# Project Archive and Historical Data

> Time tracking system capability to archive completed projects while preserving all historical time entries, reports, and metadata for future reference, compliance requirements, and trend analysis, with features to mark projects inactive, hide from active views, and maintain searchable historical records for 3-7 years or longer.

- **URL:** https://www.getharvest.com/features/project-management
- **Category:** Time Tracking Feature
- **Tags:** Data Management, Compliance, Reporting
- **Updated:** 2026-03-20 19:58
- **Canonical page:** https://timetrack.works/vi/items/project-archive-and-historical-data

## Details

## Overview

Project Archive functionality enables organizations to maintain clean active project lists while preserving historical data for compliance, reference, and learning purposes.

## Key Features

### Archive Process
- Mark project as archived/inactive
- Remove from active selection lists
- Preserve all historical data
- Maintain searchability
- Prevent new time entries

### Data Retention
- Time entries preserved
- Budget information retained
- Reports remain accessible
- Invoices maintained
- Notes and attachments saved

### Access Control
- View-only mode
- Search/reporting access
- Export capabilities
- Audit trail maintained

## Compliance Requirements

**DCAA**: 3-6 year retention
**Legal**: Varies by jurisdiction
**Tax**: 7 years typical
**Audit**: Based on contract terms

## Use Cases

**Completed Projects**:
- Client work finished
- Contract ended
- Budget depleted
- Deliverables accepted

**Reference Data**:
- Future estimates
- Lessons learned
- Best practices
- Benchmarking

**Compliance**:
- Audit requests
- Legal discovery
- Tax documentation
- Dispute resolution

## Benefits

**Organization**:
- Cleaner active lists
- Faster project selection
- Reduced clutter
- Better UX

**Data Integrity**:
- Preserved history
- Searchable records
- Audit compliance
- Risk mitigation

**Analysis**:
- Historical trends
- Performance metrics
- Estimation improvement
- Profitability analysis

## Best Practices

- Archive promptly after completion
- Document archive reason
- Regular archive reviews
- Consistent naming
- Clear archive policy

## Reporting

**Include Archived**:
- Multi-year trends
- Career retrospectives
- Client relationship history
- Department performance

**Exclude Archived**:
- Current capacity
- Active budgets
- Real-time dashboards

## Pricing

N/A - This is a standard feature in time tracking systems.

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