How to create a Subproject (ie Child) Project in NetSuite

You can create child project records or subprojects in NetSuite. The concept is very similar to child customers.  Most customers that use this feature have projects with large scopes and want to break it down into manageable bites.  For instance, creating of a new product involves design, development, and marketing - all of which have their own subset of tasks. 

NetSuite allows you to manage the multiple subprojects under one master or parent project.  Each subproject will act like a stand alone project, related back to the parent project through the Relationships and Related Records subtabs. The Relationships subtab will have a sub-subtab called SubProjects where the child project will be listed.  In the Related Records SubTab, the Child’s Sales Orders, Invoices, and other transaction records will be related to the parent project record.

Here are a few things to note when creating subprojects:

• The only way to tell a project is a child project is in the Customer field. The Customer will have the parent project as the Customer; it will display as: “Customer : Parent Project. Note: Add a field to distinguish a child record. 
• Subprojects can have subprojects of their own. The sub-subproject will always roll up to the subproject.
• Subproject transactions will inherit billing information, such as terms, from the parent’s customer record.

Please note that subprojects do not roll up to the parent project.  For instance:

• The children’s P&L will not roll up the parent’s.
• The children’s tasks are not rolled up to the parent project record.

Ready to create your own subproject? Here's how you can do it:

1. Make sure Project Management is configured.
   Setup --> Company --> Enable Features --> Company --> Projects --> Check the Project Management check box. Click Save
   Note: this feature may not be available for your account. Please reach out to your NetSuite Account manager for the feature.
   
   
2. Create a subproject.
   Go to Parent project and hover over
   Click Project. This will create a blank project form with the parent as the customer. When you go to the parent project record you will see the Subprojects sub-subtab under Relationships subtab.
   
   
   
3. Create a custom field to tag a project as a parent or child
   Per SuiteAnswer 87769, navigate to Customization > Lists, Records, & Fields > Entity Fields > New.
   Set the following Settings:
   • Label: (e.g. Project State)
   • Type: Free-Form Text
   • Store Value: Unchecked
   • On the Applies To subtab Job/Project: Checked
   • On the Display subtab:
     • Subtab: Main
     • Display Type: Inline
   • On the Validation & Defaulting subtab:
     • Formula: Checked
     • Default Value: CASE WHEN {parent.id} = {customer.id} THEN 'Project' ELSE 'Subproject' END
     • Click Save.

I know that is a lot of information, so if you need someone to walk you through it in person, we offer NetSuite Trainings to help you with just that. You can get all your questions answered and have our team walk through best practices with you. Still unsure if subprojects are right for you?  Contact Concentrus to discuss what project structure best fits your business.