Finishing a project is often a milestone – but rarely the end of working together. Many digital service providers experience a smooth transition into long-term support after a successful initial project. This is where a proven best-practice approach comes in: moving from a single project into a separate, ongoing project.
All about projects
In Leadtime, the first customer project is created as a single project. It has a clear goal, a defined end, and after completion is set to the status "billed". In this status, the project isn't used actively for operational work anymore:
No new tickets are created anymore.
The project stays archived and traceable.
Subscription invoices can still be generated from it, e.g. for hosting, license fees or flat-rate support contracts.
This clear separation brings order – both in the project structure and in communication with the client.
About the structure of projects in Leadtime
At the same time as you wrap up the initial project, an ongoing project is created in Leadtime. This project stays open, with no set end date, and is used for further day-to-day collaboration.
Typical scenarios:
The client submits new tickets spontaneously.
There’s regular development or technical support.
Billing is based on effort or via express quote
The advantage: The new project is kept separate from the initial project, but still keeps the relevant context. This means everything stays clear—for your team and the client.
Structure instead of chaos: Historical and current work are neatly separated.
Billing security: Subs and maintenance packages keep running, without accidentally being blocked by the project structure.
Flexibility: The ongoing project gives you the perfect base for new requirements without the old baggage from the original setup.
Customer retention: The handover from project to ongoing partnership is smooth and professional.
One project ends—the collaboration doesn’t. By clearly marking a project's completion in Leadtime and starting a new, open project for ongoing support, you build a reliable structure for lasting customer relationships. That way, a one-off project easily becomes a long-term service model—no more organisational chaos.
All about projects
