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When you are managing retainer clients, you want to track ongoing hours and deliverables against the monthly scope so you can maintain profitability and transparency. The Retainer Project Template in Teamwork gives you one structured place to run each retainer as a live project, not just a line in a contract.
You set up clear monthly deliverables, time budgets, and billing rules, then track work as tasks and time entries throughout the month. The template shows how much value you have delivered, how many hours are used, and what is still in scope so there are fewer surprises at renewal time.
Use it as your agency retainer tracker template in Teamwork so you can keep every retainer under control, show clients the progress you are making, and protect margin while you deliver consistent ongoing work.
What is the Retainer Project Template and why would I use it?
The Retainer Project Template is a ready made project setup you use for ongoing client retainers. Instead of treating a retainer as a vague “bucket of hours”, you create a structured project with tasks, milestones, and time budgets that match what is included in the agreement.
You use it when you want clarity on what has been delivered this month, how many hours are left, and whether you are staying within the retainer’s scope. This protects margins and makes conversations with clients about renewals or scope changes much easier.
How do I set up and use this template in Teamwork?
Start by loading the Retainer Project Template in Teamwork to create a new project for each retainer client. Then:
Add the client specific details such as monthly hours, deliverables, and billing cycle
Set up task lists that reflect recurring work, reporting, and any fixed monthly activities
Define a time budget for the month and ask your team to log time against the project
Use views and reports to see total hours used, remaining capacity, and upcoming work
At the end of each billing period you review the project, check used vs contracted hours, adjust scope or priorities if needed, then reset for the next month.
How does this template help prevent overservicing and scope creep?
Scope creep on retainers often happens quietly. A few extra tasks here and there, an additional meeting, or an ad hoc request that never makes it into a tracker. Over time, you deliver far more than the retainer covers.
With this template, every piece of work is captured as a task with time logged against it. You compare total hours and deliverables to the agreed monthly scope so you can see overservicing early. When you notice a pattern, you can either reduce low value work, move items to a change request or add on, or discuss updating the retainer with the client.
Can I use this template across multiple retainers and service types?
Yes. You can duplicate the Retainer Project Template for each client and customise it slightly for different service types such as SEO, design, development, or consulting. Use tags, custom fields, or project categories in Teamwork to group retainer projects by client, service line, or team.
This gives you a portfolio style view of all retainers, so you can see which clients have unused hours, which retainers are consistently overused, and where you may need to revisit pricing or scope. Over time, you build a consistent way to plan, deliver, and report on retainer work.
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