---
title: "Internal Projects"
description: "Understand internal and external projects and use them for accurate time tracking and reporting."
search:
  tags: ["internal projects", "time tracking"]
---
Leadtime records every type of work in a [project](/projects/projects), whether it is performed for a customer or for internal purposes. This structure makes all company activity transparent and available for planning, review, and analysis. Leadtime distinguishes between **external** and **internal** [projects](/projects/projects).

Learn more about [project structure](/projects/project-structure).

![Internal Projects – Overview](/images/help-center/company/internal-projects-01.png)

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### External projects

External projects are **billable customer projects** that generate revenue directly. They represent the operational core of the business and typically include:

- Customer engagements
- Implementation or consulting projects
- Maintenance and support agreements
- Retainers or ongoing service packages

**Purpose:**

Time recorded in these projects supplies the basis for invoices, proposals, and revenue analysis.

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### Internal projects

Internal projects are **not directly billable**, but they are essential to operating and developing the business. Examples include:

- Administrative work such as accounting, HR, and organization
- Sales and marketing
- Research, development, and product work
- Strategic initiatives and internal improvements

**Purpose:**

Time in internal projects supports internal cost control and efficiency analysis. It contributes to value creation indirectly.

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## Ongoing and one-time projects

External and internal projects can both be **ongoing** or **one-time**:

- **One-time projects** have a clear objective, such as a product launch or customer delivery.
- **Ongoing projects** represent continuous work, such as marketing, support, or customer care.

This keeps recurring processes and completed initiatives visible.

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## Structure internal projects effectively

![Internal Projects – Suggested structure](/images/help-center/company/internal-projects-02.png)

Suppose your company delivers customer projects, develops products, and handles continuing internal work such as marketing and accounting.

A clear structure under **Your Company → Internal Projects** could look like this:

- 📈 **Sales** – lead management, outbound prospecting, and customer follow-up
- 📣 **Marketing** – campaigns, content creation, and website maintenance
- 💰 **Accounting** – incoming and outgoing invoices and payment reconciliation
- 🧠 **Product development** – planning and delivering new features or services

This structure makes internal time precise and keeps operational work separate from strategic projects.

### Recommendations

- **Record activities:** Document recurring work such as acquisition and accounting through tickets in the relevant internal project.
- **Book time without a ticket:** Employees can record uniform activities such as accounting directly against the project.
- **Use separate projects for objectives:** Create a dedicated project with defined work packages for a clearly bounded initiative such as product development.
- **Analyze and report:** Use internal projects to make internal effort visible and assess efficiency over time.