Similar to setting up a custom invoice numbering format, you can also create numbering schemes for other items in Productive: projects, budgets, tasks, deals, and purchase orders.

This lets you personalize the codes used for these items and keep them consistent across the app.

Customizing the numbering sequences is available in Premium and Ultimate plans.

Why Customize Numbering Formats?

Customizing your number format lets you easily identify items, keep track of work for specific clients, and maintain a structured approach across your organization.

Here are the variables you can use in your numbering schemes:

{yyyy}, {yy}: Current year
- {yyyy} = 2024
- {yy} = 24
{q}: Current quarter
- {q} = 1
{n}, {nn}, {nnn}: Sequential number
- {n} = 1
- {nn} = 01
- {nnn} = 001
- The number of ns determines how many digits are displayed.
{mm}: Month
- {mm} = 01
{company_code}: First four characters of your or your client’s company code (e.g., ACMER becomes ACME)

📌 You can search for items by number in the projects, budgets, tasks, deals, and purchase orders screens. Enter the number without the # symbol.

Examples (Click Here to Expand)

1) Project Numbering

Let’s say you work with multiple clients like Alpha Corp and Beta Industries. You want to set up a project numbering scheme that’s specific to each client.

Format: {company_code}-{n}

📌 {n} keeps numbers minimal.

Here’s how it would work:

For the first project with Alpha Corp, the number would be ALPH-1.
For the first project with Beta Industries, the number would be BETA-1.
If you create another project for Alpha Corp, the number would be ALPH-2.

This setup helps you immediately recognize which client a project is for, and it maintains a sequential order specific to each client.

2) Budget Numbering

If you handle various types of budgets across quarters, you might want to distinguish them easily.

Format: BUD_{company_code}_{q}_{nn}
📌 {q} quarter is always in 1-digit format (1, 2…). {nn} keeps budget numbers in two-digit format.

This might look like:

BUD_ALPH_1_01 for Alpha Corp's first-quarter budget.
BUD_BETA_2_01 for Beta Industries' second-quarter budget.

This format helps in identifying budgets by client and quarter, ensuring clarity in financial tracking.

3) Task Numbering

For tasks, you can create a consistent numbering scheme using the available variables.

Format: {company_code}-{yyyy}-{mm}-{nnn}

📌 {yyyy} ensures the year always shows with four digits (2024). {mm} keeps months consistent with two digits. {nnn} keeps task numbers in three-digit format.

Here’s how it would work:

For the first task in January 2025 for Alpha Corp, the number might be ALPH-2025-01-001.
For a task created in February 2025 for Beta Industries, the number might be BETA-2025-02-002.

This setup provides a clear, date-based sequence that helps in tracking when tasks were created while keeping a running tally of tasks across the year.

4) Deal Numbering

Format: {n}

1: first deal
2: second deal

If you want client-specific deal numbering, you can combine variables:

Format: {company_code}-{n}

ALPH-1 for the first deal with Alpha Corp.
BETA-1 for the first deal with Beta Industries.
ALPH-2 for the second deal with Alpha Corp.

📌 The default {n} format keeps a single running count across all deals, which works well if you track deals centrally. Use {company_code}-{n} if you want to separate sequences per client.

5) Purchase Order Numbering

Purchase orders often require a combination of date and sequential numbers to track orders annually.

Format: {company_code}-{yy}-{nnn}

📌 {yy} shortens the year to two digits, {nnn} ensures consistent three-digit numbering.

Examples:

ALPH-24-001 for the first purchase order in 2024 for Alpha Corp.
BETA-24-002 for the second purchase order in 2024 for Beta Industries.

Setting up the Custom Number Schemes

To set up custom numbering formats, navigate to Settings > General in your Productive account. Note that only Admins can update the numbering sequences.

Navigate to the Numbering scheme section, where you can set custom sequences for projects, budgets, tasks, deals, and purchase orders.

Tips for Setting Up Numbering Sequences

Hover over the ℹ️ icon next to each item to see which variables are supported.
You can combine variables with standard text — numbers (1–9), letters (A–Z, a–z), symbols (/ _ - . < >), and whitespace.
Set a custom start number for each sequence type (you can’t retroactively add a lower number).
The number of letters (n, y) directly controls the number of digits and whether leading zeroes are included.