When to Move/Delete/Archive Projects
Archiving Projects
Archived projects are still visible and functional, but can be filtered out of Portfolio views and project lists. By Archiving, you are preserving the work that was done while also reducing how much past work is clogging up your views.
When to Archive
Projects that are no longer used, but may have work that needs to be referenced in the future. e.g. Old 1:1 Projects, Meeting Agendas, etc.
Projects that are complete and most/all tasks have been closed. e.g. Prior year’s marketing campaigns, old migration projects, etc.
Projects that would make good future templates.
How to Archive
Close out any lingering tasks: Follow up with assignees to determine whether the work was completed or cancelled. Leave notes/clear assignees and due dates for anything cancelled and mark tasks complete.
Next to the Project Name, click the arrow
Click Archive.
Deleting Projects
Deleting a projects fully removes them from your project lists and Portfolios, but there are some caveats.
I typically only recommend deleting projects and tasks you truly want gone. No looking back. While there are ways to “Undelete” tasks (unless you’ve clicked Permanently Delete), the finality of the decision to delete is what informs me whether or not it should just be Archived.
When to Delete
Projects that are no longer used, and you’re sure won’t need to be referenced in the future.
Disorganized lists of tasks with no clear outcome.
Very old projects with incomplete tasks you’ll never touch.
How to Delete Projects
The #1 issue I hear from folks during a clean-up is, “I swear on my life I deleted that task10 times already.” The truth is, you probably did. The BIG CAVEAT of deleting projects, is that any multi-homed tasks will continue to exist in the system lingering in your My Tasks or other projects.
This reason I typically advise the following process for deletion:
Go to the project you’d like to delete.
Bulk select all tasks by clicking the first task, holding shift, and clicking the last task.
At the bottom bulk-actions bar, click the trash can to delete.
Then, in the project dropdown, Delete.
NOTE: If you are not able to delete the project, you may need the Project Owner to do this for you.
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