Workspace Introduction

  • 5 minute(s) read
Prev Next

In Agility Blue, a workspace is a dedicated environment where project and task management takes place. Each workspace organizes your work into a primary object hierarchy of:

  • Clients
    The top level of the hierarchy, containing their own set of matters. Supports custom fields to track client-specific details tailored to your workflow needs.

  • Matters

    Belong to clients and serve as a home for projects, with options for custom security and visibility settings. Supports the ability to add custom fields so you can track details needed for each matter.

  • Projects

    Act as containers for tasks, providing high-level details such as due dates, requesters, owners, and priority. Projects are typically viewed as requests, with tasks defining the specific instructions and requirements needed to complete work and are automatically closed when all tasks within are complete.

  • Tasks
    The fundamental unit of work in Agility Blue, defining instructions and requirements needed to complete work. Tasks can be assigned to individuals or teams, progress through lifecycle status (new, in progress, in quality control, on hold, completed, canceled), and support key associations like media, volumes, attachments, billing entries, comments, and emails.

Alongside this primary hierarchy, a workspace supports several secondary object associations that can be associated at any level within the primary hierarchy, giving you full flexibility for where you want to manage related data:

  • Billing Objects
    Billing types define the base properties of a billing entry, including description, code, unit, pricing, and visibility. Billing profiles allow overrides at the client, matter, or project level, inheriting details from their parent associations while enabling customized billing rules. This flexible structure supports dynamic billing needs while simplifying the process for users logging their work. Billing entries support custom fields to assist in tracking billing-specific details tailored to your workflow.

  • Media Log Entries

    Enter media information that includes information about a media type, custodian, source and receiver info. Supports the ability to add custom fields so you can track media-specific details unique to your workflow.

  • Volumes

    Enter volume information that includes details about document, page, or native counts and attach as many beginning and ending volume range information as needed for each volume. Supports the ability to add custom fields so you can track volume-specific details unique to your workflow.

  • Attachments

    Store and manage files directly within Agility Blue, ensuring that important documents, references, and supporting materials are easily accessible within your workspace.

Customizable Workflows & Data Fields

There are a flexible set of tools to help you design and customize workflows available to help meet your unique business needs.

Forms

The Task Form Builder allows you to:

  • Design custom task forms with a variety of field types that include text-based, number-based, date-based, choice-based, and reference-based fields.

  • Define field properties such as:

    • Stylized Information for enhanced formatting and conveying instructions or contextual information about the fields.

    • Custom Tooltips to further guide users.

    • Password Masking for sensitive information.

  • Apply dynamic conditions, such as showing/hiding fields or requiring certain fields based on values entered in other fields.

Custom Fields & Custom Objects

Custom fields aren’t limited to tasks — they can also be applied to:

  • Clients

  • Matters

  • Media Log Entries

  • Volumes

  • Contacts

  • Billing Entries

In addition to custom fields, you can also define Custom Objects, allowing you to capture and track specialized data that doesn’t fit into the built-in data structures.

Categorization & Templating

Agility Blue workspaces provide template and profile tools to streamline setup and maintain consistency across the workspace:

  • Tags

    To apply cross-categorization across projects useful for searching and exporting.

  • Project Templates
    To quickly spin up new projects and tasks with pre-configured settings.

  • Media Types
    To categorize media log entries.

  • Email Templates
    To help standardize outgoing communications.

Communication Tools

Agility Blue makes it easy to collaborate and communicate directly within your workspace. Available communication features include:

  • Comments
    Add comments on clients, matters, and tasks.

  • External Task Sharing

    Share task details with external parties, even if they don’t have an Agility Blue account.

  • Email Integration

    Compose and store emails directly within tasks, keeping all related communication in one place.

  • Email Notifications

    Setup robust notification rules for users or teams to automatically notify users when key events occur within projects, tasks, comments, and emails.

  • Email Replies

    Recipients can reply directly to email notifications generated from Agility Blue, and Agility Blue will automatically log those replies as task comments.

  • Ingest Email
    Users can send emails directly into the system to automatically create projects and tasks from incoming messages.

Billing & Financial Tracking

The billing system in Agility Blue is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing organizations to support a wide range of billing structures and financial tracking needs.

Billing Entries at Every Level

Billing entries can be created and tracked at any level within the primary hierarchy, including:

  • Clients

  • Matters

  • Projects

  • Tasks

This flexibility ensures you can capture billable activity where it naturally occurs, whether you bill at the matter level, by individual project, or down to specific tasks.

Billing Types & Billing Profiles

Agility Blue uses Billing Types to define the kinds of billable activities you can track, each with its own:

  • Unit

  • Description

  • Default Rate (Price)

  • Visibility

To manage how billing types apply across clients, matters, and projects, Agility Blue offers Billing Profiles. Billing Profiles allow you to:

  • Define standard billing configurations at the workspace level.

  • Propagate default billing rules down to all associated clients, matters, and projects.

  • Override billing type details at any level to accommodate special pricing, client-specific agreements, or project-specific terms.

This combination of inheritance and overrides gives you the power to enforce consistent billing rules across your organization, while still being able to customize billing at the point where work happens.

Reporting & Data Exports

Workspaces come equipped with a variety of standard reports to cover common needs such as:

  • Billing entries and pivot charts based on types.

  • User task creation, assignment, QC, and completion activity.

  • Previous week summaries.

  • Client and Matter quarterly charts and graphs.

  • Printable project details.

  • Media log entry barcode generation.

  • Task volume analysis.

All reports have the ability to export data to Excel, CSV, or PDF. For additional needs:

  • Custom Reports can be designed by the Agility Blue team.

  • Every grid in Agility Blue supports the ability to export data to Excel or CSV, giving you self-service access to your data whenever needed.

  • For advanced data visualization requirements or if you prefer to design your own reports using your own tools, you can connect tools that support REST API connections directly to the Agility Blue REST API. Examples include Excel, Power BI, or Tableau.

Importing Data

Interested in importing data into Agility Blue? Enterprise users have access to the Agility Blue SFTP Service, ideal for:

  • Ad-hoc data import.

  • Automatically keeping client and matter data in sync with platforms like 3E Elite, Aderant, and Clio.

Use industry standard tools like FileZilla and WinSCP to connect and import ad-hoc data whenever you need to bulk-import information in simple CSV formats.

Automation, Scripting, & Extensibility

Enterprise users that employ the optional Agility Blue Scripting Kit module have access to a powerful PowerShell Scripting Environment that can be used to create and manage scripts directly within Agility Blue. Scripts can be used to facilitate many automation needs:

  • Respond to just about any event that occurs in the system

  • Run before or after data changes.

  • Execute on a custom schedule.

For even deeper customization, consider leveraging the Agility Blue REST API, giving developers full access to extract, import, or integrate directly with other systems.