# Projects

> Create projects, add members and keep track of status in the Community Edition.

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/llms.txt).

Source: https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/community/usage/projects

---
A project is the container for everything else — tasks, milestones, files and
time. Every task belongs to exactly one project.

## Create a project

**Open Projects**

    **Projects** in the sidebar lists everything you can see.

**Create**

    Give it a name and a short name. The short name prefixes task references, so
    keep it brief and distinctive — `WR` for Website Redesign.

**Set dates and status**

    Start and end dates are optional but make the project list far more useful.

**Add members**

    Only members can see the project and its tasks. Add them now or later from
    project settings.

> **What you won't find here**
>
> Project templates, programs, portfolios, budgets and custom fields are
> commercial features and are not present in the Community Edition. See
> [What's included](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/community/get-started/whats-included).

## Project status

| Status | Use it for |
| --- | --- |
| **Started** | Active work |
| **Hold** | Paused, expected to resume |
| **Stack** | Queued, not started |
| **Completed** | Finished |

Status is a label for filtering — it does not lock the project or stop people
adding tasks.

## Members and visibility

Visibility follows membership: a user sees a project only if they are a member
of it. Admins can see and manage every project.

> **Removing a member does not reassign their work**
>
> Tasks stay assigned to the removed user, who can no longer open them. Reassign
> before removing someone, or those tasks become invisible to everyone but an
> admin.

## The project view

Inside a project you get:

- **Tasks** — the task list, filterable by status, priority and assignee
- **Kanban** — the same tasks as a board, under **More**
- **Milestones** — group tasks by delivery point
- **Files** — attachments uploaded to this project's tasks

## Archiving

Completed projects clutter the list. Mark a project **Completed** and filter it
out rather than deleting it — deletion removes its tasks, comments, attachments
and logged time permanently.

> **Deletion is not recoverable**
>
> There is no trash or undo. If you are unsure, set the status to Completed
> instead.

## Tips

- **Keep projects coarse**: One per deliverable or team, not per sprint. Milestones handle the finer-grained structure.

- **Short names matter**: They appear on every task reference. Two or three letters is ideal.

- [Next: tasks](https://helpdesk.orangescrum.com/guide/community/usage/tasks): The day-to-day unit of work.