When a new project for a client is kicking off, adding it to the Keka Professional Services Automation (Keka PSA) tool is one of the first things to be done. This will allow you to assign resources to the project, add tasks, set up billing and also track project progress and health at every turn. 

You can add a project from the Projects section of Keka PSA. You can also add projects from the client section by selecting the client the project is being created for. We will explore both of these methods for adding a new project to Keka PSA. 

Prerequisites

Before you add a project, you need to have some information ready. These are the prerequisites before you can begin adding a project.

- Add the client to Keka PSA in case this is a new client

- Determine who the project manager for the project is

- Finalize the billing type for the project

Adding a new project to Keka PSA

To add a new project, navigate to Project (1) from the left navigation pane and select the Projects tab (2). Here, ensure you're on the Project List tab (3) to view the projects currently configured on the system. 

You can create a project from the top of the page by clicking on the +Create Project (4) button.

Enter the necessary details for the project here on this page. You are required to enter the following information here

Project Name and Description: Enter a name to identify the project in Keka PSA. You can also enter a description for the project which is optional. Description allows you to enter details of the project that can help resources when they are working on the project and also to identify individual projects if there are similar projects configured in the system. 

Client: Specify the client for whom this project is being done. You will have to add the client to Keka PSA before you can add a project. 

Project Code: Project code is helpful in identifying the project and can be used in all communications regarding this project.

Project Manager: Select the employee you want to assign as the project manager for this project here. Search for the employee you want by clicking the search bar here and entering their name. 

Start Date and End Date: Here, you have the option to set both the project's start and end dates. While it's not obligatory to set an end date, especially during the project's initial phases, you can leave it blank if you prefer.

Status:  This field allows you to define the status of the project. You can choose between In Progress, Completed, Not Started Yet, and Cancelled here. 

Enable Billing for this project: Enable this toggle button if you want to enable billing for this project. If you enable billing, you will be able to choose between the billing type. Choose Bill Time if you want the billing to be done based on the time that the resources spend on this project. Choose Bill Milestones/Fixed Fee if you want the project billing to be based on some pre-defined milestones in the project and not depending on the time spent. 

You can also select whether expenses can be linked to this project. To enable this, select the Allow expenses to be linked to this project checkbox. This will allow resources to submit the expenses that they incur while working on this project for reimbursement. 

You also have the option of attaching files here. These could be files that contain important information regarding the project which can help the resources who will be working on it. To attach a file, click on Attach Files. 

Once you are done entering the necessary details, click Create to create the project. This will create the new project in Keka PSA. 

Next step: Configure your project for use in Keka PSA.