However deep or broad we make it, a one-size-fits-all project management solution can’t address your needs as closely as one which is made for you. So we’re coming up with a set of features that makes Zoho Projects more amenable to customization. To start things off, we’re happy to announce the introduction of custom fields for projects.
What is a project custom field? Every project has default fields, such as the project name, owner, and overview. You can now add your own fields apart from these to address your specific requirements.
To get you started, here are just a few examples of cases where custom fields come in handy:
People:The most important people in the project, apart from the owner, get added to their own fields. These could be the tech lead, the marketing lead, the project manager, or the account manager. The type for such a field would have to be a user picklist under the text type.
Description: Add multi-line text fields for descriptive information about your project, such as its purpose statement, objectives, and requirements. Priority could be a text picklist field.
Dates: We’ve just added the project start and end dates as default fields. Add other significant dates, such as the date you release a product to the client, or the start and end dates of an event you’re organizing.
Numbers: These could include time and cost estimates for different aspects of your projects. Serial numbers and identification numbers could also go here.
We’re just getting started here; we’ll be adding custom fields to other levels, such as tasks and sub-tasks, too. Click here to start working with custom fields for projects.
UPDATE: Zoho Projects custom fields now work with the Zoho Analytics advanced analytics add on. More on this here.
Hello. I have subscribed (monthly) to the Enterprise version of Zoho Projects in order to fully evaluate its functionality. I have a need to use two features, which I am not sure are available. 1. Custom Fields at the Task and Subtask Levels 2. Linking Clients to Task and Subtask in order to use the Feed feature , so the client is informed. Are both of these possibilities with the current version of the software? FYI- The product seems amazing thus far. I am hoping to perform a full implementation after I finish evaluating it. Thanks! L Menendez
Thanks for your interest Menendez. Custom fields for tasks and subtasks are coming. Clients can see the tasks and subtasks, if the Tasklists that they are in are made external.
I am also interested in the task-level custom fields. I am submitting this comment so I can be made aware of progress on this item. I do see from other comments that it is in the works - thank you!
Thanks Nicole. Stay tuned to our blogs and you won't miss it!
Are we any closer to releasing the custom fields for tasks yet? This is becoming an urgent need due to the complexity of our project management model.
Yes, we have a team working on it and making good progress!
It's been almost half year from your announcment of Custom Fields in TASK. When can we expect them?
We also need to access these Custom Fields in the Home page under tasks.
Hi Brad, We're working on Custom fields for tasks. When this is out, the tasks' custom fields would be listed in this view.
Hi Hari, I always shared because it was a half of information in Zoho Project and a half in Zoho People and I'm not talking about Zoho Support .... But to have a consolidated view of 3 apps could be considered. For that we need the custom fields appear in the 3 applications. That's why these customizable fields.
Hi Julien, Thanks for your feedback. Our different products will get more tightly integrated going ahead, so you can look forward to more consolidation.
Hari, Do you have a projected timeframe for the custom fields in tasks and subtasks? I see that as a huge leap forward, especially if those can be used in Zoho Analytics.
Hi Mark, We realise this is an important update and have dedicated effort going into it. We cannot announce a timeframe in advance, but we are working on it and will let you know when it is out.
Hello Hari, We need to set dependencies to prevent the project coordinator's from moving forward before certain approvals are obtained. How do you set dependencies? And to what extent can you prevent the ability to move to the next step if the dependency has not been satisfied? Thank you Scarlet
Hi Scarlet, You can set dependencies in the task dependency view.https://www.zoho.com/projects/help/task-dependency.html You can also set dependencies in our Gantt chart. This is available premium plan onwards. https://www.zoho.com/projects/gantt-chart-software.html When you change the start date or duration of the predecessor tasks, the dependent tasks adjust themselves automatically. Also, you cannot mark a dependent task complete before completing its predecessor task.
Hari this was VERY helpful. Being new to Zoho I didn't know where this depth of information was stored. Thank you!
Glad it helped!
Thank you for this very interesting and useful feature. Please please please update the API so that those fields can be leveraged. Right now, it's not possible to use those fields from the API.
We're on it!
We are running a test implementation of zoho projects for a job wherein the work in each of hundreds of areas is each defined as a task. By using custom fields we could divide each of these tasks into one of several phases which will repeat for every area. Thus process would simplify time sheets entries if custom fields could be used and exported with the timesheet data for billing and other purposes (into Quickbooks in our case). Not having this feature (inclusion of custom fields in timesheets) is a considerable impediment to a successful implementation. Do you have any idea when (or if) this feature will be added?
Hi Michael, Currently I have an answer to the 'if' and that is a yes! As for the 'when,' we do not have a timeline yet. But stay tuned, we will let you know when it's out.
I'm really disappointed to see the new custom fields functionality is only available in Enterprise! Why is it not available for Premium Plan?
Hi Darren, Sorry to know that. However, custom fields for projects and going ahead, custom fields at other levels can only be part of the enterprise plan.
Hi, I have just purchased an Enterprise subscription , because I found out there are custom fields for projects. After setting up about 5 additional custom fields for my projects, the only way they seem to be present in the environment is to be statically displayed in the projects list columns. A project manager cannot possibly have any use for custom fields unless he can FILTER and SEARCH by these custom fields. We need to add about 60 projects into Zoho, and if we can't filter the project list by the custom fields we added it's going to be a nightmare. Also, I activated the Reports trial, and I can't find the custom fields anywhere in the projects report. This was supposed to be a very powerful and customizable PM and reporting tool. Am I missing something ?
Hi Stefan, As mentioned in the post this is just a beginning. You're spot on with your feedback, in fact everything you've mentioned is in our roadmap! Stay tuned and we'll keep you updated with developments.
Is there a way to link a Zoho Docs folder to a Zoho Project?
Hi Tom, This is not available right now, but we're looking into such scenarios. We'll let you know when we have updates.
I feel this is a step in the right direction. Over the past months using Zoho I felt that the product was structured too largely towards a specific industry and its needs, without much customizability for other industries. Lets see more customizability!
You got it!
Custom fields are great for the project, but it would be really useful to have custom fields within the tasks. I want to be able to manage our budget within the tasks/milestones of a project. Also - it would be great to be able to create an invoice that is not related to time or expenses. In our consulting work, the work may be done at one time, but the invoicing may be done at a different time.
Hi Jean, Task custom fields are coming. We have made note of your invoicing needs, thank you.
This a great feature, cangrats. This information can be included in exported timesheet??
Hi Camilo, This is not available right now, but we'll let you know if we do it.
Exporting time sheets would be a fantastic feature! (+1)
The Scheduling/Gantt chart implementation, as well as the tasks and milestones implementation is so simplistic that could easily be defined as incorrect. Major rework is needed, in order to be used correctly according to Project Management processes
Hi Evangelos, Please let us know how you think it should be reworked. You could email to support@zohoprojects.com.
We are just starting to introduce project management in our team (non-profit industry), and this is very easy to use for not-project managers. Challenging to learn so much at once, but the ability to customize should in fact make it easier for us to shape Zoho to our needs.
Thanks Elysia, I am confident it will be worth the effort!
This is very helpful! However, would it be possible to program these fields to create Project Control Numbers? When I add a project, a custom field will remember and automatically count from the last one I added and be able to generate a control number. Is this feasible?
Thanks Lex, we have plans to number projects, will let you know when we release it.
Great to hear that, Hari! Looking forward to it :)
This is fantastic! I rely heavily on Zoho Projects and the recent enhancements are making it so much more robust - great job Zoho!
Thanks Sheri, great to see this!