Setting Up Accounts
Accounts represent your clients in MovaLab. Learn how to create accounts, configure service tiers, assign team members, and monitor account health.
Overview
In MovaLab, Accounts are the top-level organizational unit for client work. Each account contains projects, has assigned team members, and tracks its own capacity and health metrics.
Account Structure:
Account (Client)
├── Projects (multiple)
│ ├── Tasks
│ ├── Time Entries
│ └── Workflow Instances
├── Team Members
│ ├── Account Manager (owner)
│ └── Assigned Users
├── Service Tier
└── Health MetricsCapacity Tracking
Team hours are proportionally allocated across accounts they're assigned to.
Health Monitoring
Automatic health scores based on project status, deadlines, and issues.
Client Portal Access
Optional client login for project visibility and approvals.
Isolated Resources
Row-Level Security ensures clients only see their own data.
Creating Accounts
Navigate to Accounts in the main navigation, then click New Account to create a client account.
Step-by-Step Guide
Basic Information
Enter account name, company website, and industry. This information appears on the account dashboard and reports.
Select Service Tier
Choose Basic, Premium, or Enterprise tier. This sets expectations for capacity allocation and SLA.
Assign Account Manager
Select the primary owner. Account managers have full access and receive notifications for this account.
Add Team Members
Assign team members who will work on this account's projects. Their capacity will be split across their accounts.
Configure Billing (Optional)
Set billing rate, retainer hours, and contract dates. Enables revenue and utilization reporting.
Enable Client Portal (Optional)
Generate client login credentials. Clients can view progress and submit approvals.
Account Fields Reference
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| name | Yes | Client/company name |
| website | No | Client website URL |
| industry | No | Industry category for reporting |
| service_tier | Yes | Basic, Premium, or Enterprise |
| account_manager_id | Yes | Primary owner user ID |
| billing_rate | No | Hourly rate for revenue tracking |
| retainer_hours | No | Monthly retainer hours allocation |
| contract_start | No | Contract start date |
| contract_end | No | Contract end date (for renewal alerts) |
Service Tiers
Service tiers help you categorize clients and set appropriate expectations for capacity allocation, response times, and feature access.
Standard service level for smaller clients or project-based work.
Capacity
Standard allocation
Response Time
48 hours
Features
Core features
Enhanced service for key accounts requiring priority attention.
Capacity
Priority allocation
Response Time
24 hours
Features
All features + client portal
White-glove service for your most important strategic accounts.
Capacity
Dedicated resources
Response Time
4 hours
Features
All features + custom workflows
Customizing Tiers
Service tiers can be customized in Settings → Organization → Service Tiers. Add custom tiers, modify SLAs, and set tier-specific capacity multipliers.
Team Assignment
Assign team members to accounts to enable capacity tracking and project access. Users can be assigned to multiple accounts.
Assignment Types
Account Manager
Primary owner with full management rights. Receives all notifications and appears as main contact.
- • Can edit account settings
- • Can manage team members
- • Receives health alerts
- • One per account
Team Member
Assigned users who work on account projects. Their capacity is split across all assigned accounts.
- • Can view/work on projects
- • Hours tracked per account
- • Capacity proportionally split
- • Unlimited per account
Capacity Impact
When a user is assigned to multiple accounts, their weekly capacity (e.g., 40 hours) is proportionally split:
User: Sarah (40 hrs/week) Assigned to 3 accounts: - Account A: 13.3 hrs available - Account B: 13.3 hrs available - Account C: 13.3 hrs available This prevents double-counting capacity. Actual time logged overrides these allocations.
Managing Assignments
Account Page → Team Tab → Add Member
Select user and role
Account Page → Team Tab → Remove
Unassigns from future projects
Account Settings → Account Manager
Transfer ownership
Settings → User Management → Accounts Tab
Manage multiple accounts at once
Health Metrics
MovaLab automatically calculates account health scores based on project status, deadlines, and issues. Use these metrics to prioritize attention.
Health Score Calculation
Health Score (0-100) = Base Score - Penalties Base Score: 100 Penalties: - Overdue project: -15 per project - At-risk project: -10 per project - Open critical issue: -10 per issue - Open high issue: -5 per issue - Missed deadline (30d): -5 per deadline - Low utilization (<50%): -5 - Over utilization (>100%): -10
Health Status Levels
| Score | Status | Indicator | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80-100 | Healthy | Green | Maintain current approach |
| 60-79 | At Risk | Yellow | Review and address issues |
| 40-59 | Needs Attention | Orange | Escalate to account manager |
| 0-39 | Critical | Red | Immediate intervention required |
Account Dashboard Metrics
Active Projects
Number of in-progress projects
Total Projects
All-time project count
Upcoming Deadlines
Projects due in next 14 days
Overdue Projects
Projects past their deadline
Open Issues
Unresolved issues by severity
Utilization Rate
Actual vs available hours
Revenue (MTD)
Billable hours × rate
Retainer Status
Hours used vs retainer allocation
Client Portal
Give clients visibility into their projects without pestering your team. The client portal provides read access and approval capabilities.
Enabling Client Access
Navigate to Account Settings
Go to the account page → Settings → Client Portal
Enable Portal Access
Toggle 'Enable Client Portal' to on
Create Client User
Enter client email. They'll receive an invitation to set up their account.
Configure Permissions
Choose what clients can see: projects, tasks, time entries, documents
Client Portal Features
Project Dashboard
Real-time view of all their projects and status
Task Visibility
See task progress without internal details
Approval Workflows
Review and approve deliverables directly
Document Access
Download shared files and assets
Feedback Forms
Submit feedback and satisfaction ratings
Communication
Comment on projects and tasks
Best Practices
Set accurate service tiers
Match tier to actual service level. Over-promising creates health score issues; under-promising leaves value on the table.
Assign account managers early
Every account should have an owner from day one. This ensures accountability and clear communication.
Review health scores weekly
Don't wait for red alerts. Catch yellow and orange accounts early and address root causes.
Keep team assignments current
Remove users who are no longer working on the account. Stale assignments skew capacity data.
Use client portal strategically
Enable for accounts that benefit from transparency. Not every client needs or wants portal access.
Track contract dates
Set contract end dates to receive renewal reminders. Don't let contracts lapse without review.
Archive inactive accounts
Archive accounts that are no longer active rather than deleting. Preserves historical data for reporting.
Related Documentation
Continue learning about MovaLab's organizational features.