and the tool to set them up. For advanced admins, the custom action form is easy and comfortable to use, however, the casual user will it confusing. Something to consider when selecting either route. 

Admin Setup:

1. Go to Settings
2. Configure
3. Create any custom fields you need on the project object
4. Select Organization
5. New --> Custom Action
6. Create & edit custom action ( Tutuorial Video )
7. Save

End User Steps:

1. Log in
2. Navigation --> Custom Actions --> "Your Custom Action"
3. Fill out form and select "Save"