## Opening the project list and understanding what each project card shows
In Atloria, the **Projects** area is the starting point for moving between project workspaces. If you already know how the broader dashboard is organized from [Working with Project Lists and Dashboards](doc:working-with-project-lists-and-dashboards), this is where that list becomes your day-to-day workspace launcher.

When you open **Projects**, you see a list of project cards. Each card represents one project workspace you can access. The most important thing to look for first is the **project name**, because that is the main label you use to confirm you are opening the right workspace. Alongside the name, the card also shows a **status indicator** so you can quickly tell whether the project is active, completed, or otherwise not in a state for current work. This helps you avoid opening projects that are no longer part of your current priorities.

Many project cards also include **recent activity** cues. These cues help you judge whether work is happening now or whether a project has been quiet. If you are scanning several projects at once, recent activity is often the fastest way to spot where your attention is needed.

Clicking a project card opens that project’s **home page**, which is the main workspace hub for daily work. Think of the card as both a summary and a shortcut.

Different roles usually scan the list in different ways:

- **Documentation Managers** often look first at status and recent activity to decide where follow-up is needed.
- **Project Administrators** usually check which projects are active and which workspace needs coordination.
- **Technical Writers** often start with the project name so they can open the assigned workspace quickly and continue work.

[SCREENSHOT: Projects list showing multiple project cards with project name, status, and recent activity]

## Finding the right project with search, filters, and sorting
When the **Projects** list contains many workspaces, use the list tools before opening anything. Atloria’s project list is designed to help you narrow the view so you can find one workspace quickly or review a smaller group of projects with similar status.

Start with the **search field** at the top of the project list. Enter the **project name** to locate a workspace directly. If the list shows other identifying details, you can also use those visible details to help confirm you found the right project. Search is especially useful for Technical Writers who already know which project they need and want to skip portfolio scanning.

Next, use the available **filters** to reduce the list. Filters are helpful when you want to focus on projects by **status** or **ownership**. For example, a Documentation Manager may filter for active workspaces to review what needs attention now, while a Project Administrator may narrow the list to projects under a certain owner or responsibility area.

Sorting changes the order of the cards. Use **sort by recent activity** when you want the newest updates at the top. Use a **name-based sort** when you want a predictable alphabetical list for easier lookup. Switching between these views is useful when you move between two common tasks:

1. Reviewing the portfolio for current activity.
2. Opening one specific project workspace.

If the list starts feeling too narrow or confusing, clear your filters and return to the full project list before starting a new task. This is the easiest way to reset your view and avoid missing a workspace because an older filter is still active.

- Use **Search** when you know the project name.
- Use **Filters** when you want to review a subset of projects.
- Use **Sort** when the right projects are present but not appearing in the order you expect.

[SCREENSHOT: Project list toolbar with search, filters, and sort options]

## Reviewing status and recent activity before opening a workspace
Before you click into a project, take a moment to read the information shown directly on the project card. In Atloria, this quick review helps you decide whether you need to open the workspace now or whether the card already gives you enough context to move on.

The **status indicator** is your first checkpoint. It tells you whether the project is currently active, completed, or in another state that affects whether work is expected. If a project is not active, you may not need to open it unless you are checking history, confirming completion, or reviewing something specific. For managers and administrators, this saves time because you can skip projects that are clearly outside the current work cycle.

The next thing to review is **recent activity**. Activity cues help you spot projects that were updated recently and identify where collaboration is happening. If several projects have similar status, recent activity often tells you which one deserves attention first. A project with fresh activity may need review, coordination, or follow-up, while a quiet project may not require immediate action.

Use the card alone when you need fast triage:

- You want to see which projects are active.
- You want to identify which projects were updated recently.
- You are deciding where to focus first without opening every workspace.

Open the **project home page** when the card is not enough:

- The project status needs closer review.
- Recent activity suggests work is happening, but you need more detail.
- You need to continue work, check updates, or confirm the current project context.

For Documentation Managers and Project Administrators, this card-level review is especially useful during daily check-ins. Instead of opening every project, you can use status and activity together to decide which workspaces need immediate attention and which can wait.

[SCREENSHOT: Close-up of a project card highlighting status and recent activity details]

## Opening the project home page and moving into daily project work
Once you find the right project card, click it to open the project’s **home page**. In Atloria, the project home page is the main hub for that workspace. It brings together the project title, current status, and activity context so you can confirm where you are before you continue with your work.

The first thing to check on the home page is the **project title**. This is the quickest way to confirm that you opened the correct workspace. Next, review the visible **status** and any **activity context** shown on the page. This helps you understand whether the project is active, what has changed recently, and whether you are stepping into current work or reviewing a quieter workspace.

From the project home page, you can move into the areas used for daily work. Depending on your role, that may include reviewing current items, checking updates, or continuing assigned tasks already in progress. If you recently worked in technical documentation, you can connect this page with what you saw in [Exploring Technical Documentation Inside a Project](doc:exploring-technical-documentation-inside-a-project), but the home page is where you first reorient yourself before moving deeper.

Use this basic workflow:

1. Open **Projects**.
2. Find the right project card.
3. Click the card to open the **project home page**.
4. Confirm the **project title** and **status**.
5. Move into the project area where you need to continue work.

When you need to switch to another workspace, return to the **Projects** list and choose the next project card. This is especially useful when comparing several projects, checking updates across multiple teams, or moving between assigned writing tasks.

[SCREENSHOT: Project home page showing project title, status, and workspace entry points]

## Using project views differently by role
People use the same project list and project home page in different ways depending on their responsibilities. In Atloria, the difference is usually not the screen itself, but how you scan it and what you decide to open.

A **Documentation Manager** usually works at the portfolio level first. That means starting in the **Projects** list, sorting by **recent activity**, and scanning project cards for status changes or signs that work is moving. Instead of opening every workspace, the manager often opens only the project home pages that show active work, recent updates, or a status that needs attention. This keeps the review focused on projects that need decisions or follow-up.

A **Project Administrator** also begins with the project list, but often pays closer attention to **status** and **ownership-related cues** shown in the list. The goal is to monitor progress and move quickly into the correct workspace when coordination is needed. If a project card suggests active work or a change in status, the administrator can open the project home page and continue into the relevant project area for action.

A **Technical Writer** usually takes a more direct path. Instead of scanning the full portfolio, the writer often uses **Search** to find the assigned project by name, opens the **project home page**, and checks **recent activity** to understand what changed since the last session. This makes it easier to resume in-progress work without reviewing unrelated projects.

A simple way to separate the two levels of work is:

| Where you work | Best used for |
|---|---|
| **Projects list** | Finding workspaces, scanning status, reviewing recent activity across many projects |
| **Project home page** | Confirming project context, checking current updates, and continuing project-specific work |

If your task is “Which project needs attention?”, stay in the list first. If your task is “What do I need to do inside this project?”, open the home page.

## Common issues when locating projects or interpreting activity
If you cannot find the project you need, start with the simplest checks in the **Projects** list. In many cases, the project is there, but the current search, filter, or sort setting is hiding it or moving it lower in the list.

If a project does not appear, first review the **search field**. A partial or incorrect project name can narrow the list too much. Clear the search and try again with the exact project name if you know it. If the list is still missing the project, remove any active **filters**. A status or ownership filter may be excluding the workspace you expect to see. If the project still does not appear after clearing search and filters, the most likely explanation is that you do not currently have access to that workspace.

If the wrong projects appear first, check the current **sort order**. A list sorted by name will look very different from one sorted by recent activity. Switch the sort setting to match your goal:

- Use **recent activity** when you want the newest updates first.
- Use **name** when you want easier lookup by project title.

Sometimes **recent activity** on a card is not enough to make a decision. If the activity cue feels too brief or unclear, open the **project home page** and review the fuller project context there before deciding what action to take.

If you open the wrong workspace, do not continue based on assumption. Check the **project title** on the home page immediately. If it is not the project you intended, return to **Projects**, refine your search or filters, and open the correct card.

[SCREENSHOT: Project list with search cleared, filters reset, and sort menu open]

## Overview
This guide focuses on one practical goal: using the **Projects** list and the **project home page** to move quickly between workspaces and understand where attention is needed. In Atloria, these two views work together. The project list gives you a broad view across all available workspaces, while each project home page gives you the context needed to continue work inside one project.

The **project list** is best for scanning. It helps you compare project cards by **project name**, **status**, and **recent activity** without opening each workspace one by one. This is especially useful when you are reviewing multiple projects, checking which workspaces are active, or deciding where to focus first. Search, filters, and sorting make that review faster by narrowing the list to the projects that matter for the task at hand.

The **project home page** is best for action. Once you open a project card, the home page becomes the workspace hub where you confirm the **project title**, review the current **status**, and use visible activity context to continue daily work. From there, you can move into the project areas that support writing, review, coordination, or follow-up.

This guide does not repeat the deeper technical documentation browsing covered in [Exploring Technical Documentation Inside a Project](doc:exploring-technical-documentation-inside-a-project). Instead, it stays focused on the transition between portfolio-level scanning and workspace-level work.

The key idea is simple:

- Use the **Projects** list to decide **where** to work.
- Use the **project home page** to decide **what** to do next.

That distinction helps Documentation Managers, Project Administrators, and Technical Writers all use the same Atloria screens efficiently, even when their daily priorities are different.

## Prerequisites
Before you use the workflow in this guide, make sure the following are true in Atloria:

- You can sign in to your Atloria account and reach the main dashboard. If you need help with access, use [Signing In to Atloria and Solving Access Problems](doc:signing-in-to-atloria-and-solving-access-problems).
- You already have access to at least one project workspace that appears in the **Projects** area.
- You understand the basic dashboard and project list layout covered in [Working with Project Lists and Dashboards](doc:working-with-project-lists-and-dashboards).
- You are ready to work from the **Projects** list into a specific **project home page**.
- If you plan to continue documentation work after opening a workspace, it helps to already be familiar with [Exploring Technical Documentation Inside a Project](doc:exploring-technical-documentation-inside-a-project).

You do not need any special setup to follow this guide beyond normal project access. The main requirement is that the project you want to open is visible in your **Projects** list. If it is missing, use the troubleshooting steps in **Common issues when locating projects or interpreting activity** to check search, filters, sorting, and workspace access.

This guide is most useful when you are doing one of these common tasks:

- Finding an assigned project quickly
- Reviewing which projects are active
- Checking which workspaces show recent activity
- Opening the correct project home page before continuing work
- Switching between multiple project workspaces during the day

After you are comfortable moving between the project list and the project home page, continue with [Managing Project Operations Across Project Home Tabs](doc:managing-project-operations-across-project-home-tabs) to work more effectively inside each project workspace.