📊 Planner

Project management with interactive Gantt charts, templates, and client portals

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What is Planner?

Planner is a project management tool built for small businesses who need to track work without the complexity of enterprise tools like Microsoft Project or the limitations of simple to-do lists.

Key Features

📊

Interactive Gantt Charts

Visualise your project timeline. Drag tasks to reschedule. See dependencies at a glance.

📋

Reusable Templates

Build your process once, reuse it forever. Share your methodology with others via JSON export.

👥

Client Portals

Give clients their own view of project progress — what they need to see, nothing more.

⚙️

Custom Fields

Track the information that matters to your business with flexible custom fields.

Creating & Managing Projects

Creating a New Project

Click "New Project"

From your Planner dashboard, click the "New Project" button.

Choose: Blank or Template

Start from scratch, or select a template to pre-populate tasks and structure.

Set the Basics

Give your project a name, set the start date (or target end date), and optionally assign a client.

Add Tasks

Break your project into tasks. Set durations, dependencies, and assign team members.

Project Statuses

The Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart is the heart of Planner. It shows your entire project timeline visually, with tasks as horizontal bars and dependencies as connecting lines.

Reading the Chart

Interacting with the Chart

Automatic Rescheduling When you move a task, any dependent tasks automatically shift too. This keeps your project realistic without manual recalculation.

Project Templates

Templates are one of Planner's most powerful features. They let you capture your proven processes and replicate them perfectly every time.

Why Use Templates?

Creating a Template

You can create templates two ways:

Option 1: Save an existing project as a template

Complete a project (or get it to a good state)

The project should have all the tasks, dependencies, and structure you want to replicate.

Click "Save as Template"

Find this in the project menu (⋮) or under Project Settings.

Name your template

Choose something descriptive like "Website Redesign Process" or "New Client Onboarding".

Option 2: Build a template from scratch

Go to Templates

From the main menu, select "Templates".

Click "New Template"

You'll get a blank project structure to build your template.

Add tasks with relative timings

Instead of specific dates, define tasks by duration and dependencies. "Task 2 starts when Task 1 ends", "Task 3 takes 5 days".

Using a Template

When creating a new project, select "From Template" and choose your template. All tasks, dependencies, and structure will be copied. You then set your project start date (or end date), and Planner calculates all the actual dates automatically.

Forward or Backward Scheduling You can schedule from a start date ("project begins 1st March, when does it end?") or from an end date ("project must finish by 1st June, when must we start?"). Templates work with both approaches.

Sharing Templates

Templates can be exported as JSON files and shared with others. This is perfect for:

To export: Template → Menu (⋮) → Export as JSON

To import: Templates → Import → Select JSON file

Using AI to Create Templates

Don't have time to build templates from scratch? Your favourite AI assistant (like ChatGPT or Claude) can create them for you. Just describe your process and let AI do the heavy lifting.

How It Works

Download Our AI Prompt

We've created a special prompt that helps AI understand Planner's template format.

Open Your AI Tool

ChatGPT, Claude, or any capable AI assistant will work.

Paste the Prompt + Describe Your Process

The prompt teaches the AI how to format things. You just describe what your process involves in plain English.

Copy the JSON Output

The AI will generate a properly-formatted template in JSON.

Import into Planner

Templates → Import → Paste the JSON. Done!

Download AI Template Prompt
Example: Conveyancing Process

"Create a template for residential conveyancing. Include: initial instruction and ID checks (2 days), property searches (10 working days), reviewing title and raising enquiries (5 days), mortgage offer review (3 days), exchange of contracts (1 day), completion (typically 2 weeks after exchange). Add dependencies so searches can't complete before instruction, enquiries need searches done first, etc."

Example: Website Project

"Create a template for a small business website redesign. Phases: Discovery (stakeholder interviews, competitor analysis), Design (wireframes, mockups, revision rounds), Development (build, content entry, testing), Launch (final review, go-live, post-launch support). Typical total duration 8-12 weeks."

Client Portals

Give your clients visibility into their project without giving them access to your full Planner account. Client portals show a simplified, read-only view of their specific project.

Setting Up a Client Portal

Open Your Project

Go to the project you want to share with a client.

Click "Client Portal" or "Share"

Find this in the project menu or settings.

Enable the Portal

Toggle the portal on. You'll get a unique link to share.

Configure What's Visible

Choose whether clients see all tasks or just milestones. Hide internal notes if needed.

Share the Link

Send the portal link to your client. They can view progress anytime without logging in.

What Clients See

What Clients Don't See

Portal Security Portal links are long, random URLs that are extremely difficult to guess. You can disable a portal at any time, instantly revoking access.

Custom Fields

Every business tracks different information. Custom fields let you add whatever data matters to your projects and tasks.

Field Types Available

Adding Custom Fields

Go to Settings → Custom Fields. Create fields at the project level (apply to all projects) or the task level (apply to all tasks). Give each field a name, choose the type, and optionally set a default value.

Common Custom Fields
  • Client Reference Number (text)
  • Budget (number)
  • Priority (dropdown: High, Medium, Low)
  • Requires Sign-off (checkbox)
  • External Deadline (date)

Tips & Best Practices

Keep Tasks Actionable

Good task: "Draft homepage copy" — clear, specific, you know when it's done.
Bad task: "Work on website" — vague, never-ending, impossible to track.

Use Dependencies Wisely

Only create dependencies where they genuinely exist. If Task B can start before Task A is completely finished, don't link them. Over-linking creates rigid schedules that don't reflect reality.

Review Templates Regularly

After completing projects, ask: "What should we do differently next time?" Update your template with lessons learned. Your templates should evolve with your experience.

Don't Over-Plan

Detailed plans for next week are useful. Detailed plans for six months away are fiction. Use high-level milestones for the future, detailed tasks for the near term.

Need Help? If you're stuck or have questions about Planner, email [email protected]. We're happy to help you get the most from the tool.