Syncro is six pieces that chain together: project (your container), client (a project label), backlog (the inbox), tasks + board (the flow), hours (what you work) and reports (where you read the budget). Once you see where each thing lives, the rest is drag, log and filter.
Project is the container, client is the label
- Project: isolated space with its team, boards, backlog, calendar and reports. One user can be in several projects with different roles. E.g. Northstar Redesign and Northstar App are two different projects even if they share a client.
- Client: optional project field (up to 100 characters). Free text: type Northstar or pick it from the list if it already exists. Several projects can share the same client and you can then group them in Hours reports → By client.
If you work without an external client, leave it empty. It doesn't affect boards or tasks.
| If you need to... | Do... |
|---|
| Separate work by team, permissions or dates | Create another project (how to create a project) |
| Group several projects for the same payer | Use the same client name |
Tasks live in two places (and only one at a time)
- In the backlog: ideas without a flow yet: no column, no rush to assign. Perfect to capture, refine and prioritize without cluttering the board. See Backlog: from idea to board.
- On the board: tasks with flow (To Do → In Progress → Done). They sit in a concrete column and move by dragging. If you delete a column or a board, its tasks aren't lost: they return to the backlog. See Kanban board: columns & tasks.
Every task, wherever it is, carries the same: title, formatted description, priority, assignees, dates, estimated hours and project labels. Labels and members belong to the project, not globally.
From board to time: estimate and log
Once the task is on the board, you add numbers:
- Estimated hours: when editing the task, fill Estimated hours (e.g. 3h). That's your baseline budget. If you don't estimate, there's no remaining or progress to compute.
- Log hours: go to Reports → Log hours or Calendar → Day → Add hours. Pick the task, the day and hours in 15-minute steps (0.25 to 24) and add a short note if you want ("client meeting"). Click Save and it appears instantly in Reports and Calendar. See Time tracking.
You can only edit or delete your own entries, unless you're owner or admin: they see and manage everyone’s.
From time to report: read the budget
Reports are where time pays off. Open Projects → Reports (global view) or Reports inside a project (already filtered to that project).
- Filter by dates, projects, clients and people: all combine. If you're a member you only see yourself.
- Read the KPIs: dedicated hours (sum of entries in the period), estimated hours (sum of the estimate across all tasks in scope), remaining and progress.
- Break down by client, project, task and day: instantly see which client eats most hours, which tasks pile up the most remaining and which days have gaps (Syncro fills 0 for days without entries). See Hours reports.
In Syncro “budget” isn’t a field in Settings: it’s the sum of estimated hours of its tasks. If the client expands scope, raise the estimates and the remaining recalculates.
A full 5-minute walkthrough
- Create project Northstar Redesign (client Northstar).
- In Backlog → Add task create "Define palette", "Design home" and "Write copy" (two with High priority).
- Click Move to board → To Do on "Define palette". It's now in the flow. Set 3h estimated.
- Open the task, assign to Ana and set a due date: you'll see it on the calendar.
- Drag it to In Progress; when done, to Done.
- Log 2.5h in Reports → Log hours (task Define palette, today, note "first iteration").
- Open Reports, filter by client Northstar and this month: in Task summary you'll see Estimated 3h · Dedicated 2.5h and the breakdown by day. If another task piles up 5h dedicated over 3h estimated, its Remaining shows in red.
- Share the filtered link with the client: that's your hours report.
The pattern is always the same: capture in backlog → move to board when ready → advance across columns → estimate → log daily → review remaining in Reports.
Where to go next
Tip: Don't create a project per task and don't throw everything onto the board. Use client to group, backlog to decide, board only for this week, always estimate and check Reports every Friday: if you wait until month end, the remaining is too late to fix.