# Projects

Grouping issues into a body of work with its own status and dates — including sub-projects and links between projects.

Status: Available

Documentation updated: 2026-09-24

Source: https://docs.orneos.com/docs/projects

A project is a body of work with a beginning and an end. Issues belong to at most one.

## Project fields

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Description | |
| Status | Planning, Active, Paused, Completed, or Cancelled |
| Start date | |
| Due date | |
| Parent project | Optional — makes this a sub-project |

Project status is independent of the status of the issues inside it. A project can be Paused while its issues sit in whatever column they were in; a project is not Completed just because its issues are.

## The projects page

`g`  then `p` . Lists the team's projects grouped by hierarchy, with a search box and a status filter. Click through to a project's own page, which has:

- **Overview** — status, dates, description, sub-projects and linked projects.
- **Issues** — the issues in this project, filterable like any other list.

Each tab has its own URL, so you can link someone straight to a project's issues.

## Display and filtering

The projects page supports grid and list layouts. **Display options** controls grouping, ordering, visible properties and **Show archived**. The list supports inline status changes. Use the project filters to narrow the set independently of its layout.

## Progress and estimates

Open a project's **Overview** to inspect its progress chart. It compares issue scope with completed work over time and can show a predicted completion path and the project due date. The sidebar includes a compact chart and progress by issue type; project cards and rows can also show progress when that display property is enabled.

Predictions depend on the available issue history and completion rate. They are estimates, not a delivery commitment, and can change when scope or dates change. Use the chart to investigate progress rather than treating its projected date as a confirmed schedule.

## Archive, unarchive and delete

Open the project's edit dialog for these actions:

- **Archive** hides the project from active views and marks its open issues Done. The confirmation states how many issues will change; this is more than hiding a card.
- **Unarchive** restores the project's visibility. It does not reopen issues that archiving completed.
- **Delete** removes the project, clears its issues' project assignment, removes project links and detaches child projects. It does not delete those issues or child projects. Review the confirmation before proceeding.

Enable **Show archived** in Display options to find an archived project.

## Sub-projects

A project can have a parent. Use it when a large effort genuinely decomposes into smaller efforts that each have their own status and dates.

Do not use it as a second labelling system. If the children do not each deserve their own status and dates, you wanted [labels](https://docs.orneos.com/docs/labels) or [sub-issues](https://docs.orneos.com/docs/sub-issues-and-relations).

## Linked projects

Separate from parent/child, two projects can be **linked**. A link is a symmetric "these are related" relationship with no hierarchy and no status implication.

It is for the case where two efforts affect each other but neither contains the other — a platform change and the feature that depends on it, say. The hierarchy answers "what is this part of"; the link answers "what else should I look at".

## Choosing between project, label and sub-issue

The three overlap enough to be worth stating plainly:

| Use | When |
|---|---|
| **Project** | A body of work with its own start, end and status, that you will report on. |
| **Label** | A property of an issue that cuts across projects. A dimension, not a container. |
| **Sub-issue** | This issue is literally part of that issue and will be done as part of it. |

If you are unsure between a project and a label, ask whether you would ever say "the project is done". If not, it is a label.

## Related

- [Sub-issues and relations](https://docs.orneos.com/docs/sub-issues-and-relations)
- [Board, Backlog, Timeline](https://docs.orneos.com/docs/views) — grouping a list by project.