> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.zarms.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How ZARMS differs from typical project management tools

> Things that often surprise people coming to ZARMS from other project management tools: boards instead of projects, four roles instead of one assignee, six fixed statuses, a start date that is a deadline, no deleting, descriptions in Google Docs, and no private boards.

Here are the things that often surprise people who come to ZARMS from other project management tools. None of them are missing features. They're intentional. Each linked article explains why.

| In typical tools | In ZARMS | Why |
| - | - | - |
| Issues and tasks live inside a project | **Cards** live inside a **board**. There's no project unit | See "Boards instead of projects" below |
| One assignee | **Four roles**: Creator, Processor, Reviewer, and Receiver | [Why cards have four roles and a ball](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/ball-and-roles.md) |
| You reassign the "current owner" by hand | Moving the status forward sets who acts next (**the ball**) automatically | [Why cards have four roles and a ball](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/ball-and-roles.md) |
| You can add any statuses you like | **Six fixed statuses**. You can only rename them | [Why there are exactly six statuses](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/fixed-statuses.md) |
| The start date is when you plan to begin | **Starts** is the deadline to start work. Miss it and the card is overdue | [Why the start date is a deadline](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/start-deadline.md) |
| You delete tasks you don't need | **No deleting**. Cancel or archive instead | [Why you can't delete cards](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/no-delete.md) |
| You write in a description field | Write descriptions in **each card's Google Doc** | [Why descriptions live in Google Docs](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/google-docs.md) |
| Boards or projects can be private | **No private boards**. Limit outside people by making them guests | [Why boards can't be private](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/open-boards.md) |
| Pricing is per user | **Flat rate per team** | [Plans and trial](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/billing/plans.md) |
| Numbers with an issue key (e.g. ABC-123) | One running number across the team (e.g. #42) | — |

## Boards instead of projects

ZARMS has no "project" unit. The container for related cards is a **board**. Create boards for whatever you want to group: a department, a client engagement, recurring work, and so on.

ZARMS isn't only about tracking project progress. It aims to be **a database that connects your work**, linking everyday work together. So we avoid words that suggest only fixed-term projects. It's a place to lay out cards, so we call it a board.

To create one, see [Create a board](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/boards/create.md).

## What ZARMS doesn't have

ZARMS doesn't currently have these features:

* **An in-app text editor**: Write descriptions in Google Docs.
* **Password sign-in**: Sign in with a Google account.
* **Custom statuses or workflow settings**: There are six fixed statuses.
* **Nested boards**: You can't put a board inside a board. Only cards can be parent and child (within the same board).

## Matching terms

Here are common terms from other tools and their closest ZARMS equivalents. For what each ZARMS term means, see the [Glossary](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/glossary.md).

| Common term | ZARMS term |
| - | - |
| Workspace, organization, space | Team |
| Project | Board |
| Issue, ticket, task | Card |
| Subtask | Child card, steps |
| Status | Status |
| Assignee | Processor (the person doing the work) |
| Reviewer, approver | Reviewer |
| Requester | Creator, Receiver |
| Watcher | Follower |
| Start date | Starts (the deadline to start work) |
| Due date, deadline | Due |
| Estimate, time spent | Hours (planned), Hours (actual) |
| Close, reject | Done, Cancelled |


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.