How to Deactivate Projects | Standard Time®

A note on terminology: Standard Time® does not use the word "Archive" for projects. Completed jobs are Deactivated — that is the term used throughout the application, in the Properties panel, and in barcode scan names like DEACTIVATEJOB. If you are searching the help documentation or release notes, search for "deactivate" rather than "archive."

What "Active" Means

Every project in Standard Time® has an Active property — a simple on/off switch that controls whether the project is available on the shop floor. When Active is checked, employees can scan that work order's barcode to start a timer. When Active is unchecked, the project is invisible to the scan station: scanning its name or code does nothing.

Deactivating a project does not delete anything. Every time log, task record, expense, and work order entry stays fully intact and reportable. The project simply stops accepting new scans. You can still:

Run reports against it — all historical data is included
View its task list and time logs in the application
Re-activate it at any time if the job resumes
Filter by the Inactive folder to find it immediately

Nothing is deleted. Deactivating a project is a non-destructive operation. It removes the project from the scan workflow and hides it from active views — nothing more. All data is preserved and fully reportable.

The Two-Step Deactivation Process

Closing out a completed project takes two actions: uncheck the Active property to block scanning, then move the project to an Inactive folder to keep your active views clean. Either step alone is useful, but together they give you precise control over what appears in everyday views and what is available to employees on the floor.

Four-step flow: Open Projects → Click project row → Uncheck Active → Set Folder to Inactive — Open the Projects page, click the project row, uncheck Active in the Properties panel, then assign the Inactive folder.

Steps to deactivate a completed project:

Open Home > Projects.
Click the completed project row. The Properties panel opens on the right side of the window.
Uncheck the Active checkbox in the Properties panel.
Scroll to the Folder field and type Inactive (or select it if already created).

The change takes effect immediately — there is no save button. As soon as you uncheck Active, the project is no longer scannable on the shop floor. The folder assignment hides it from filtered views the moment you navigate away from the Inactive folder.

Finding the Active Property

The Active property lives in the Properties panel — the panel that slides open on the right side of the window when you click any project row. It appears near the top of the Properties panel alongside the project name, code, and status fields.

Navigation path:

Open Home > Projects.
Click any project row. The Properties panel opens on the right.
Look for the Active checkbox near the top of the Properties panel.
Uncheck it to deactivate. Check it to reactivate.

Projects grid showing columns for folder, status, client, and billing rate

Tip: The Status column in the Projects grid can show each project's current status at a glance. Pair the Active flag with a meaningful status value (such as Complete or Closed) so managers can see at a glance which jobs are finished and which are still running.

Creating an Inactive Folder

Unchecking Active prevents scanning, but the project still appears in the Projects grid alongside your open work orders. Moving it to an Inactive folder solves that: once the project is in a named folder, you can filter by any active client or job-type folder and the completed job disappears from view entirely.

Before and after: projects list without folder (mixed active and done jobs) vs. with Inactive folder (only active jobs visible) — Without an Inactive folder, completed jobs clutter your active project list. With an Inactive folder, only current work is visible — completed jobs are one filter click away.

Type Inactive into the Folder field on any project to create it, or click New Folder in the popup that appears when you click the field. After that, the folder appears in the Filter panel on the left side of the window. Assign it to every completed project and your active views will stay clean automatically.

Filter panel on the left side showing nested project folders including an Inactive folder

Setting up an Inactive folder:

Click a completed project row to open the Properties panel.
Scroll to the Folder field and type Inactive.
Press Tab or click away — the folder is created immediately.
Repeat for each completed project. The folder name autocompletes after the first entry.
To view inactive projects at any time, open the Filter panel and click the Inactive folder.

Tip: You can still run reports against inactive projects. Filtering by the Inactive folder shows only closed-out jobs, making it straightforward to pull historical time logs or cost summaries for warranty claims, billing audits, or repeat orders.

Related article: What Folders Can Do For You covers folders in depth — how to create them, assign them across multiple project types, use nested folder names like Inactive\2024, and filter every page in the application with a single click.

What Employees See

When a project is inactive, the Scan Barcodes page on the shop floor simply ignores attempts to scan that work order. An employee who scans a deactivated project's barcode will not get a timer started — the scan produces no result for that project.

This happens automatically with no action required from the employee. They do not need to know the project is deactivated. The scan station will not present an error or a prompt — the project scan is just not acted on. Employees continue their normal scan workflow and will only be able to start timers on active projects.

Tip: If employees report that a scan "isn't working," one of the first things to check is whether the project is still marked Active. Open the Properties panel on that project and confirm the Active checkbox is checked.

Barcode Scans: DEACTIVATEJOB & ACTIVATEJOB

Managers who work on the shop floor don't have to step away to a computer to deactivate a project. The special barcodes DEACTIVATEJOB and ACTIVATEJOB let you toggle a project's Active property directly from the scan station without opening the Properties panel.

Reference table showing DEACTIVATEJOB, ACTIVATEJOB, and PRSTATUS-name scan codes and what each does — Three scan codes for managing project status from the scan station — no computer or admin login required.

The scan sequence follows the normal shop floor flow: scan your username barcode, then scan the work order barcode to identify the project, then scan DEACTIVATEJOB to mark it inactive. The project is deactivated immediately — employees on other scan stations will no longer be able to start timers on it.

Scan sequence to deactivate a project:

Scan your username barcode to identify yourself.
Scan the work order barcode (or type the project name) to identify the project.
Scan DEACTIVATEJOB — the project is immediately set to inactive.

Scan sequence to re-activate a project:

Scan your username barcode.
Scan the work order barcode to identify the project.
Scan ACTIVATEJOB — the project is immediately restored to active.

Related reference: Things to Scan on the Shop Floor lists every special scan code available in Standard Time® — including DEACTIVATEJOB, ACTIVATEJOB, and the full set of status and timer scans.

Setting Project Status from the Scan Station

The PRSTATUS-name scan lets you update a project's Status field directly from the scan station without opening any admin interface. Scan the project barcode to identify the job, then scan a status code like PRSTATUS-Complete or PRSTATUS-On-Hold — the Status field on that project updates immediately, and managers can see it in the project grid.

Common status values used on shop floors:

PRSTATUS-Complete — marks the job as finished
PRSTATUS-On-Hold — flags the job as paused, waiting on materials or approval
PRSTATUS-In-Progress — confirms work is actively running
PRSTATUS-Ready — signals a job is ready for the next operation

Important: PRSTATUS updates the Status field only — it does not change the Active property. A project can be marked Complete via PRSTATUS and still be active (still accepts scan timers). To prevent scanning, you must also uncheck the Active property or scan DEACTIVATEJOB. Use both together for a fully closed-out job: PRSTATUS to communicate the state to managers, DEACTIVATEJOB to lock the project on the floor.

Status values are free text — you define whatever naming convention works for your shop. The values you scan become the project's Status field value and appear in the Projects grid Status column, reports, and the WIP dashboard.

Re-Activating a Project

Jobs sometimes resume after a pause — a customer adds to an order, a warranty repair comes in, or a rework request arrives. Re-activating a project is just as quick as deactivating it.

To re-activate via the Properties panel:

Open Home > Projects.
Open the Filter panel and click the Inactive folder to find the project.
Click the project row to open the Properties panel.
Check the Active checkbox.
Update the Folder field to the appropriate active folder (e.g., the client name or job type), or clear it to return the project to the unfiltered list.

Alternatively, scan ACTIVATEJOB at the scan station: scan your username, scan the work order barcode, and scan ACTIVATEJOB. The project is immediately available for scanning again on every station on the floor.

Nothing is lost during deactivation. Re-activating a project restores it to exactly the state it was in when you closed it — all its task assignments, time log history, expenses, and work order records are untouched. Employees can start new timers against it the moment it is active again.

Another Way to Prevent Barcode Scanning

The Can log time property is a second switch on every project that controls whether employees can record time against it at all. Unchecking it blocks time logging regardless of whether the project is active — no scan will produce a time entry for that project.

This is useful in two situations where the Active flag alone may not be the right tool:

Winding down a job — you want to deactivate a project but need a brief window to finish up admin work before the Active flag is toggled. Uncheck Can log time first to immediately stop all new time entries, then uncheck Active and move to the Inactive folder when you are ready.
Preparing a new project — you are setting up tasks, assigning resources, and configuring a project before it is ready for the floor. Uncheck Can log time while the project is still being built out so no time gets logged against an incomplete setup. Check it again the moment the project is ready to accept scans.

Like the Active property, Can log time is found in the Properties panel — click the project row to open it, then look for the checkbox near the top of the panel alongside the Active and other project-level properties.

Active vs. Can log time: The Active flag controls whether the project appears in scan workflows at all. Can log time specifically blocks time entry creation. For a fully locked-down completed job, uncheck both. For a project still visible in the application but not accepting time, unchecking Can log time alone is enough.

Related Articles: What Folders Can Do For You · Things to Scan on the Shop Floor · Shop Floor Barcode Scanning — How It Works · ← Back to Learning Center