The Essence
The Project is where planned work gets organized and tracked. Unlike Tickets (which are reactive) or Services (which are ongoing), Projects are bounded initiatives with defined scope, participants, and objectives.
They answer "what are we working on, with whom, toward what outcome?" Projects can be customer-facing (implementation, transformation) or internal (process improvement, product development). They provide the container for coordinating work that spans time, involves multiple people, and produces specific outcomes.
HubSpot's Project Object (INBOUND 2025)
The Project object launched at INBOUND 2025 and is still early in its evolution.
What's Available Now:
- • Project object with custom properties and pipelines
- • Gantt chart view (public beta)
- • Table and board views
- • Tasks associated with Projects
- • Workflow automation
- • Associations to Contacts, Companies, Deals, Tickets
What's In Development:
- • Project Subtasks
- • Task Dependencies
- • Project Templates
- • Projects Task Card
Use Projects now for organizational and visibility benefits. Plan for advanced features to arrive.
"Projects are proactive. Tickets are reactive. If you're planning to do work → Project. If someone asked for help unexpectedly → Ticket. This distinction matters for accurate metrics, appropriate management, and clear accountability."
Unified View Contribution
Team Enablement
Primary contributor. Projects organize what teams are working on. Resource allocation, timeline management, and accountability all flow through Project architecture.
Customer View
Supporting contributor. Customer-facing Projects reveal transformation progress. Clients can see what's being worked on, where things stand, what's coming next.
Business Context
Supporting contributor. Project patterns reveal operational intelligence — delivery velocity, resource utilization, bottleneck identification.
Revenue View
Supporting contributor. Projects often connect to commercial commitments. Project completion may trigger billing milestones. Project health affects customer lifetime value.
Sarah's Story
When Sarah's CVP Implementation began, a Project was created:
Project: "Precision Components Manufacturing - CVP Implementation"
This Project became the container for all implementation work:
Deliverables within the Project
- Chicago Foundation Build (Complete)
- Detroit Foundation Build (In Progress)
- Atlanta Foundation Build (Scheduled)
- ERP Integration Phase 1 (In Progress)
- Team Training - Core Users (Complete)
- Team Training - Advanced (Scheduled)
Associated Team
- → Chris (Project Sponsor - Value-First)
- → Ryan (Technical Lead - Value-First)
- → Sarah (Customer Sponsor)
- → Detroit Ops Manager (Site Lead)
Health Indicators
- ✓ On Track (no blockers, timeline holding)
- ✓ Budget: Within allocation
- ✓ Stakeholder engagement: Active
Sarah could see her Project in the portal:
My Projects (Portal View)
She wasn't guessing what was happening with her transformation. The Project gave her continuous visibility into planned work progress.
What It Holds
Project Identity
Scope and Objectives
Timeline and Phases
Team and Roles
Status and Health
Progress Tracking
Commercial Context
What It Connects To
Primary Associations
The organization this Project serves (for client Projects)
Team members, stakeholders, participants
Commercial opportunity that originated the Project
Transaction that funded the Project
Ongoing service relationships (Project may be part of Service delivery)
Specific outputs the Project produces
Sessions within the Project (check-ins, workshops, reviews)
Support requests that arise during Project (reactive needs)
Project-to-Contact Labels
Customer decision-maker for the Project
Internal owner responsible for delivery
Technical authority for Project decisions
Active contributor to Project work
Visibility/input but not hands-on
Responsible for specific site (multi-location)
Project-to-Object Labels
Organization the Project serves
Commercial opportunity that originated Project
Transaction that funded Project
Specific outputs produced
Sessions within Project
Support requests during Project
Common Patterns
The Order → Project Pattern
The Deliverable Generation Pattern
The Phase Progression Pattern
Phase transitions may trigger: billing milestones, team adjustments, stakeholder communication, scope reviews.
The Multi-Location Pattern
Option 2 (Different scope per location): Master Project with Child Projects
The Project → Service Handoff Pattern
Value-First vs. Industrial-Age
| ✗ Traditional Thinking | ✓ Value-First Thinking |
|---|---|
| Projects driven by calendar deadlines | Projects driven by trust-based milestones |
| Progress = Tasks completed | Progress = Value delivered |
| Project success = On time, on budget | Project success = Outcomes achieved |
| Project visibility internal only | Project visibility includes customer |
| Projects end at delivery | Projects end at capability transfer |
| Phase gates = Approvals | Phase gates = Readiness indicators |
Why This Shift Matters
When Projects are calendar-driven, arbitrary deadlines create artificial pressure. Work gets rushed to hit dates rather than achieve outcomes. Quality suffers. Trust erodes.
When Projects are milestone-driven, progress reflects reality. Foundation phase is complete when the foundation actually works — not when the calendar says it should. Phases advance when readiness indicators show genuine progression. The Project serves the outcome, not the schedule.
In Practice
Implementation details and configuration
What You'll See in HubSpot
Projects appear under CRM → Projects (once activated). Each Project has:
- Left sidebar: Project properties, status, dates, owner
- Middle column: Activity timeline, associated Tasks
- Right sidebar: Associations to Company, Contacts, Deals, Tickets
View Options
- Table view: List of Projects with filterable columns
- Board view: Kanban-style pipeline visualization
- Gantt view (beta): Timeline visualization with Tasks
Activating Projects
- Navigate to Settings → Data Management → Objects → Object Library
- Toggle on Projects
- For Gantt view: Settings → Product Updates → Enable "Project Object with Gantt Chart View" beta
Key Properties
Key Properties
Native HubSpot Properties
| Property | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
hs_project_name Native | Text | Project identifier |
hs_project_status Native | Enumeration | Not Started, In Progress, Complete, On Hold |
hs_pipeline Native | Pipeline | Project type |
hs_pipeline_stage Native | Stage | Current phase |
hs_start_date Native | Date | When Project begins |
hs_target_due_date Native | Date | Target completion |
hs_target_duration Native | Number | Expected duration |
hubspot_owner_id Native | User | Project owner |
Value-First Custom Properties
| Property | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
vf_project_type | Enumeration | Client Transformation, Internal Initiative, Product Development |
vf_trust_phase | Enumeration | Foundation, Capability, Multiplication |
vf_health_status | Enumeration | On Track, At Risk, Blocked |
vf_percent_complete | Number | Overall progress percentage |
vf_budget_total | Currency | Allocated budget |
vf_budget_consumed | Currency | Spent to date |
vf_breakthrough_log | Rich Text | Key transformation moments captured |
vf_blockers | Text | Current impediments |
vf_next_milestone | Text | What comes next |
Client Transformation Pipeline
Discovery
Research and scoping
Understanding current state and goals
Mutual understanding established
Portal Experience
In the My Value Path Portal, Sarah sees her Projects:
My Projects
- Each active Project with phase, progress, health
- Current milestone and next steps
- Quick access to Project details
Project Detail
- Full Deliverable list with status
- Timeline and milestone history
- Team members and roles
- Recent activity and updates
- Upcoming Appointments
- Related Tickets
"The Transparency Principle: Sarah doesn't wonder 'what's happening with our implementation?' The Project gives her continuous visibility into planned work, progress, and what comes next."
Workflow Examples
Project Creation Workflow
Phase Progression Workflow
Health Monitoring Workflow
See It In Action
Experience in the Value Path Simulator
Key Moment: Notice how Projects organize planned work with clear scope, while Tickets handle unexpected needs. The separation enables both proper project management and accurate support metrics.