Project Management Guide

Overview

Projects are the top-level organizational structure in Workunit. They group related workunits, assets, and check-ins together, providing a unified view of all work toward a common goal. This guide teaches you how to create and manage projects effectively.

Whether you're launching a product, building a feature, or conducting research, projects help you organize work, share context with AI assistants, and track progress across multiple workunits.

What Are Projects?

A project is a container that groups related work together. While workunits represent specific units of work with clear problem statements and success criteria, projects provide the broader organizational context that ties multiple workunits together.

Organizational Hierarchy

Organization

Projects

(Group related work)

Workunits

(Specific problems to solve)

Tasks

(Actionable work items)

Example: A "Mobile App v2.0" project might contain workunits for "User Authentication," "Push Notifications," and "Offline Support"—each with their own tasks, but all contributing to the same release.

Project Components

Each project contains several key elements that provide context and organization:

Name

A clear, descriptive title that identifies the project at a glance. Use concise names that convey the project's purpose.

Description

A detailed explanation of the project's goals, scope, and context. This helps AI models and team members understand the project's purpose and constraints.

Workunits

The collection of workunits that belong to this project. Each workunit represents a specific problem to solve within the project's scope.

Assets

Linked products, systems, people, and knowledge relevant to the project. These provide organizational context for AI assistants.

Check-ins

Recurring status prompts linked to the project for async team updates and progress tracking.

Project Lifecycle

Projects move through a lifecycle from planning to completion. Understanding these states helps you manage work effectively:

Planning

Project is being defined and organized. Use this status when setting up the project structure, defining scope, and creating initial workunits.

Active

Work is actively in progress. Workunits are being created, tasks are being completed, and the project is moving toward its goals.

On Hold

Project is temporarily paused. Use this when waiting for external dependencies, decisions, or when priorities shift temporarily.

Completed

Project goals have been achieved. All key workunits are completed and the project is delivered.

Archived

Project is no longer active and has been archived. Context is preserved for reference but hidden from active views.

Creating Projects

Creating a project is the first step in organizing related work. A well-defined project provides context for all the workunits it contains.

Project Details

When creating a project, provide the following information:

Good Project Definition

Name:

Mobile App v2.0

Description:

Major release of our mobile app with new authentication system, push notifications, and offline support. Target launch: Q1 2025. Involves native iOS/Android updates and backend API changes.

Status:

Active

Tags:

mobile release Q1-2025

Why it's good: Clear name, detailed description with scope and timeline, appropriate status, and useful tags for filtering.

Weak Project Definition

Name:

App stuff

Description:

Work on the app.

Why it's weak: Vague name, no context in description, no tags. AI assistants and team members lack information to understand the project's scope.

Project Ownership

Every project can have an owner who is responsible for its success. The owner is typically the person who:

• Defines project scope: Sets boundaries and priorities for the project
• Creates and organizes workunits: Breaks down work into manageable pieces
• Tracks progress: Monitors workunit completion and project health
• Communicates status: Keeps stakeholders informed through check-ins

Organizing Workunits in Projects

Workunits are the heart of your project. Each workunit represents a specific problem to solve, with its own tasks, AI context, and success criteria. Organizing workunits effectively within projects helps you track progress and maintain context.

Assigning Workunits to Projects

When creating a new workunit, you can assign it to a project. This creates a relationship that:

Groups related work: All workunits for the same goal appear together on the project page

Inherits project context: AI assistants understand the broader project when working on individual workunits

Enables filtering: View all workunits by status across the project

Tracks progress: Project statistics show workunit and task completion

Pro Tip: Project-First Workflow

When creating workunits from within a project page, the project is automatically assigned. This ensures all related work stays organized from the start.

Filtering Workunits by Status

Project pages display workunits with filtering options to help you focus on what matters:

All

View all workunits in the project regardless of status.

Draft

Workunits being defined but not yet started.

Active

Workunits currently being worked on. Focus here for daily progress.

Paused

Workunits temporarily blocked or deprioritized.

Completed

Workunits that have met their success criteria.

Archived

Workunits no longer relevant or superseded.

Linking Assets to Projects

Assets provide organizational context that helps AI models understand your project environment. By linking assets to projects, you create a rich context layer that improves AI collaboration.

Asset Context for AI

When you link assets to a project, AI assistants can access this information when working on any workunit within the project:

People Assets

Team members, their skills, and availability. AI knows who can work on what.

Product Assets

Products being built or modified. AI understands what you're delivering.

System Assets

Infrastructure and dependencies. AI knows technical constraints and integrations.

Knowledge Assets

Documentation and standards. AI follows your team's patterns and practices.

Project Check-ins

Check-ins linked to projects help gather async status updates from team members. They're useful for regular progress tracking without interrupting workflow.

Common Project Check-in Patterns

Weekly Progress Check-in

"What did you accomplish this week? What's blocking you? What will you focus on next week?"

Daily Standup

"What did you work on yesterday? What's your plan for today? Any blockers?"

Milestone Check

"Are we on track for the milestone? What risks have you identified? What help do you need?"

Project Workflows

Different types of projects benefit from different organizational patterns. Here are proven workflows for common project types:

Feature Development Project

Example: User Dashboard v2

New dashboard with analytics, customizable widgets, and real-time updates.

Workunits:

Analytics Backend - Data aggregation and API endpoints

Widget System - Customizable dashboard components

Real-time Updates - WebSocket integration

Dashboard UI - Frontend implementation

Testing & QA - Integration and e2e tests

Pattern: Parallel backend and frontend workunits, with integration testing as the final workunit.

Product Launch Project

Example: Mobile App v2.0 Launch

Coordinated release across development, marketing, and support teams.

Workunits:

Feature Complete - All planned features implemented

Beta Testing - User feedback and bug fixes

Marketing Materials - Website, videos, press kit

Support Documentation - Help articles and FAQs

App Store Submission - Review and approval

Launch Day Coordination - Go-live checklist

Pattern: Cross-functional workunits with clear dependencies. Marketing and support work in parallel with development.

Research Project

Example: AI Integration Evaluation

Evaluate different LLM providers for product integration.

Workunits:

Requirements Definition - Use cases and criteria

OpenAI Evaluation - GPT models testing

Anthropic Evaluation - Claude models testing

Cost Analysis - Pricing comparison

Recommendation Report - Final analysis

Pattern: Parallel evaluation workunits, with synthesis and recommendation at the end. Time-boxed to prevent endless exploration.

AI Integration with Projects

Projects are designed for AI collaboration. When you connect AI assistants via MCP, they can create, read, and manage projects alongside humans.

MCP Project Operations

AI assistants can perform the following project operations via MCP:

List projects:

"Show me all active projects in my organization"

Get project details:

"Get project 'Mobile App v2.0' with workunits and assets"

Create a project:

"Create a project called 'API Redesign' for refactoring our REST endpoints"

Create workunits in a project:

"Create a workunit for 'User Authentication' in the 'Mobile App v2.0' project"

Link assets to projects:

"Link the 'PostgreSQL Database' asset to the 'API Redesign' project"

Best Practices

Apply these principles to get the most out of project organization:

Keep Projects Focused

One project = one goal or initiative. If a project has too many unrelated workunits, consider splitting it. Focused projects are easier to track and complete.

Start with Planning Status

New projects should start in "Planning" status. Use this time to define scope, create initial workunits, and link relevant assets before moving to "Active."

Link Assets Early

Link people, products, systems, and knowledge assets when creating the project. This ensures AI assistants have context from the start.

Use Descriptive Names

Include version numbers, timeframes, or key identifiers in project names. "Mobile App v2.0" is better than "App Update."

Write for Future You

In project descriptions, explain the "why" and context. Your future self (and AI assistants) will thank you when revisiting the project months later.

Archive Completed Projects

When a project is done, mark it as "Completed" then archive it. This keeps your workspace clean while preserving context for reference.

Next Steps

Ready to organize your work with projects? Here's where to go next:

Create Your First Project

Start organizing your work by creating a project for your current initiative

Workunit Workflows

Learn how to create effective workunits within your projects

Managing Assets

Link products, systems, and knowledge to your projects for AI context

MCP Integration

Connect AI assistants to work with your projects via Model Context Protocol

Questions About Projects?

We're here to help you organize your work effectively with projects.

Documentation Community Discussions