Getting started
Your first week
Six things to do first in Practice, in the order that makes the rest of Orin OS make sense.
Nobody learns a practice management system by touring it. These six steps get you useful fastest in Practice, and each one is something you will do again tomorrow.
Before you start
- You can sign in and open your business. See Signing in and two-factor.
- An authenticator app on your phone, for the first step.
- Some screens below may be missing from your menu if your permission groups do not include them. That is normal; see Roles and what each can do.
Steps at a glance
Step 01
Secure your account
Turn on two-factor in Security: choose Turn on in the Authenticator app panel and follow the steps. It takes a few minutes, once. The full steps are in Signing in and two-factor.
Security. Turn on (1) starts two-factor setup. Step 02
Look at your plate
Open My Workspace. Everything assigned to you, across every client, is here. The tiles show what is On your plate, what is Late, your Hours this week and your Unbilled time. Start with Late if it is not zero. The tabs across the top give the same work as a list, a kanban board, what is upcoming, and a calendar.
My Workspace, Overview tab. Step 03
Log some time
Open Timesheet and log time against a task you worked on today. Doing it once now is worth more than reading about it. At the end of the week, Submit week sends it for approval. See Logging time.
Timesheet, My time. Each row is a task, each column a day. Step 04
Connect your mailbox
Open Inbox. Until a mailbox is connected it says No mailbox is connected. Choose Open Email settings to connect your Microsoft 365 or Gmail account, so client correspondence sits beside the work. See Connecting your mailbox.
Inbox before a mailbox is connected. Step 05
Open one client
Open Clients and choose a client you work on. Look at the record end to end: its engagements, its tasks and its documents. That one record explains the shape of everything else.
The client list. Choose a name to open the client. Step 06
Pin your homepage
Go to the page you start your day on and choose the star beside its title. From then on you land there when you sign in. Choose the star again to clear it.
The star (1) beside a page title makes it your homepage.
When you are done
The Security page shows the authenticator as on, My Workspace shows your work, your time is on this week's timesheet, and the next time you sign in you land on your pinned page.
What can wait
Reports, Settings and Billing can wait until somebody asks you for something. They answer questions you do not have yet.
Next steps
Common questions
My workspace is empty. Nothing has been assigned to you yet. That is normal in a first week; ask whoever manages your work to put a task on you so you can see the shape of one.
Am I expected to fill in a timesheet every day? That is your firm's rule rather than Orin OS's. Ask, then see Timesheet.
A screen in these steps is not in my menu. Your permission groups do not include it. Ask an administrator if you need it.