How to automatically finish a project when no tasks assigned

Hi all,

im a omnifocus user for a week now after reading the David Allen book for the third time, i finally started.

For my day to day office work i have tasks related to a specific client connected to a project with their name. But a lot of them are as we speak empty since all is done. i would love if they are hidden by default but can be used to assign new tasks if needed.

Whats the best process/script to do this with?
Of course this could be in a weekly review, but when i drop or complete a project, its gone and i cannot assign it in my inbox again.

You could try setting these projects to ‘on hold’ status in the interim.

However, are you sure that a client should be a project? If everything you do for them are single actions, then, yes, that makes sense. Otherwise, a project, in GTD terms, should be something with a clearly defined outcome. You might express this idea in your system as folders for the clients and then projects inside for items when they come to you. You may also find utility in having a single action list for each for any one-off actions that come to you.

Thank you for your response, Im not sure if i write it clearly enough.
But i have a folder called “clients” and projects for client names.

I have a lot of situations where i have like 30 active clients. Some of them have 20 requests open to be done the next 2/3 weeks. some have just 1 task or another has non just yet, but can change any moment.
Thats the issue i am working with.

Another solutions could be doe seperate it into “client tasks” project where the day to day smaller request go. and client projects for specific projects with a clear out come

Sorry, too, if I was unclear.

Simply put, there’s no way to accomplish exactly what you describe. You could set projects to autocomplete when ticking off the last item, but then they wouldn’t be available to you when you next needed to enter an item for that client again.

My second point, though, was a question on how you have things structured and whether or not it’s ‘healthy’. As you likely recall, a GTD project is a desirable outcome with more than one action.

My question for you is whether these client requests are a GTD project, or a single action. (Or both?) Perhaps the requests are actually projects that should be filed underneath the client folder. Something like this:

Clients
- Widgets Ltd.
-- [Widgets Ltd.] (Single Actions)
-- Migrate Widgets Ltd. Webmail to Fastmail
-- Have Widgets Ltd. Website Translated to Swedish

- Spanners Inc.
-- [Spanners Inc.] (Single Actions)

- Planks International
-- [Planks International] (Single Actions)

(I usually mark my single action lists with the brackets.)

I use a combination of single action lists (client requested changes), (client recurring tasks) etc and put larger jobs DEV | Clients new site etc in their own sequential project. All in a “Business” folder.

That way visually “DEV” distinguishes the nature ( site development) of the project so I have easy visual clues. With a bit planning on regular name usage it’s easy to search related tasks. I have run this system for a fair while and seems to work even with over 150 active clients,

The problem with the folder per client approach is unless you are in a “master folder” custom perspectives can go wrong if they refer to clients and you then add new ones without updating the perspectives.

Thanks for your contribution.
So if im correct, you’re taking the approach i wrote a little about above.
Having a tasks/small request project where all of the random stuff comes from a item to item basis, I’m developing sites, shops and such. So a lot of those requests involve small things like a bug, content update or very small features.

And for the bigger projects, where proposals are involved and such you use a project for that client.