How I Made Zoho Projects Actually Work for Me
Default Task Views? Cluttered. My Setup? Clean.
I love Zoho Projects, but out of the box, the task view gets real noisy, real fast. Too many generic statuses. Too many fields I never use. Filters that don’t actually help me focus. So instead of fighting the system, I made it work for me.
Here’s how I customized my Zoho Projects setup to feel less like a corporate to-do list and more like a tool I actually want to use every day.
My Zoho Projects Secrets That Save You Time
1. Custom Task Statuses That Actually Reflect My Workflow
You don’t have to stick with the standard “Open,” “In Progress,” and “Completed.”
I set up my own task statuses that reflect how I actually work. Our workflow:
- Backlog
- Scoping
- Ready
- In Progress
- Blocked
- Internal Approval
- Sent for Review
- Completed
- Abandoned
These give me a clearer picture of where things stand, without clicking into each task or making a separate spreadsheet (because let’s be honest, we’ve all been there).
2. Task Layout Custom Fields: Minimal but Mighty
I added just a few key custom fields to each task layout—enough to keep me organized without overwhelming every screen.
A few of my go-tos:
- Sprint: we organize and plan out our tasks into weekly sprints. So I can add a task to the list for a future sprint, and see it when the time is right.
- Hour Estimate: at TechnoMap, we work hard to be open and transparent with our customers, which includes estimating work. Our team will add an hour estimate before they begin work to each task, so we can communicate that to our customers.
- Assigned Date: while we plan into Sprints as a team, I like to plan out my week into daily tasks as well. The “Start Date” and “Due Date” fields in Projects just didn’t work for me.
This helps me group, filter, and report on tasks in a way that aligns with how my business actually runs and not just how the software was designed.
3. Filters and Views That Help Me Focus
Once the custom fields were in, I built saved filters for each phase of my work.
Some of my favorite views:
- This Sprint’s tasks
- Today’s tasks
- Tasks by User
- Tasks Sent for Review
- Tasks Blocked
With a couple of clicks, I can zoom in on exactly what I need to work on. No scrolling, sorting, or clicking around.
Bonus Tip: Custom Fields Make Reporting Way Better
If you’ve ever opened a Zoho Projects report and gone, “This is chaos,” I feel you.
The custom fields and statuses I added make those reports actually useful. I can slice and dice based on sprint, client, phase, or priority. And I can spot bottlenecks without squinting.
Final Thought
Zoho Projects becomes way more powerful when you stop treating it like a one-size-fits-all tool.
Customize your task statuses. Add the fields that matter. Build filters you’ll actually use.
Then go enjoy that glorious feeling of checking off a task that says “Ready to Build”, because it was actually ready.
