Project Manager Guide
Overview
This guide covers day-to-day project management tasks within your Cadenora workspace. As a Project Manager, you have focused access to the projects assigned to you. You can upload and organize documents, manage categories within your projects, control which clients can see which documents, and use search to find what you need quickly.
Terminology Note: This guide uses generic terms. In your workspace, "Project" may appear as "Development", "Property", or "Matter", and "Client" may appear as "Investor" or "Resident". The labels you see depend on the industry template your firm selected during setup. Your role title may also differ -- you might see "Development Manager", "Property Manager", "Associate", or "Team Member" instead of "Project Manager".
1. Getting Started
Logging In
- Navigate to your workspace URL (provided by your Firm Admin). It will look like
https://app.cadenora.com/t/your-firm-name/. - Enter your email address and password on the login page.
- If your firm uses Email OTP (one-time password), you will receive a code via email instead of entering a password.
If this is your first time logging in, you should have received a setup email with a link to create your password. That link is single-use -- if it has expired, ask your Firm Admin to send a new invitation.
Navigating to Your Projects
After logging in, you land on your dashboard at /t/{your-firm}/dashboard. From here:
- The sidebar on the left provides navigation to your key areas: Projects, Documents, and Search.
- Click Projects in the sidebar to see all projects assigned to you.
- Click any project name to open it and see its documents, categories, and client access details.
Understanding Your Permissions
As a Project Manager, you have the ability to:
- View and manage documents within your assigned projects
- Upload new documents to your projects
- Assign categories to documents
- Set document visibility (who can see what)
- View which clients have access to your projects
- Search across documents in your projects
You do not have access to projects that have not been assigned to you, nor can you see the full workspace-level views that Firm Admins use. Section 10 of this guide covers your permission boundaries in detail.
2. Your Dashboard
When you log in, your dashboard shows you a focused view of your work:
- Your assigned projects -- only projects where you have been granted access appear here. If a project is missing, ask your Firm Admin to assign it to you.
- Recent activity -- a summary of recent document uploads and client activity across your projects.
- Quick actions -- shortcuts to common tasks like uploading a document or viewing a specific project.
The dashboard is designed to give you an at-a-glance view of what needs your attention. From here, you can navigate directly into any of your projects.
3. Managing Documents
The Upload Wizard (2-Step Flow)
Uploading documents uses a guided two-step wizard:
Step 1: Select and Configure
- Navigate to your project, then click Upload Document (or go to the Documents section and click the upload button).
- Select your project using the project selector bar at the top (if you navigated from within a project, it will be pre-selected).
- Drop or browse for files in the file dropzone. You can upload multiple files at once.
- Set bulk defaults -- choose a default category and visibility scope that will apply to all files. You can override these per file if needed.
- Configure each file -- each file appears as a compact card where you can adjust its individual category and visibility settings.
- If you set visibility to Principal Only, an additional picker appears where you select the specific clients or organizations who should see the document.
Step 2: Review and Confirm
- Review the summary of all files you are about to upload, including their categories and visibility settings.
- Check for any policy warnings (for example, if a file exceeds recommended size limits).
- Click Upload to start the process.
The system uploads your files directly to secure storage. File data never passes through the application server -- it goes straight to encrypted storage via a secure, time-limited URL.
Supported file types: PDF, DOCX, and XLSX.
Categorizing Documents
Every document belongs to a category. When you upload, you choose a category from the list available for that project. Categories are created from your firm's industry template and any custom categories your Firm Admin has added.
If you are unsure which category to use, you can leave a document in Uncategorized and recategorize it later. The Uncategorized category is always available and cannot be deleted.
Setting Visibility
When uploading or editing a document, you choose its visibility scope:
| Visibility | Who Can See It | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Only | Firm staff only (admins and project managers) | Drafts, internal memos, work-in-progress documents |
| Project Clients | All clients with access to this project | Standard shared documents -- statements, reports, updates |
| All Clients (Tenant-wide) | Every client across all projects in the firm | Shared library items like policies, general reference materials |
| Principal Only | A specific individual or organization you select | Sensitive documents, tiered access, personalized communications |
Tip: Documents default to Internal Only when uploaded. You must explicitly change visibility to share them with clients. This is a safety measure -- nothing is accidentally shared.
Searching Within a Project
From within a project view, you can use the search bar to find documents by:
- File name
- Content (the system extracts and indexes text from PDF, DOCX, and XLSX files)
- Category
Search results are scoped to the project you are currently viewing.
4. Working with Categories
Default Categories
When a project is created, it is automatically populated with categories based on your firm's industry template. For example:
| Industry | Default Categories |
|---|---|
| Financial Services | Account Opening, Statements & Reports, Tax Documents, Legal & Compliance, Research & Analysis, Correspondence |
| Real Estate Development | Offering Documents, Land & Permits, Construction & Progress, Financial Reports, Legal & Compliance, Correspondence |
| Property Management | Lease Documents, Building Rules & Policies, Maintenance Records, Financial Statements, Move-In / Move-Out, Correspondence |
| Legal Services | Engagement Letters, Pleadings & Filings, Discovery, Correspondence, Billing & Invoices, Research & Memos |
| General | General, Contracts & Agreements, Reports, Financial, Correspondence |
Every project also has an Uncategorized system category that cannot be deleted. It serves as a catch-all for documents that have not been categorized yet, and as a safety net when other categories are removed.
How Categories Work
- Categories are project-scoped -- each project has its own set of categories, so different projects can be organized differently.
- Default categories (from the industry template) come pre-configured when a project is created.
- Custom categories can be added by your Firm Admin to fit your firm's specific needs (for example, "Due Diligence Materials" or "Environmental Studies").
- Categories can be reordered by a Firm Admin to control how they appear in lists and dropdowns.
Organizing Documents into Categories
When uploading documents, you select a category for each file. You can also change a document's category after upload by editing the document's metadata.
Best practices for category use:
- Use categories consistently across similar projects for easier navigation.
- Avoid leaving documents in Uncategorized for extended periods -- it makes finding things harder.
- If you need a new category that does not exist, ask your Firm Admin to create one.
5. Client Access Management
Viewing Client Access
From within a project, navigate to the Clients tab (at /t/{your-firm}/projects/{projectId}/clients). Here you can see:
- Which client organizations have access to this project
- Individual client members within each organization
- The access mode for each client (how they were granted access)
Understanding Client Hierarchy
Client access in Cadenora follows a three-level structure:
- Client Organization -- the legal entity (for example, "Acme Capital LLC" or "Smith Family Trust")
- Client Member -- an individual person within that organization
- Project Membership -- the link that grants a specific client member access to a specific project
A client can only view documents in projects where they have an active project membership.
Granting Document Access
Document visibility determines which clients can see a document:
- Project Clients -- all clients with a membership to the project can see the document. No additional configuration needed.
- Principal Only -- only the specific client or organization you designate can see the document. You select the recipients during upload or when editing the document.
For finer-grained control, your Firm Admin can use Document Client Grants to give specific clients access to specific documents, regardless of the document's broader visibility setting.
Inviting Clients to a Project
You can invite new clients to your project:
- Open the project and go to the Clients tab.
- Click Invite Client (the label may differ based on your industry -- e.g., "Invite Investor").
- Enter the client's email address and select the access level.
- Send the invitation.
The client receives an email with a secure link. When they accept the invitation and set up their account, they gain access to the project and can view documents based on the visibility rules you have configured.
Invitation lifecycle:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Invitation created, email being sent |
| Delivered | Email confirmed delivered |
| Opened | Recipient clicked the invite link |
| Accepted | Recipient completed account setup |
| Activated | Full access granted, membership created |
| Expired | Invitation time limit reached (14 days for project invites) |
| Revoked | Firm Admin cancelled the invitation |
| Bounced | Email delivery failed |
Automated reminders are sent to recipients who have not responded: a reminder at 24 hours, and a notification to you (the inviter) at 72 hours. Invitations expire automatically after 14 days.
6. Document Processing
What Happens After Upload
When you upload a document, the system processes it automatically in the background:
- Upload completes -- your file is stored securely in encrypted storage.
- Processing begins -- a background workflow picks up the document.
- Text extraction -- the system extracts readable text from the file:
- PDF files: text extracted directly (scanned PDFs require OCR, which is not yet supported)
- DOCX files: text extracted from Word document structure
- XLSX files: data extracted from spreadsheet cells
- Indexing -- the extracted text is indexed in the search engine along with all document metadata.
- Status update -- the document status changes from Pending to Processing to Completed.
Processing Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Upload received, waiting for processing |
| Processing | Text extraction and indexing in progress |
| Completed | Fully processed, searchable, and available |
Processing typically completes within a few seconds for most documents. Larger files may take slightly longer.
When Processing Fails
If a document fails to process (for example, due to a corrupted file), the document is still stored and accessible for download. However, its contents will not appear in search results. You can try re-uploading the file if you suspect corruption.
7. Search and Discovery
Using Search
Navigate to Search in the sidebar (or use the search bar from within a project) to find documents across your assigned projects.
What you can search for:
- Document content -- the full text of PDF, DOCX, and XLSX files
- File names -- search by the original file name
- Metadata -- find documents by category, upload date, or project
Search features:
- Full-text search with phrase matching (wrap phrases in quotes)
- Wildcard support for partial matches
- Result highlighting showing where your search terms appear in the document
- Natural language search (if enabled by your Firm Admin) -- type questions like "show me tax documents from Q4 2025" or "recent correspondence" and the AI translates your intent into structured filters. See Section 8: AI-Powered Features for details.
Note: Scanned PDFs (image-based files) are stored and downloadable but their content cannot be searched because OCR (optical character recognition) is not yet supported. You can still find these documents by file name or metadata.
Project-Scoped vs. Cross-Project Search
- From within a project: Search is automatically scoped to that project's documents.
- From the main Search page: Search spans all projects you have access to. Results indicate which project each document belongs to.
Filters
Use filters to narrow your results:
- Project -- limit to a specific project
- Category -- filter by document category
- Date range -- find documents uploaded within a specific period
- Visibility -- filter by visibility scope (useful for finding internal-only documents)
8. AI-Powered Features
Cadenora includes AI-powered features that help you work more efficiently with your documents. These features are configured and enabled by your Firm Admin. If AI is not enabled for your workspace, everything continues to work normally -- you categorize documents manually and use keyword search.
All AI features are optional tools that assist your workflow. They never replace your judgment, and you can always override or ignore AI suggestions.
8.1 Document Classification
When you upload a document, the AI can automatically analyze the filename and content to suggest or assign a category. This saves time, especially when uploading large batches of documents.
How it works:
- You upload documents through the upload wizard as usual.
- During background processing, the AI examines the filename and extracted text.
- Based on its analysis, the AI returns a confidence score and one of three things happens:
| Confidence Level | What Happens | Your Action |
|---|---|---|
| High (>= 85%) | Category is automatically assigned | Review if needed; the AI is confident in this match |
| Medium (50-84%) | Category is suggested but not assigned | Review the suggestion and accept or change it |
| Low (< 50%) | No suggestion made; document stays in Uncategorized | Assign a category manually |
Reviewing and correcting classifications:
- Documents that were auto-classified show the assigned category on the document detail page. You can change the category at any time if the AI chose incorrectly.
- Documents with a pending suggestion display the AI's recommendation. Accept the suggestion or select a different category.
- Your corrections help inform future accuracy -- the system learns from the categories you confirm and change.
Limitations:
- Scanned PDFs (image-based files) cannot be classified by content because OCR is not yet supported. The AI can only use the filename for classification in these cases.
- Classification accuracy depends on having clear, descriptive filenames and text content that matches your project's category names.
When AI classification is disabled:
Documents are uploaded without automatic categorization. You assign categories manually during upload or afterward, exactly as described in Section 3.
8.2 Natural Language Search
Natural language search lets you type questions or descriptions in plain language instead of constructing keyword searches. The AI interprets your intent and translates it into structured search filters.
Example queries relevant to your work:
| What You Type | What the AI Does |
|---|---|
| "show me tax documents from Q4 2025" | Searches the Tax category with dates in Oct-Dec 2025 |
| "find all lease agreements for Parkview Tower" | Filters by the Lease category within the Parkview Tower project |
| "recent correspondence" | Searches the Correspondence category, sorted by recent date |
| "financial reports uploaded last month" | Filters by the Financial category with last month's date range |
How it differs from keyword search:
- Keyword search matches exact words in document content. Searching for "tax" finds documents containing the word "tax."
- Natural language search understands intent. Searching for "show me last quarter's financials" translates into a category filter plus a date range, even if no document contains that exact phrase.
When to use each:
| Situation | Recommended Search |
|---|---|
| You know the exact term or phrase in the document | Keyword search |
| You know what kind of document you want but not the exact words | Natural language search |
| You want to filter by category, date, or project using conversational language | Natural language search |
When AI search is disabled:
The search page uses keyword search only. You can still filter by category, project, and date using the manual filter controls.
8.3 Workspace Assistant
The workspace assistant is an AI-powered chat interface that can answer questions about documents in your projects. It works by searching your actual document content and providing answers grounded in what it finds.
How to use it:
- Open the workspace assistant from the sidebar or from within a project page.
- Type your question in the chat input.
- The assistant searches your documents, finds relevant content, and provides an answer.
- Every response includes citations -- references to the specific documents used (e.g., "[Document: Q4-2025-Financial-Report.pdf]").
Example questions:
- "Summarize the partnership agreement for the Oakwood Fund."
- "When was the last correspondence with Acme Capital?"
- "What are the key terms in the offering memorandum?"
- "What documents were uploaded this week?"
What the assistant can do:
- Answer questions about document content within your assigned projects
- Summarize information across multiple documents in a project
- Find specific details mentioned in your documents
What the assistant cannot do:
- Create, modify, or delete documents -- it is completely read-only
- Access documents outside your assigned projects
- Access the internet or external information
- Guarantee 100% accuracy -- always verify important answers against the cited source documents
Scope and visibility:
When accessed from a project page, the assistant is scoped to that project's documents. It can see all documents in the project, including those marked Internal Only (since you are a firm staff member, this is consistent with your existing access permissions).
Rate limits:
The assistant is subject to rate limits configured by your Firm Admin. If you reach the limit, wait a moment before sending additional messages.
8.4 Project Summaries
When you view a project's detail page, the system can generate an AI-powered summary that provides a quick overview of the project's document collection.
What the summary includes:
- A brief narrative overview of the documents in the project
- Key themes or document types present
- The summary is based on actual document content
How summaries work:
- Summaries are generated on demand when you view the project page.
- Once generated, summaries are cached for 24 hours to avoid unnecessary processing.
- If no documents exist in the project, no summary is generated.
- Summaries are informational only -- they do not affect document organization or access.
When AI summaries are disabled:
The project page displays without the AI-generated summary section. All other project information (document list, categories, client access) remains fully available.
9. Best Practices
Document Naming Conventions
- Use clear, descriptive file names before uploading. The original file name is preserved and displayed to clients.
- Include relevant identifiers (dates, version numbers, client names) in file names when appropriate.
- Avoid special characters that may cause display issues.
Good examples:
Q4-2025-Financial-Statement.pdfLease-Agreement-Unit-204-Johnson.pdfConstruction-Progress-Report-January-2026.pdf
Avoid:
Document1.pdfscan_20260211_final_v3_FINAL.pdf
Category Organization
- Assign categories at upload time rather than leaving documents as Uncategorized.
- When in doubt about the right category, use the most specific one available. It is easier to find a document in a specific category than in "Uncategorized".
- If you frequently need a category that does not exist, request it from your Firm Admin.
Client Access Workflows
- Default to Internal Only for new uploads until you have reviewed them.
- Set visibility to Project Clients only after confirming the document is ready for client viewing.
- Use Principal Only for sensitive documents that should only be seen by specific clients -- such as personalized statements, tax documents, or tiered investment materials.
- Review client access periodically to ensure the right people have access to the right documents.
Upload Workflow Tips
- Upload related documents together in a single batch. The bulk defaults feature lets you set category and visibility for all files at once.
- Review the summary in Step 2 of the wizard carefully before confirming -- this is your last chance to catch miscategorized or incorrectly scoped documents.
10. What You Cannot Do
As a Project Manager, your access is intentionally scoped to your assigned projects. Here is what falls outside your permissions:
| Action | Who Can Do It |
|---|---|
| Create new projects | Firm Admin only |
| Delete projects | Firm Admin only |
| Edit project settings (name, metadata) | Firm Admin only |
| Manage workspace users (invite staff, change roles) | Firm Admin only |
| Create or delete categories | Firm Admin only |
| Reorder categories | Firm Admin only |
| Access workspace-wide settings | Firm Admin only |
| View the audit log | Firm Admin only |
| Manage branding and terminology | Firm Admin only |
| Publish to the Shared Library (tenant-wide) | Firm Admin only |
| Revoke client invitations | Firm Admin only |
| Remove client access from a project | Firm Admin only |
| Create or manage client organizations | Firm Admin only |
| Create or manage share tokens (encrypted links) | Firm Admin only |
| Configure AI settings | Firm Admin only |
| View projects not assigned to you | Not available |
About share tokens: Your Firm Admin can create encrypted, time-limited share links for documents. These allow external parties to access a specific document without a portal account. You cannot create share tokens yourself, but you should be aware they exist -- if a client mentions receiving a direct link to a document, it was likely a share token created by a Firm Admin.
If you need any of these actions performed, contact your Firm Admin and provide the relevant details (project name, client email, what you need done).
11. Troubleshooting
I cannot see a project I should have access to
Your Firm Admin assigns projects to Project Managers. If a project is missing from your list, ask your Firm Admin to grant you access via the project's settings.
A document is stuck in "Processing" status
Document processing usually completes within seconds. If a document remains in Processing for more than a few minutes:
- The file may be very large or in an unusual format.
- Try refreshing the page -- the status may have updated.
- If the problem persists, ask your Firm Admin to check the document status. The document itself is safely stored regardless of processing status.
A client says they cannot see a document
Check the following:
- Visibility scope -- is the document set to Internal Only? If so, clients cannot see it. Change it to Project Clients or the appropriate scope.
- Project membership -- does the client have an active membership to the project? Check the Clients tab on the project.
- Principal Only -- if the document is set to Principal Only, verify the client or their organization is listed as the designated principal.
I cannot upload a file
- File type: Only PDF, DOCX, and XLSX files are supported.
- File size: Each file type has a maximum size limit. The upload wizard shows the limit for each file.
- Project selection: Make sure you have selected a project before uploading. Documents must belong to a project.
My search returns no results
- Document content is only searchable after processing completes. Check that the document status is "Completed".
- Scanned PDFs (image-based) cannot be searched by content because OCR is not yet supported. You can still find them by file name or metadata.
- Try broader search terms or use wildcards for partial matches.
I need a new category that does not exist
Category creation is restricted to Firm Admins. Contact your Firm Admin with the category name and which project(s) it should apply to.
The AI suggested the wrong category for my document
AI classification is not always accurate, especially for documents with ambiguous content or generic filenames. Change the category manually from the document detail page. Your correction helps improve future suggestions. If the AI consistently miscategorizes certain document types, let your Firm Admin know -- they can adjust the confidence thresholds in Settings > AI Configuration.
Natural language search is not working
If typing natural language queries returns no results or behaves like keyword search, the feature may not be enabled for your workspace. Check with your Firm Admin. When disabled, use the standard keyword search and manual filter controls instead.
The workspace assistant gave an incorrect answer
The assistant's responses are based on document content and are not guaranteed to be accurate. Always verify important information against the cited source documents. If the assistant frequently gives poor answers, the AI provider or model may need adjustment -- let your Firm Admin know.
AI features are not available
If you do not see the workspace assistant, document classification suggestions, or natural language search, these features may not be enabled for your workspace. AI configuration is managed by Firm Admins at Settings > AI Configuration. Contact your Firm Admin if you believe these features should be available.
Need more help? Contact your Firm Admin for workspace-level questions, or reach out to your organization's Cadenora support contact for platform issues.