Projects dashboard & organization

Your command center

As your agency grows, the number of estimates grows with it. A disorganized dashboard leads to lost opportunities, you forget to follow up on a “Draft” or you lose track of which version was sent to the client.

In this lesson, we will show you how to maintain a clean, efficient workspace that acts as your sales pipeline.

What you’ll learn

• The dashboard: Navigating your project list efficiently.
• Tagging strategy: How to use tags to simulate a sales pipeline (Draft vs. Sent).
• Quick search: Finding any estimate in seconds.

---

The chaos problem

When you rely on local files, finding “that quote for John from 3 months ago” takes forever. You dig through folders, Slack messages, and email threads.

In devtimate, the Projects dashboard is your single source of truth. Every estimate you or your team ever created lives here. But a list is not enough, you need a system.

The tagging strategy: build your pipeline

Since devtimate is flexible, you can use Tags to build a workflow that matches your agency’s process. Don’t just tag technologies (e.g., “React”). Use tags to track the status of the deal.

Recommended tagging system:

1. Status tags: Use colors to indicate progress.
   • #draft (Gray) - Work in progress.
   • #review (Orange) - Waiting for tech lead approval.
   • #sent (Blue) - Delivered to client.
   • #won (Green) - Deal closed.
2. Type tags: Differentiate deliverables.
   • #ballpark - Rough estimate.
   • #fixed-price - Detailed scope.
   • #discovery - Paid workshop estimate.

By consistently applying these tags, you can scan your dashboard and instantly see which estimates require your attention today.

Find it fast

Speed applies to finding data too. The global search bar allows you to filter your list instantly.

• Search by client: Type the client’s name to see their entire history.
• Search by project: Type the project name to find a specific quote.

Pro tips

“The Review Loop” Before sending an estimate, always tag it as #review and mention your Tech Lead. Once they check the numbers, change the tag to #approved or #sent. This simple visual habit prevents costly mistakes from leaving the building.

Key takeaways:

• Tags are your status: Use tags to define where the deal is in your pipeline.
• Keep it clean: Archive (in the future) or delete test projects to keep your view focused on active money.
• Consistency: Ensure the whole team uses the same naming convention for tags.

FAQ: Is devtimate a CRM?

You might be wondering if devtimate replaces your CRM.

Currently, devtimate is focused purely on the estimation workflow, not replacing heavy tools like HubSpot or Pipedrive. That is why we use this lightweight tagging system, it’s simple, fast, and completely sufficient for managing your active estimation queue.

However, we are evolving. Our vision is to build a complete operating system for software agencies where CRM, client context, and estimation with proposals live together in one unified place. We are actively developing these features to give you a full 360-view of your sales process in the future.

Next steps

Now that your dashboard is organized, let’s create your first project.

In the next lesson, we will make a critical strategic decision: Hours vs. Man-days. You will learn which unit to choose based on the project size and client type to maximize your conversion.