ConnectWise Manage Projects

ConnectWise PSA Project Management

Overview

Projects in ConnectWise PSA track larger bodies of work that span multiple tickets, phases, and resources. Projects support templates, phases, budgeting, resource allocation, and various billing methods. This skill covers project CRUD operations, phases, templates, resources, and project tickets.

API Endpoint

Base: /project/projects

Project Status Values

Standard project statuses in ConnectWise PSA:

Status ID	Name	Description
1	Open	Active project
2	Closed	Completed project
3	On Hold	Temporarily paused
4	Cancelled	Cancelled project
5	Waiting	Awaiting approval/resources

Query /project/projects/statuses for configurable statuses.

Project Types

Type ID	Name	Description
1	Project	Standard project
2	Template	Project template

Complete Project Field Reference

Core Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	int	System	Auto-generated unique identifier
name	string(100)	Yes	Project name
company	object	Yes	{id: companyId} - Client company
contact	object	No	{id: contactId} - Primary contact
site	object	No	{id: siteId} - Company site
board	object	No	{id: boardId} - Service board for tickets
status	object	No	{id: statusId}
type	object	No	{id: typeId}

Manager and Team Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
manager	object	No	{id: memberId} - Project manager
team	array	No	Array of team member objects
department	object	No	{id: departmentId}
location	object	No	{id: locationId}

Timeline Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
estimatedStart	date	No	Planned start date
estimatedEnd	date	No	Planned end date
actualStart	date	System	When project actually started
actualEnd	date	System	When project completed
scheduledStart	datetime	No	Scheduled start datetime
scheduledEnd	datetime	No	Scheduled end datetime

Budget Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
estimatedHours	decimal	No	Total estimated hours
actualHours	decimal	System	Hours logged to date
budgetAnalysis	string	No	OverBudget, OnBudget, UnderBudget
budgetHours	decimal	No	Budget cap in hours
budgetAmount	decimal	No	Budget cap in dollars
percentComplete	decimal	No	Completion percentage (0-100)

Billing Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
billingMethod	string	No	ActualRates, FixedFee, NotToExceed, OverrideRate
billingRateType	string	No	WorkRole, StaffMember
billingAmount	decimal	No	Fixed fee or override rate
billProjectAfterClosedFlag	boolean	No	Allow billing after closed
billTime	string	No	Billable, DoNotBill, NoCharge
billExpenses	string	No	Billable, DoNotBill, NoCharge
billProducts	string	No	Billable, DoNotBill, NoCharge
agreement	object	No	{id: agreementId} - Linked agreement

Description Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
description	string	No	Project description
customerPO	string(50)	No	Customer PO number
restrictDownPaymentFlag	boolean	No	Restrict down payment
downpayment	decimal	No	Down payment amount

Project Phases

Phases break projects into manageable chunks with their own timelines and budgets.

Phase Endpoint

/project/projects/{projectId}/phases

Phase Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	int	System	Phase identifier
description	string(100)	Yes	Phase name
board	object	No	{id: boardId}
status	object	No	{id: statusId}
wbsCode	string(50)	No	Work breakdown structure code
scheduledStart	datetime	No	Phase start date
scheduledEnd	datetime	No	Phase end date
scheduledHours	decimal	No	Planned hours
actualStart	datetime	System	When phase started
actualEnd	datetime	System	When phase completed
actualHours	decimal	System	Hours logged
billTime	string	No	Billable, DoNotBill, NoCharge
markAsMilestoneFlag	boolean	No	Mark as milestone

Create Phase

POST /project/projects/{projectId}/phases
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "description": "Phase 1: Discovery",
  "scheduledStart": "2024-03-01",
  "scheduledEnd": "2024-03-15",
  "scheduledHours": 40,
  "wbsCode": "1.1"
}

Project Templates

Templates provide reusable project structures with pre-defined phases and tickets.

Get Templates

GET /project/projects?conditions=type/id=2

Create Project from Template

POST /project/projects
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Client Onboarding - ACME Corp",
  "company": {"id": 12345},
  "templateFlag": false,
  "projectTemplateId": 100
}

When using projectTemplateId, ConnectWise copies:

• All phases from template
• Project tickets associated with phases
• Budget and billing settings
• Team assignments (if configured)

Project Tickets

Project tickets are service tickets linked to a project and phase.

Get Project Tickets

GET /project/projects/{projectId}/tickets

Create Project Ticket

POST /service/tickets
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "summary": "Configure Active Directory",
  "board": {"id": 1},
  "company": {"id": 12345},
  "project": {"id": 5000},
  "phase": {"id": 5001}
}

Project Ticket Fields

Field	Type	Description
project	object	{id: projectId}
phase	object	{id: phaseId}

Resource Allocation

Team Member Assignment

POST /project/projects/{projectId}/teamMembers
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "member": {"id": 123},
  "projectRole": {"id": 1},
  "startDate": "2024-03-01",
  "endDate": "2024-06-01",
  "hoursScheduled": 160
}

Project Team Endpoint

/project/projects/{projectId}/teamMembers

Team Member Fields

Field	Type	Description
member	object	{id: memberId}
projectRole	object	{id: roleId}
workRole	object	{id: workRoleId}
startDate	date	Assignment start
endDate	date	Assignment end
hoursScheduled	decimal	Planned hours

Billing Methods

Billing Method Options

Method	Description
ActualRates	Bill at standard work role rates
FixedFee	Fixed project price
NotToExceed	Actual rates with cap
OverrideRate	Custom hourly rate

Fixed Fee Project

POST /project/projects
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Website Redesign",
  "company": {"id": 12345},
  "billingMethod": "FixedFee",
  "billingAmount": 15000.00
}

Not-to-Exceed Project

POST /project/projects
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "System Migration",
  "company": {"id": 12345},
  "billingMethod": "NotToExceed",
  "budgetAmount": 25000.00
}

API Operations

Create Project

POST /project/projects
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Office 365 Migration - ACME Corp",
  "company": {"id": 12345},
  "status": {"id": 1},
  "manager": {"id": 100},
  "estimatedStart": "2024-03-01",
  "estimatedEnd": "2024-05-01",
  "estimatedHours": 200,
  "billingMethod": "ActualRates",
  "description": "Migrate from on-premises Exchange to Office 365"
}

Get Project

GET /project/projects/{id}

Update Project

PATCH /project/projects/{id}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "percentComplete": 50,
  "estimatedEnd": "2024-05-15"
}

Close Project

PATCH /project/projects/{id}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "status": {"id": 2},
  "actualEnd": "2024-05-10"
}

Search Projects

GET /project/projects?conditions=company/id=12345 and status/id=1

Common Query Patterns

Active projects for company:

conditions=company/id=12345 and status/id=1

Projects by manager:

conditions=manager/id=100 and status/id=1

Overdue projects:

conditions=estimatedEnd<[2024-02-01] and status/id=1

Projects over budget:

conditions=budgetAnalysis="OverBudget"

Template projects:

conditions=type/id=2

Best Practices

1. Use templates - Create templates for repeatable projects
2. Define phases - Break large projects into phases
3. Set realistic budgets - Include contingency time
4. Assign project manager - Every project needs an owner
5. Link to agreement - For managed services project work
6. Track completion % - Update regularly for visibility
7. Use WBS codes - Helps with reporting and organization
8. Close completed projects - Don't leave finished projects open

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Resolution
Company required	Missing company reference	Include company: {id: x}
Name required	Missing project name	Provide name field
Invalid status	Status doesn't exist	Query statuses endpoint
Invalid manager	Member doesn't exist	Verify member ID
Template not found	Invalid projectTemplateId	Query templates first

Related Skills

• ConnectWise Tickets - Project tickets
• ConnectWise Time Entries - Project time tracking
• ConnectWise Companies - Company management
• ConnectWise API Patterns - Query syntax and auth