Task Setup and Management

If the term ‘Task’ doesn’t fit your business, you can choose a different term by clicking on your initials at the top right, and then the Settings & Preferences gear icon. Under the Account Preferences tab, scroll down to the Naming section. Other options include ‘Service’, ‘Activity,’ or ‘Code.’

Rate Categories allows you to create groupings of specific Tasks and rates that you can use to apply to Clients and Projects as needed. Your Common Rate Category is the default group of tasks and rates that are common across most of your Projects and will be made available to you when creating new Projects in FunctionFox. Tasks are what your team will track time against on the Timesheet page. 

To Add Tasks to a Rate Category:

1. Go to Projects > Tasks in the left menu.
2. Check to make sure that All Clients and All Projects are selected in the Client and Project drop-down menus at the top of the page.
3. Select the appropriate Rate Category (all accounts start with the default Common Rate Category)
4. Enter the Task Name and the Hourly Rate in the corresponding fields. Note: Any Task with a $0 rate is considered non-billable. If you leave the rate field blank, the Task Rate will default to $0.
5. Select one of the following ‘Add To’ options:
   1. ‘This rate category only’ – This Task will be available to use within this rate category for all new Projects going forward, but it will not be added to any existing Projects. If you’re just getting started and have not yet added any projects, we recommend you choose this option.
   2. ‘This rate category & Open Projects using this rate category’ – This will apply this Task to use within this rate category and add the Task to all existing open projects using this rate category. If you have already added some Projects in your account and would like to apply this Task to use right away, we recommend this option.
6. Click Save New

Once you click Save New, the Task will appear in the ‘Active Tasks in this rate category’ table at the bottom of the screen.

To Add a New Rate Category

1. Go to Projects > Tasks in the left menu.
2. Click the Manage link next to the Rate Category drop-down menu.
3. Fill in the Rate Category Name (e.g. Rush, Discount, etc.)
4. Click Save New.

Once the new Rate Category has been added:

1. Select that Rate Category from the drop-down on the Tasks page. 
2. Add the appropriate Tasks and rates to the new Rate Category by filling in the Task Name and Hourly Rate and selecting ‘Add To: This rate category only.’

You will be able to use this Rate Category to apply the Tasks within that category to new clients and/or projects, going forward.

Applying a Rate Category to a Client

You can apply a Rate Category to a specific client. If a rate category is applied when adding a new client, all projects added under that client will default to the applied rate category. If a Rate Category is applied to an existing client, all projects added going forward will default to that rate category – existing projects will remain unchanged.

To Apply a Rate Category to a New Client:

1. Go to the Clients > Manage page in the left menu.
2. Input the Client Name & select the appropriate Rate Category.
3. Click Save New.

To Apply a Rate Category to an Existing Client: 

1. Go to Clients > Manage in the left menu. 
2. Click the edit pencil next to the client name in the Client List.
3. Select the appropriate Rate Category from the Rate Category drop-down menu.
4. Click Save Edit.

Changing a Project to a New Rate Category 

To change a project from one rate category to another: 

1. On the Projects > Tasks page, select the Client and Project from the drop-down menus.
2. Select the Rate Category that you want to change to from the Rate Category drop-down menu. 
3. The Task list for that project will update in the tasks table to show how the tasks and rates will change if the project is changed to a new Rate Category.
4. If you are happy with these changes, click Update Rate Category, and confirm.

Editing Tasks Within a Rate Category 

1. On the Projects > Tasks page, select All Clients/All Projects from the drop-down menus at the top of the page. 
2. Select the Rate Category that contains the Task that you want to edit. 
3. Click on the edit pencil next to the Task. 
4. Make your changes in the Task/Hourly Rate fields.
5. Choose the appropriate ‘Apply To’ option (see above for clarification). 
6. Click Save Edit.

Repeat these steps if the same Task and rate is included in more than one Rate Category. 

Note: If you need to update Task rates effective a specific date (e.g. January 1st), please reach out to the FunctionFox Customer Support Team with the details of your request. 

Editing Tasks for Specific Clients or Projects 

You can also make changes to the Task names and rates that have been applied to specific Clients or Projects.

1. On the Tasks > Manage page, select the Client and Project from the drop-down menus at the top of the page. The table below will update to reflect the active Tasks for your selection. 
2. Click on the edit pencil next to the Task that you wish to edit. 
3. Make your changes in the Task/Hourly Rate fields. 
4. Click Save Edit 

In the example above, we edited the hourly rate associated with the ‘Design’ Task for Acme Corporation Project 0001-Brochure. This change will not affect the rate set for ‘Design’ on other Clients/Projects or Rate Categories.

Note: When hourly rates are updated for a specific Client/Project, this update will take effect for all time tracked against that Task. If you need to update a Task rate effective a specific date, please reach out to the FunctionFox Customer Support Team with the details of your request. 

Deleting Tasks from a Rate Category 

If you have Tasks within a Rate Category that you no longer wish to use, you can remove them. To do this:

1. On the Projects > Tasks page, select All Clients/All Projects in the drop-down menus at the top of the page.
2. Select the Rate Category that contains the Task that you want to remove.
3. In the Tasks table, find the Task that you want to remove, and click on the delete icon.
4. Confirm that you would like to delete this Task, and then select one of the following options:
   1. I would like to remove [task name] from this rate category AND from all existing Projects. 
   2. I would ONLY like to remove [task name] from this rate category. 
5. Click on YES beside the appropriate option. 

Repeat these steps if the same Task and rate is included in more than one Rate Category.

You can remove a Task from a specific Client/Project by selecting that Client/Project from the drop-down menus at the top of the Project > Tasks page and then clicking the delete icon next to the Task. FunctionFox will only allow you to delete a Task from a specific Client/Project if no time has been tracked against it.

Archiving Tasks 

If you have Tasks with time tracked against them that you no longer wish to use, you can Archive them. Archiving will remove the Task from use, while retaining all previous time tracked against it, for reporting purposes. To Archive a Task:

1. Find the Task that you wish to Archive and click the edit pencil next to it
2. Check off the Archive Checkbox in the top half of the screen under the Task field. 
3. Click Save Edit

Tasks can be Archived from Rate Categories, or from specific Clients/Projects. 

Note: Once a Task has been archived from a specific Client/Project, all Timesheet entries associated with that Task will appear locked.

FunctionFox Customer Support may be able to help with Archiving Tasks across multiple Clients and Projects. please reach out to the FunctionFox Customer Support Team with the details of your request. 

Viewing/De-Archiving Archived Tasks 

To view or De-Archive Tasks that have been Archived, click the Tips/Links box on the upper right-hand side of the Tasks page, and then click the Show Archived link. Archived Tasks will appear greyed-out in the Tasks table in the bottom half of the page. Uncheck the Archive checkbox in the table to De-Archive the Task. Click the Hide Archived link under the Tips/Links to hide your Archived Tasks.