Departments

​

Overview

Departments help you organize your studio’s workforce into logical teams based on their function, such as Modeling, Animation, Lighting, or Compositing. Departments can be linked to hardware and software resources for better resource management.

​

Accessing Departments

Navigate to the Departments page from the main menu to view and manage all departments in your studio.

​

Department Tabs

The Departments page is organized into four tabs:

• Active: Currently active departments
• Archived: Previously archived departments
• Linked Hardware: View and manage hardware assignments by department
• Linked Software: View and manage software license assignments by department

​

Creating a Department

​

Editing Departments

To modify an existing department:

1. Click the Edit button next to the department
2. Update the name or color
3. Click Confirm to save changes

​

Archiving Departments

Instead of deleting departments, you can archive them:

1. Edit the department
2. Check the Archived option
3. Save the changes

Archived departments:

• No longer appear in the active list
• Retain historical data
• Can be unarchived if needed
• Accessible via the “Archived” tab

​

Deleting Departments

To delete a department:

1. Click the Delete button next to the department
2. Confirm the deletion
3. The department will be permanently removed

​

Department Colors

Each department can have a unique color code:

• Colors help visually distinguish departments in the interface
• Choose colors that align with your studio’s branding
• Use contrasting colors for better visibility
• Colors appear in task lists, schedules, and user profiles

​

Assigning Users to Departments

Users are assigned to departments through the User Management page:

1. Edit a user profile
2. Select one or more departments from the department dropdown
3. Save the changes

​

Filtering by Department

Throughout Kitsu, you can filter views by department:

• People Page: Filter users by department
• Task Lists: See tasks assigned to specific departments
• Reports: Generate department-specific reports
• Timesheets: Track time spent by department

​

Hardware Resource Management

The Linked Hardware tab allows you to assign hardware resources to departments:

​

Linking Hardware to Departments

​

Benefits of Hardware Linking

• Track which departments have access to specific equipment
• Manage hardware allocation across teams
• Plan resource distribution for new projects
• Identify hardware bottlenecks

​

Unlinking Hardware

To remove hardware from a department:

1. Go to the Linked Hardware tab
2. Find the hardware item in the department’s list
3. Click Unlink to remove the association

​

Software License Management

The Linked Software tab manages software license allocation:

​

Linking Software Licenses

​

Software License Benefits

• Track license distribution across departments
• Ensure teams have required software access
• Manage license compliance
• Plan license purchases based on department needs
• Optimize license utilization

​

Unlinking Software

To remove software licenses from a department:

1. Go to the Linked Software tab
2. Find the software license in the department’s list
3. Click Unlink to remove the association

​

Exporting Department Data

Export department information to CSV:

1. Ensure you’re on the Active tab
2. Click the Export button
3. Download the CSV file containing:
   • Department type
   • Department name
   • Department color

This export is useful for:

• Backup purposes
• Reporting to stakeholders
• Integration with external systems
• Documentation

​

Common Department Examples

Typical departments in animation and VFX studios:

​

Department-Based Workflows

Departments integrate with Kitsu’s production pipeline:

1. Task Assignment: Assign tasks to specific departments
2. Status Tracking: Monitor department progress on projects
3. Resource Planning: Allocate resources based on department needs
4. Time Tracking: Record time spent by department
5. Quota Management: Set production quotas per department

​

Best Practices

​

Related Pages

• User Management - Assign users to departments
• Studios - Manage multi-studio organizations
• Task Types - Configure task types for departments