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There are multiple ways to create a new project in Baton, such as from the Project List view, click "+ New Project" or from the Template menu, located at the top-left of the screen to get started.

Upon clicking on "+ New Project", a modal will appear to enter some basic project information. The internal project lead is defaulted to the user creating the project but can be reassigned to anyone on your team. You will have the option to add more details such as the client project lead, contract size, documents, and project description after the project is created. Notifications will not be sent to your client project lead if assigned.

Planning a project can be done in any order that makes sense for your team. You can:

Regardless of which method you use, you’ll always be able to add more tasks manually afterwards. You can always shift dates at any time as well. Details on shifting dates are available below.

You’ll now be moved to the Project Planning view. You’ll want to take a look at your Milestones before diving into task creation, as each task will be assigned a Milestone. Milestones are sequential groups of tasks to organize your project. You’ll have some by default, but can add, delete, or edit them. To add a milestone, click the chevron near `+Add task` or the `+` to the right of each of your phases. To edit, delete, or move a milestone to a phase click the three dots to the right of each milestone.

Milestones do not require a due date upon creation and are defaulted to be dynamic. The due date of your milestone will update to the task with the latest due date. However, this can be overwritten if "Firm due date" is enabled, locking in the due date of your milestone.

Now that your milestones are set, you’re ready to plan tasks. To manually create a new task, click the `+ Add task` at the top of your project plan or the `+` to the right of each milestone. A new task menu will appear on the right. You can fill in information then press enter or click “Add Task” to save and add the task to the project. You can also enter estimated time to complete your project, tasks, and track actual time spent with our Time Tracker.

After entering the name of the task and assigning it to the appropriate team you will be asked to add a due date. You can also select a date by simply entering the date in the date line, with the option of using the arrow keys to navigate in the calendar. You can include a start date by enabling it with the toggle found in the calendar menu. Our calendar menu below can take you back to the current month and also reset your date.

Each task can have as many subtasks as you need. These can have all of the same attributes as tasks, from due date to assignee to an activity feed. Subtasks can be added to tasks by going to the master task, navigating to the Subtask tab, and clicking Manage Subtasks. You can add existing tasks as subtasks or create new ones.

Use checklists to break up work into smaller activities.

Using checklists:

To delete a checklist item, hover over the checklist item in the checklist drawer and click the trash can icon.

Adding attachments to your tasks can be done by clicking on link or upload an attachment or the Attachments tab in the navigation bar. You will then be prompted to create a title, paste the link, upload, and the ability to link or multiple attachments. Individual files can be uploaded up to 500MB with no limit on the amount of files that can be uploaded. These attachments can then be saved in your project template for future use. Also, you will have the option to rename, delete, copy, and change the link to any attachment by clicking the attachment menu button (3 dots to the right of any attachment).

Note: Clients will also be able to access and upload attachments

Baton will accept links from any repository (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive). You can then easily locate and open all linked attachments by clicking the `i` icon located in the top right of all your projects.

As you’re planning to kickoff a project, or copying a task from an old one, dates can often shift around. To go and move each task one by one would be burdensome, so you have the option to shift all dates at once. This action moves the entire project timeline forward or backward, and automatically updates all task and milestone dates. Simply select a new start date and we’ll calculate the rest based on the durations of your tasks.

Once you’ve created a few tasks, you may want to assign multiple tasks to a member of your team. Or maybe you’ve added a few errant tasks and want to delete them and start over. When you hover over created tasks or milestones, a small box will appear. If you click it, you’ll be able to select multiple tasks or milestones and edit them all at once using the "Bulk Edit Tasks" feature.

Click on 'Start Project and Invite Team' once you have finished planning your project. You will be directed to complete any blank required fields before starting the project.

Note: You will be able to add a project lead and make updates to your project after kickoff.

This will take you to a milestone mapping page then a final page where you can preview all communications that will be sent to your team and your client. Click "Preview Emails" to see each example. Click "Set in progress and invite team!" when you're ready to set the project to active and send the emails.