Summary:

I create a WordPress plugin that works as a Project Manager: Managing client projects without switching between tools, losing track of tasks. And create a link for clients to see the progress and tick off their own tasks.

The ask

A simple project manager inside my own workflow — not Trello, not Notion, just something lightweight I control. Tasks per client, assignable to me or the client, with priorities, time estimates, and deadlines. And I wanted Claude to be able to read and update it directly so we could work from the same list.

How it was built

I described what I wanted in a Cowork session and it built a single HTML file — a self-contained project manager that runs in the browser. No server, no database, no login. Here is every step that went into it:

• Base structure. One HTML file with a sidebar for input and a task board with columns per assignee. Tasks stored in localStorage — no backend needed.
• AI task extraction from Word documents. I wanted to paste text from emails or Word documents and have the tool extract the action points automatically. I used the OpenAI API for this — paste any block of text, click “Extract tasks with AI”, and it returns a structured task list. No manual copying or reformatting.
• Manual task form. I asked for a form to add tasks by hand too, with fields for: description, extra info, priority (high / medium / low), category (admin / development / cosmetic), assigned to, time estimate in minutes, and deadline.
• Assignee dropdown. Fixed options: My tasks, client tasks, together tasks — so tasks always land in the right column. Added a normalisation function that corrects all old entries on load.
• Inline editing. I asked for a ✏️ button on every task so I can edit all fields after the fact — the same fields as the add form, opening inline without a page reload.
• Time overview. A stat block at the top of the manager showing total estimated hours across all open tasks — calculated from the minutes field, visible only in the admin view.
• WordPress plugin wrapper. To keep the manager password-protected and accessible from WP-admin, I wrapped it in a plugin. The manager runs inside an iframe so WordPress styles don’t interfere with the layout.
• Security. Added an .htaccess file to the plugin folder blocking direct URL access — the manager is only reachable through the WP-admin panel.

The result

One webpage, all my active clients work. I open it, I see what needs to happen. I add the hours I think it takes to send a quote. I tick it off. The client gets a URL to view project progress, without having to ask me for it.