ClearPoint provides powerful tools to help you manage projects, monitor progress, and stay aligned with strategic goals. By tracking Initiatives, Milestones, Action Items, and Risks, you can quickly identify areas that need attention and make informed decisions that keep your organization on track.
Project Management Elements
The core elements used for project management in ClearPoint are Initiatives, Milestones, Sub-Milestones, Action Items, and Risks. Each plays a specific role in helping teams manage and execute projects effectively.
Initiative
A strategic project designed to achieve a specific goal. Initiatives can link to Objectives and Measures and include start and end dates visible in the Gantt Chart.
Milestone
A major phase or deliverable within an Initiative. Milestones have start and end dates and can be visualized in the Gantt Chart.
Sub-Milestone
A smaller task or stage that falls under a Milestone. Sub-Milestones allow you to build project hierarchies up to four levels deep. They appear indented under their parent Milestones in the Gantt Chart.
Action Item
A short-term task or to-do item, typically requiring minimal resources. Action Items can be linked to any element in ClearPoint for tracking smaller deliverables.
Risk
A potential issue that could impact project success. Risks can be linked to Initiatives, Milestones, or Action Items to highlight potential challenges and mitigation strategies.
💡 Each element type supports links, ownership, and update tracking—providing a unified view of your project’s progress.
Common Fields for Project Tracking
The following fields are useful for monitoring Initiatives, Milestones, and Sub-Milestones in both Detail Pages and Summary Reports. These fields can be added or rearranged in the layout drawer for maximum visibility.
Field | Description |
Collaborators | Lists other team members involved in the project in addition to the owner. |
Start Date | Indicates when the Initiative, Milestone, or Action Item begins. |
End Date | The target completion date for the task or project. |
Total Days | Automatically calculates project length based on the Start and End Dates. |
Today | Displays the current date (or last day of the reporting period for past data). Used to calculate Elapsed Days, Calculated Completion, and Variance. |
Elapsed Days | Calculates how many days have passed since the project started. |
Completed / Completed Date | Marks the project as finished and logs a completion date. Useful for filtering or hiding completed items in reports. |
Percent Complete | Manually updated by users to reflect current progress. Can also be adjusted directly in the Gantt Chart. |
Calculated Completion | Calculates progress as a percentage based on elapsed time and total project duration. |
Variance | Compares Percent Complete with Calculated Completion to show whether a project is on, ahead, or behind schedule. |
💡 A Variance of 0% or higher indicates a project is on or ahead of schedule.
Additional Project Management Features
ClearPoint Next includes enhanced configuration and automation tools that make project management easier and more efficient.
Mark Elements as Complete
Users can mark Initiatives, Milestones, or Action Items as complete directly from a Detail Page or Summary Report. The completion date is automatically recorded.
Learn more in Managing Completed Projects.
Custom Fields
Add custom fields to track additional project data, such as Priority Level, Department, or Approval Date.
Learn more in Custom Fields.
Reminders
Set automated reminders to alert team members when project updates are due.
Learn more in Reminders and Notifications.
Scheduling Exports
Schedule recurring exports for Briefing Books or HTML Reports so that monthly or quarterly project reports are automatically generated and distributed.
Learn more in Scheduling Reports and Exports.
Project Evaluations
Add evaluation criteria, data tables, and charts to analyze performance trends and drive insight into project effectiveness.
Learn more in Project Evaluations.
Project Dependencies
Align Initiative and Milestone timelines automatically using Project Dependencies. When enabled, dates update dynamically to keep project schedules synchronized.
Learn more in Project Dependencies.