Organizations that rely on service-oriented workflows need robust project management software to keep tasks, budgets, and timelines in sync. NetSuite’s project management tools address this need by centralizing schedules, resource allocations, and invoicing under one integrated solution. According to NetSuite, businesses can reduce financial close times by up to 50% with an interconnected ERP platform, illustrating how tight system integration drives tangible improvements.
This guide focuses on creating repeatable project templates, configuring alerts for overdue tasks, and automating billing steps. It also includes an overview of why NetSuite remains consistent at its core despite biannual releases that may introduce new UI labels or small navigation changes. Kimberlite Partners offers consulting services that help organizations maximize these capabilities, and DiamondCare stands out as an alternative to NetSuite ACS, offering flexibility and direct support aligned with your unique workflows.
NetSuite’s biannual releases often update the interface or navigation menus, yet the fundamentals of project creation, task management, and billing remain consistent. Whether you access “Projects” via Lists > Relationships > Projects in older UIs or use the “Project” center tab in newer roles, the main process of choosing a record, configuring settings, and tracking progress follows the same core principles.
When setting up a project, you create a project record, assign a project manager, and categorize it with statuses such as In Progress or Completed. Once the record is established, you plan tasks by forecasting hours (Planned Work), monitoring actuals (Actual Work), and tracking the overall percentage of completion. Financial management also becomes smoother because you can map each project to billing preferences—be it Time & Materials, Fixed Bid, or other variants—manage revenue recognition and monitor budgets by month or across specific periods. These foundational practices align with NetSuite’s overall approach to financial segregation, resource management, and data-driven insights.
Many organizations use separate tools to juggle project progress, billing, and resource management. This fragmented approach introduces siloed data, duplicated effort, and potential errors. NetSuite’s project management module alleviates those pain points by automatically linking tasks to financials. For instance, if an employee logs hours to a specific task, NetSuite can capture that entry in the billing engine for T&M invoices or update a percentage-of-completion metric. Stakeholders see accurate data in real time, improving the decision-making process, whether for immediate resource shifts or strategic forecasting.
Repeatable frameworks drive efficiency in organizations handling projects with similar task flows or deliverables. NetSuite’s project management module allows businesses to build project templates that capture key milestones, approximate timelines, and cost structures. These templates typically incorporate fields such as a Project Name/ID for quick reference, predefined Planned Work or Allocated Work to outline the typical hours needed for each phase, and departmental or class mappings that link projects to specific budgets. Using templates ensures essential steps like client sign-offs or compliance checks aren’t overlooked. It also facilitates a swift setup for new engagements, leading to consistent project plans that are easy to copy and adapt.
NetSuite maintains the same general flow for template creation, starting with choosing an existing project you can “Save As Template” or building a new one from scratch. Milestones remain zero-hour markers that track billing triggers or key checkpoints, while subtasks, dependencies, or resource assignments can be duplicated for reuse so nothing is missed in recurring efforts. After refining details such as projected hours, roles, or standard classifications, the template is finalized. This streamlined approach helps project managers replicate successful frameworks without having to start from scratch each time.
Project success hinges on the timely completion of tasks. Missing even a minor internal deadline can snowball, delaying subsequent phases and potentially jeopardizing client satisfaction. NetSuite simplifies alert configuration, so project managers can set up warnings when tasks surpass due dates. Users might see in-system reminders (e.g., notifications on the project dashboard) or receive emails that detail which tasks are late, how long they’ve been overdue, and whom to contact for resolution.
When sending alerts, it’s helpful to configure them in tiers. A few days before a major deliverable is due, a pre-due date notification can remind the assignee to address any anticipated roadblocks. If a task remains overdue for more than a preset period, the system escalates an alert to a supervisor or project manager, ensuring that minor delays don’t linger unnoticed. Because some users rely on email more than dashboards, NetSuite can generate both email and dashboard pop-ups so that everyone sees critical alerts in their preferred channel.
Task alerts often go hand in hand with resource management. If a task is overdue because an employee is overloaded, the manager might reassign it to someone with available hours. NetSuite’s resource allocation tools provide a visual load chart or list to confirm where capacity still exists. This data-driven perspective can shorten project delays and improve overall accountability.
Billing in NetSuite covers different scenarios, including Time & Materials (T&M), Charge-Based billing, and Fixed Bid arrangements. Although minor UI enhancements appear with some releases, these core options have stayed consistent across NetSuite versions. Once tasks and resources are configured, NetSuite automates the invoice process based on the selected billing model. For T&M, approved timesheets flow into invoices on a set billing cycle. In a Fixed Bid – Milestone setup, partial billing is triggered when specific milestones are completed. Charge-based billing accrues charges for time or expenses and subsequently generates invoices at given intervals.
For businesses using Advanced Revenue Management (ARM), NetSuite lets you tie each project’s billing rule to an associated revenue rule. While NetSuite may tweak some RevRec dashboards, the core concept of matching recognized revenue to deliverables stays the same. This integration ensures that financials update to reflect real-time profitability as soon as a milestone or timesheet is approved.
NetSuite uses color-coded status indicators—typically green, yellow, or red—to reflect a project’s health. For instance, if time approvals are behind or tasks have run significantly over plan, the system may highlight these problem areas. Minor UI changes may alter how these colors are displayed, but the functionality persists. This quick-glance system allows a busy project manager to scan multiple projects and identify which ones need immediate attention.
For organizations that prefer visual timelines, NetSuite provides Gantt chart capabilities. Each task or milestone appears on a horizontal timeline, showcasing dependencies, predecessors, and the percentage complete. While recent NetSuite releases might offer an updated look or filtering options, the fundamental Gantt functionality—zooming in by week, month, or quarter—has remained steady. Users can see if tasks overlap, who is assigned, and whether the schedule lags behind plan.
Some NetSuite roles include the Project Task Manager, a consolidated view listing tasks by employee or role. Color codes indicate if a task is on track, behind schedule, or blocked. Organizations that run multiple parallel projects find this tool indispensable for identifying over- or under-allocated resources across the board, supporting more balanced workloads, and preventing staff burnout.
Some NetSuite instances accumulate inefficiencies over time, especially when new features layer onto older scripts. Kimberlite’s Rescue & Health Check identifies core bottlenecks, checks project records for data integrity, and evaluates customizations that might slow performance.
Once immediate concerns are fixed, a roadmap ensures the system remains up to date. Regular reviews are beneficial as NetSuite’s biannual releases may rearrange navigation or add new modules. Staying aligned with these updates helps maintain performance, strengthen security, and keep project tasks running smoothly.
NetSuite’s project management solution is deeply interconnected with financials, order management, and CRM data. This unification enables departments to communicate seamlessly, reducing the need for back-and-forth emailing or tracking down status updates in multiple systems. A single project record can reference the customer, allocated employees, budgets, purchase orders, and more.
Managers who rely on spreadsheets for resource planning often miss real-time updates when employees log time or shift schedules. NetSuite solves that by letting each department see up-to-date availability. If a project calls for additional consultants, the system displays who can pick up the extra tasks, cutting response times and ensuring the project remains on schedule.
Allocating resources at the project level, task level, or globally gives managers flexibility. NetSuite supports both named employees and generic placeholders (e.g., “Senior Developer”) to plan early-stage projects. This method simplifies scenario planning, as managers can switch to real employees once the project is near kickoff. Cost rates tied to each employee record also ensure accurate forecasting when tasks are assigned.
Organizations experiencing growth sometimes need robust scheduling tools that exceed the default project management layout. SuiteProjects and related advanced modules add features like skill matching, more detailed Gantt views, and extended analytics. While these expansions introduce additional nuances to the UI, they remain consistent in principle—managing tasks and resources in a single environment.
A typical scenario might involve a software integrator that wants to schedule staff months in advance based on upcoming client deals. With advanced resource management, they can see predicted workloads and plan which consultants will be free to start new projects.
New modules and features only drive results if teams understand how to use them. Kimberlite Partners advocates for ongoing training sessions to highlight changes in the NetSuite interface or newly activated functions. Periodic refreshers ensure employees remain aligned with best practices around tasks, time approval, or billing. This proactive approach maintains system adoption rates and helps avoid confusion when NetSuite releases alter menu placements or add new workflow options.
Time logging remains critical to service organizations. In NetSuite, managers can decide if any employee can track time to a project (global) or only assigned resources can do so (limited). This choice impacts the overall accuracy of project cost tracking. If a few employees are allowed to log time to tasks they weren’t officially assigned, the project’s budget might inflate without the manager’s awareness. A well-configured approval workflow ensures supervisors or department heads verify each timesheet.
For expenses, NetSuite provides the option to map vendor bills and purchase orders to specific projects. This arrangement prevents double-counting and clarifies how external costs (like subcontractors or equipment) factor into the project’s total spend.
NetSuite supports monthly or periodic budgets, letting managers plan how many labor hours or overall dollars are allocated to each phase. The built-in “Distribute” functionality can spread a total budget evenly over multiple months, especially for retainer-style or long-term projects. Minor UI improvements have appeared over recent releases, but the fundamental concept remains the same: enter your total, then distribute or clear by period.
Real-time budget tracking draws from actual timesheet entries and expense logs. This alignment of planned vs. actual data reveals cost overruns early, enabling managers to communicate with clients about scope adjustments or re-allocate resources to stay within constraints.
NetSuite’s project management module has proven to be a consistent, powerful solution for overseeing timelines, budgets, and team dynamics—even as navigation labels and minor UI features evolve in biannual releases. The foundational steps—creating project records, setting preferences, managing tasks, allocating resources, and automating billing—remain stable, making it easier for organizations to rely on the platform year after year.
Kimberlite Partners is a trusted consulting resource that guides companies through optimized NetSuite usage. Whether you need streamlined project templates, comprehensive billing automation, or a proactive health check, our experts ensure each NetSuite environment reaches its full potential.
For those seeking a collaborative alternative to NetSuite ACS, DiamondCare delivers ongoing support tailored to your unique goals. Tap into specialized consultants, proactive maintenance, and an evolving roadmap that adapts to new NetSuite releases—so your projects never miss a beat. Contact Kimberlite Partners today to harness NetSuite’s enduring strengths and unlock smoother, more profitable project management across the board.