The portfolio book for professional-services firms

How it works

Phases 1 and 2 happen once. Phase 3 repeats for every new project, phase 4 every time card period, phase 5 every month.

1. 1

   🚀 Subscribe once

   Request a workspace, receive the invitation, sign in.

   • 1.1Request a workspaceOrg Admin · Landing page · onceFill in the request on the landing page: organisation name, work email domain, the person who will be Org Admin.
   • 1.2Workspace provisionedPortfolio Workbench · Our side · within a business dayWe create the organisation, its fiscal calendar in your unit, the status-report checklist and the first Org Admin login.
   • 1.3First sign-inOrg Admin · Sign-in · once per personThere is no password. Enter your work email and a six-digit code arrives.
2. 2

   🏢 Set up the organisation once

   Calendar, seats, the first logins, holidays. The Org Admin's job.

   • 2.1Confirm calendar & settingsOrg Admin · Organisation · onceCheck the fiscal year start, the time card unit and the timezone; "today" in the book is read in that zone.
   • 2.2Invite managers & grant scopeOrg Admin · Organisation · once, then as people joinCreate the management logins: Director, Senior Managers, Project Managers. Each takes a seat.
   • 2.3Holidays & checklistOrg Admin · Organisation · Resources · once a yearEnter company holidays per country. Mandatory holidays reduce each person's capacity on their country's calendar.
   • 2.4Managers sign inDirector / Senior Manager · Sign-in · once per personEach manager signs in with the emailed code and sets up their authenticator.
3. 3

   🛠️ Build the book per project

   Projects, baselines, people, assignments — and who may work on them.

   • 3.1Create projectsProject Manager · Project Setup · per projectA form, or the Project Setup template: download, fill in, upload.
   • 3.2Add people & assign themProject Manager · Resources · Project Setup · per projectA person exists once in the library and is assigned many times.
   • 3.3Commit & amend baselinesProject Manager · Baseline · per change orderThe delivery baseline is the initial contract plus every change order; each amendment is a signed delta.
   • 3.4Request PA & Resource loginsProject Manager · Project Setup · per team memberFrom Project Setup → Access on this project: request a Project Administrator or Resource login for a person on the team.
   • 3.5Approve the request?Org Admin · Organisation · as requests arriveThe Org Admin approves each request on the Organisation tab; the seat is taken then.
   • 3.6Team signs inResource · Sign-in · once per personProject Administrators and Resources sign in with the emailed code; no authenticator, because they see no money.
4. 4

   ⏱️ Run it every week / period

   Forecast, actuals, time off, status, risks, action items.

   • 4.1Enter the forecastProject Manager · Forecast · every periodA grid of people × periods in your unit, from the project's start to twelve months ahead; anything further sits in Remaining until the window reaches it.
   • 4.2Import forecast & actualsProject Administrator · Operations · every periodDownload the template — pre-filled with what the book holds — fill in the yellow cells, upload.
   • 4.3Request time offResource · Resources · as neededVacation, sick, personal — dated, in days; it becomes hours against capacity once approved.
   • 4.4Approve time off?Project Manager · Resources · as requests arriveA manager approves or denies. Only approved time off reduces capacity in the forecast grid.
   • 4.5File the weekly statusProject Manager · Status Reports · every FridayOne report per project per week, ending Friday: answer the checklist, each answer asserts a colour, the worst wins.
   • 4.6Log risks, issues, milestonesProject Manager · Risks & Issues · Schedule · as they ariseOne register across every project you can see, scored severity × probability, highest first.
   • 4.7Action items & Monday packetProject Administrator · Action Items · every MondayA running list per person; on Monday roll the unfinished ones forward.
5. 5

   📊 Review every month

   Dashboard, forecast vs actual, margins, receivables.

   • 5.1Read the DashboardDirector / Senior Manager · Dashboard · every weekPortfolio at a glance: delivery, status, risks, receivables, action items — each tile is the headline of a tab.
   • 5.2Forecast vs ActualDirector / Senior Manager · Forecast vs Actual · every monthHours and revenue, forecast beside actual, per period, by project and by person; green above forecast, red below.
   • 5.3Record paymentsProject Manager · Receivables · as cash arrivesInvoice amounts are the book's own: hours × bill rate, or the monthly fee once the month is complete.

Who does what

Six roles, one hat each. A role decides which fields a person sees; grants decide which projects.