This article addresses common issues when working with projects in Factor.
Project Setup
Before your team can create projects effectively, several configuration items should be set up in Factor's SETTINGS area.
Lists
Under SETTINGS > Lists, set up the following before creating projects:
Project Types — Categories for classifying projects (e.g., by work type, department, or engagement model).
Project Roles — These appear as options when assigning team members to projects. Each role has a default billing rate configured. When you assign someone with a specific role to a project, their default billing rate is populated.
Service Types — If you use service-based budgeting (phases with fixed rates per service), set up service types here.
Expense Types — Options available when creating expense budgets on projects.
Adjustment Types — For adjusting invoice amounts (e.g., discounts, credits, or additional charges).
Phase Types — Some firms use custom phase types to categorize budget phases.
Some of these lists are optional, but setting them up beforehand ensures smooth project creation and consistent data entry.
Team Setup
Ensure your team members are added to Factor and have the appropriate permissions before assigning them to projects. Project Manager is the minimum role that can view and work on projects by default, though any user can be granted project access by an administrator.
Client Setup
You can create clients under SETTINGS > Companies before associating them with projects. Alternatively, you can simply fill in the client field in the add a project form with a new company name, and it will be saved to you list of companies when saved.
Troubleshooting
Can't Create Projects
You may not have the necessary permissions. Only Project Managers, Office Managers, and Firm Owners can create projects by default. Contact your administrator to grant the "Enter New Projects" permission.
Can't See All Projects
Status filter — The project list may be filtered by status (e.g., showing only Open projects). Adjust the status filter to see all projects.
Can't Edit Project Details
You may not have edit permissions for projects, or the project may be closed — closed projects are read-only. Contact your administrator if you need to make changes.
Budget Issues
If budget amounts aren't showing correctly or you can't add phases:
Go to the project's Budget tab.
Ensure you have permission to edit the budget.
Verify the budget structure — you may need to add phases before allocating amounts.
Check that the phases have the correct billing type (Hourly, Fixed Fee, or Non-Billable).
Team Members Can't Log Time to a Project
Several things can prevent time entry on a project:
Phase status is not "In Progress" — Time can only be logged to phases with a status of In Progress. Go to the project's Budget tab and update the phase status.
Time entry is disabled on the project — The project's Overview tab has an Available for Time Entry toggle under the project status section. If this is switched off, no one can log time to the project regardless of their permissions.
User is not assigned to the project — Unless the user has permission to log time to all projects, they must be assigned on the project's Team tab.
Project Doesn't Appear in Invoice Dropdown
The project status must be Open for it to appear in BILLING. Projects with any other status will not appear. Change the project status on the Overview tab.
Also ensure the project has at least one billable phase with logged time or fees to invoice.
You can show open projects with no billable time or that have had billing skipped by flipping the "Show All Projects" switch.
Project Not Appearing on Schedule or Timeline
Show On Schedule Switch flipped to No - Can be changed in the project status section of the overview tab.
Timeline is filtered — The timeline view may be filtered to hide certain projects or statuses. Check the view filters.
Billing Role Issues
If team members have the wrong billing role on a project, go to the project's Team tab and edit each person's role.
Can't Delete a Project
Projects with time entries, invoices, or expenses cannot be deleted. You would need to remove or reassign those records first. Contact your administrator or Factor support for assistance.