---
title: Hierarchy
keywords: hierarchy, departments, organizational structure, units, teams, firm structure, department management, sub-departments, organizational units, hierarchy settings, hierarchy terminology, division, group
summary: Describes how to organize a firm into departments and nested sub-departments on the Management > Hierarchy page. Covers viewing the hierarchy table, creating and editing departments, assigning department managers and employees, and customizing the terminology used for organizational units.
url: /management/department
---

# Hierarchy

The Hierarchy page lets you organize your firm into departments and nested sub-departments that reflect your company's organizational structure. Splitting employees into units makes department-based reporting, resource planning, and accounting segmentation possible.

## Why Hierarchy Matters

Organizing your firm into departments helps you:

- **Structure teams** — Mirror your organization's business units, practices, and subsidiaries.
- **Enable reporting** — Filter revenue, hours, and other reports by department or firm.
- **Assign managers** — Designate department heads responsible for oversight.
- **Track employees** — View how many employees belong to each unit and list them.
- **Plan resources** — Allocate work and balance workloads across teams.

## Accessing Hierarchy

To open the Hierarchy page:

1. Click **Management** in the main sidebar menu.
2. Select **Hierarchy**.

![Management Hierarchy page showing the firm and department table with the New department button](../screenshots/management-hierarchy-list.png)

## Hierarchy Overview Table

The table lists your firms and departments in their hierarchical order. Each row shows:

- **Name** — The name of the firm or department. Departments are indented under their parent.
- **Type** — Whether the row is a **Firm** or a **Department**.
- **Managers** — The manager(s) assigned to the unit.
- **Employee count** — The number of employees assigned to that department.

A firm row also has a **Hierarchy settings** link next to its name, which opens the terminology settings for that firm.

## Creating a Department

To create a department:

1. On the Hierarchy page, click **New department**.
2. Fill in the form:
   - **Name** (required) — The department name, for example *Litigation*, *Advisory*, or *Corporate Finance*.
   - **Firm and/or department** (required) — Select the firm or the parent department to place this department under. This field determines where the new department sits in the hierarchy.
   - **Department managers** (optional) — Select one or more users to act as department managers.
3. Click **Save department**.

![New department form with the Name, Firm and/or department, and Department managers fields](../screenshots/management-hierarchy-new-department.png)

To create a sub-department, open the parent department first, then click **New department** there. The current department is pre-selected as the parent.

## Department Details

Clicking a department name in the table opens its detail page:

![Department detail page showing the department summary and its list of employees](../screenshots/management-hierarchy-department-detail.png)

On the department page you can:

- **Review the department** — The **Department** card shows the department name, its employee count, and its assigned managers.
- **View employees** — The **Employees** card lists everyone assigned to the department with their **Name** and **Email**.
- **Edit the department** — Click **Edit department** to rename the department, change its parent, or update its managers.
- **Create a sub-department** — Click **New department** to add a nested department under the current one.

### Editing and Deleting a Department

The **Edit department** form lets you change the department's **Name**, its **Firm and/or department** (the parent unit), and its **Department managers**. The **Created** date is shown for reference and cannot be changed.

![Edit department form with the Name, Firm and/or department, Created, and Department managers fields plus the Delete department button](../screenshots/management-hierarchy-edit-department.png)

The form also includes a **Delete department** button. A department can only be deleted once it has no employees and no sub-departments; if either exists, reassign the employees and delete the sub-departments first.

## Hierarchy Terminology Settings

The names used for organizational units can be customized to match your firm's own vocabulary. Next to a firm's name in the table, click **Hierarchy settings**.

![Hierarchy settings dialog with a term for each hierarchy level](../screenshots/management-hierarchy-settings.png)

The dialog lets you set the term used for each level of the hierarchy:

- **Term for level 1 units**
- **Term for level 2 units**
- **Term for level 3 units**
- **Term for level 4 units**

Each level can be set to **Department**, **Division**, **Team**, **Group**, or **Unit**. Click **Save** to apply the terminology. The chosen terms are used throughout Manor wherever an organizational unit is referred to, for example in the Hierarchy table and in the unit field on user profiles.

## Assigning Employees to Departments

Employees are assigned to a department through their user profile:

1. Go to **Administration** → **Users**.
2. Open the user you want to assign.
3. In the **Unit** field, select the department.
4. Save the user.

Each employee belongs to a single primary unit at a time.

## Departments in Reporting and Operations

Once configured, your hierarchy is used across Manor:

- **Reports** — Filter reports by firm and department.
- **Resource planning** — Filter schedules and availability by unit.
- **Data tables** — Filter billable items, time entries, and expenses by *Firm and department*.
- **Analysis** — Group and compare results by organizational unit.

## Best Practices

- **Keep the structure manageable** — One or two levels (Firm > Department, or Firm > Department > Team) is usually enough for reporting and administration.
- **Assign responsible managers** — Named managers make departmental oversight and approvals clearer.
- **Keep assignments up to date** — Update the **Unit** field when people change roles or teams so reporting stays accurate.
- **Use consistent naming** — Standardize department names across offices and divisions.