Managing processes in Archdesk

In Archdesk we realize that every business is unique. That is why we decided from the start that we want to create the best software system that gives the users a lot of flexibility so that they can customize the system to their business' needs but at the same a system that does not overwhelm them. 

Based on our users' experience Archdesk lets you create project processes that work best for your business. You can create linear and non-linear processes, add as many stages as you need, and link them so every process happens at the right time with all the prerequisites being completed. 

 

In this article you will learn:

  • how to create and customize your own processes to the system,
  • how to add processes to your project, 
  • how to add and customize the stages for a process, 
  • how to skip or cancel a stage. 
 

Adding a customized process to the process list in Archdesk

Before adding processes to a specific project, you need to predefine their structure in the Settings & Preferences panel in Archdesk. To learn how to create a list of customized processes, go to the article here. 

 

Adding new processes to your project

To add a process to your project go to the project you want to modify and select the Processes tab on the left-hand-side menu. 

Click Add New Process and select a process from the list. As you will see the processes are already divided into stages. 

When you select the process, a window with the stages will appear. By checking and unchecking the checkboxes next to the stages you can choose what stages you want for your process to be active. This action is irreversible. Once you create a process you will not be able to add or remove stages. You will have to create a new process then. 

In the example below we have unchecked two out of five stages for the Contracts stage and they will not be created for this process on the Processes dashboard.

 

 

Before you close the Add New Process window

Before you finish adding a new process you can also:

  • set a due date on each stage of the process. Setting a due date on the last stage equals a due date on the entire process.


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  • assign a related quote to the process,
  • for repetitive processes (e.g. monthly valuation process) you can set a reset date to make the copy of the process appear on your dashboard again at a specified time.

To do that click on the Options button in the bottom left corner of the Process window. 

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Managing process stages

There are two ways to manage stages in a process in the Processes view. You can either click on the process entry line and call the popup window that will allow you to change the stages one by one, or you can click on the stages separately. You can track the status of your process and its stages (pending, in progress, complete) and also set the completion percentage on each stage. 

 
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When you click on the process entry line the following window will appear. You can then select the stage, update its status, add a file or return back to the entire process view.
  
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To change the status of a stage simply click the stage field on the process and make the updates.
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🚨 "This stage cannot be updated right now or you do not have the right permission" Alert
 
Archdesk has a smart process management system. In linear projects, the stages are connected with their predecessors and a certain stage cannot be modified until the requirements of the earlier stage have been fulfilled. 
 
 
 
 
Non-linear projects
In case your projects are non-linear and you want to allow multiple stages to be running concurrently, check out this article to see how you can do it in Archdesk.
 
Skipping or Cancelling a stage
If during the process the circumstances change and you need to make some adjustments to your process, Archdesk lets you skip a stage or cancel it. 
 
Adding a to-do task to a stage

In Archdesk not only can you add a to-do task to a specific project, but you can select the stage and create a task for that stage particularly. To add a to-do task to a stage go to the Projects tab in the top bar, then Processes in the left-hand-side menu, click on the desired stage and add the task.

 

NOTE!!! Please be aware that the Dashboards you currently have reflect the Processes that you have in the system. If you will add new Processes or make changes to the older ones, you should contact us via email: support@archdesk.com in order for us to update your Dashboards as well (and create new ones, if needed).