# [Deprecated] Projects

Complete guide to Projects, a legacy feature for categorizing Stories, now being replaced by Teams and Custom Fields.

> **⚠️  Important: Projects is a Legacy Feature**
> New Shortcut organizations will not have access to Projects as it is a legacy feature and will be phased out over time. Existing users can [toggle Projects off](https://app.shortcut.com/settings/projects/) or still use them for now.
>
> Learn about transitioning to using [Custom Fields](/help/fields-and-features/how-to-transition-from-projects-to-custom-fields) for your Projects usecases.

## Overview

Projects typically map to collections of people (such as Frontend, Backend, Mobile, DevOps, etc.) but can represent any open-ended focus area, product, component, or initiative.

![Projects Overview](/help/assets/zendesk-29682252630292.png)

Before the introduction of [Teams](/help/teams/teams-overview), Projects were used to categorize work by groups of users. Now that Teams and Workflows can be assigned to each other, Projects have become optional.

When creating a Story, you no longer need to assign a Project and can now leave it blank if you choose to!

Although Projects are now optional, they are still associated with Workflows. When creating a Story, selecting a Workflow will filter the available Projects to only those associated with the selected Workflow.

### What is the Future of Projects?

We recognize that there is a need for certain categorization to span various dimensions, which is why Projects can be so useful. However, Projects come with their own limitations and inflexibilities, so Custom Fields provide a more powerful and flexible alternative. [Read more about Custom Fields](/help/fields-and-features/custom-fields).

### Moving Away from Projects

There is a new and improved way to structure work in Shortcut:

* **Group your squads** - Use [Teams](/help/teams/teams-overview) to represent groups of people doing work.
* **Structure your work** - Use [Custom Fields](/help/fields-and-features/custom-fields) to structure work. Custom Fields are created by Admins and Owners.
* **Add labels** - Use [Labels](/help/fields-and-features/labels) to categorize work however you want. Labels are created by anyone.
* **View your work** - Use [Spaces](/help/views/spaces-overview) to create different views, or boards, such as My Team's Work, Current Sprint, or My Work.

[Learn more](https://shortcut.com/blog/streamline-your-setup-with-our-updated-data-model) about the transition.

### Not Using Projects Anymore?

Projects are now toggleable via the **Settings > Features** page.

## The Projects Page

The **Projects Page** provides an overview of all your Projects, the number of Stories they contain, and the number of points they represent (if you are using estimation points). You can access the Projects page by selecting **Projects** in the Shortcut sidebar menu.

You can also view any archived Projects at the bottom of the page.

**Want to see Projects in action?** Explore our Sample Workspace, which contains pre-filled information that will allow you to see how it all works together. Access it by clicking on the **Help / Feedback** and then **Sample Workspace**.

## Creating and Managing Projects

### Creating a New Project

You can create a Project from the Projects page by clicking the **Create Project** button.

Projects can also be created on the Stories page. Navigate down to Projects in the sidebar and select **Add New Project**.

Either method will open the new Project dialogue:

Once in the dialogue, you must add a Project title in order to save. We also recommend that you add a description so your teammates know who should be working on that Project.

By default, the Project will be created in the Workflow you're currently viewing, but you can change the Project's Workflow by clicking on the Workflow field. Likewise, you can designate a color for your new Workflow by clicking on the Color field.

Once complete, click **Create Project**. You'll be taken to the Projects page where your new Project will appear.

### Editing a Project

To edit a Project, go to the Projects page and click on the Project's title. This will take you to the Project's home page:

To edit the Project's title, click on the pencil icon next to its current title, change the name, and then hit **Enter** to save it.

To add or edit the Project description, click on the **Add (or Edit) Description** button, make your changes, and then click on **Save** when you're done.

You can also edit the Project's Workflow, color, and abbreviation on this page, as well as change the number of days until a Story in this Project is stale and the Project's Followers.

### Archiving a Project
Archiving a Project excludes it and all its Stories from Reports, Charts, and other places within your Workspace.

To archive a Project, navigate to the Project's page and use the project actions menu to select the archive option.

### Deleting a Project

If you don't want to archive a Project, you can fully delete it.

**To delete a Project:**
1. Go to the Projects page.
2. Click on the name of the Project you wish to delete, which will bring you to its Individual Project Page
3. In the upper right corner, click the … button
4. Select Delete Project, and you'll get a pop-up to confirm. Click OK

**Having Trouble Deleting?**
Projects can be deleted only when all Stories associated with that Project have been deleted or moved to another Project.

If you find that you have deleted all visible Stories and are still unable to delete the Project, click the **Show Archived Stories** checkbox next to the **Filter Stories** search bar on the Project page. Another option you have is to use the **project:** and **is:archived** search operators on the Search page. You will then be able to see any remaining Stories. Once you delete or move those Archived Stories, you should be free to delete the Project.

## Exporting Stories in a Project
If you need to export all of the Stories in a Project, navigate the Project page.
- In the Stories section, click the *Export Project* button.
- You'll see a confirmation message that your export is in progress.
- When the export is ready, you'll receive an email with a link to download your data. Make sure you're logged in to Shortcut and then download your new CSV.

## Story Staleness
A Story is marked **Stale** when it is in an active Workflow State and has not been updated within a certain number of days. Setting Story Staleness is a way to add a visible indicator to any Story that hasn't been worked on recently. If a Story goes Stale, you'll see an hourglass icon appear on the front of the Story with the number of days since it saw activity.

### Configuring Story Staleness

The "Days Until Stale" setting is set at the Project level.

**To Set, Change, or Disable Story Staleness for a Project:**

1. Go to the **Projects page** by selecting it from the left menu bar
2. Click on the individual Project you wish to edit
3. Looking at the information in the upper right, under Project ID, look through the options until you find the **Days Until Stale** feature
4. Set the number of days (it defaults to 5)
5. Or deselect the **Enable** button to disable the staleness indicators on Stories in this Project

### Finding Stale Stories

You can filter for stale Stories to quickly identify work that needs attention.

**To Filter for Stale Stories:**

1. Go to the **Stories page** by clicking on the menu bar on the left of the screen
2. Click on **Add Filter**, and select **Stale**

## Project Reports
Cycle and Lead Time Reports provide your team with the data you need to plan and allocate resources more effectively.

### Chart Types
**The Cycle Time Chart** can be accessed via upper right-hand corner drop-down. This chart represents how long it takes a Story to be completed after it is Started. This can provide insights such as: "_On average it takes us X amount of days to complete certain types of Stories_" or surface outlier Stories.

**The Lead Time Chart** can be accessed via upper right-hand corner drop-down. This chart represents the amount of time that has passed between when a Story is _created_ and when it is _completed_. This can provide insights such as, "_We have a really long timespan before we pick up created Stories._"

**Custom** type can be accessed via the upper right hand corner drop down. This chart type allows you to select the Start and Date used to calculate the Cycle time in the chart. You must first select a workflow; this type does not support custom states for all workflows.

### Adjust States Used in Calculations

Once you've selected the **Custom** Chart Type, you can also modify which states are included in the calculations. This is useful if you have workflows states that should (or shouldn't) be included in calculating Lead/Cycle time. When adjusting the workflow states, they must be continuous; you cannot exclude a Workflow state in between your selected Start and End state. For example, if you have a Backlog or Icebox state that shouldn't really count towards Lead Time, you can remove it from the calculation. Or, you may have many States in your Done workflow state category and you want to include all of the states for a Story to be considered completed.

### Chart Axes
The Y-axis of the chart represents the number of days.

The X-axis represents the completion dates of the Stories in the selected date range, Epic, Objective, Iteration or Project in which you are viewing Cycle Time or Lead Time reports.

### Report Stats
The chart provides an average Cycle Time and Lead Time as well as Minimum time. The average is also represented in the chart as the dashed line across the chart:

### Trailing Average and Story Type Filter
A 7-day trailing average is also included in the chart. The trailing average does not calculate the average over the last 7 consecutive days, rather the last 7 days of available data.

Stories within the chart are represented by colored dots. Clicking on a dot will open the selected Story. Each Cycle Time and Lead Time chart can also be filtered by Story Type (Bug, Feature & Chore) as well as a 7 day trailing average.

## Migration to Custom Fields
Projects is being phased out in favor of Custom Fields, which provide more flexibility and power for categorizing and structuring your work. Custom Fields allow you to create custom attributes for Stories that better match your team's workflow.

To learn how to transition from Projects to Custom Fields, including step-by-step instructions for mapping your existing Projects to Custom Fields, see our [comprehensive migration guide](/help/fields-and-features/how-to-transition-from-projects-to-custom-fields).