Welcome to the Community, @mahleli. I'd like to appreciate you for taking the time to chime in on this thread and share your thoughts about managing projects.

I understand how beneficial it could be if we could perform cost budgeting and variances on a monthly basis all the way through project inception with the columns you've narrowed down. I too, would also love this option to be available as this will make the project tracking more precise and detailed. 

Since both QuickBooks Online (QBO) and QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) don't have this feature, I suggest submitting a feature request to our product developers so they can take it into consideration for inclusion in further updates. They are committed to learning more about what will benefit our users like you.

I'd be glad to share the steps for sending feedback. Please follow the steps below:

QBO

1. Click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner.
2. Select Feedback under Profile.
3. Share your feedback.
4. Click Next to submit.

You can also send feedback through this link and get the latest updates from our development team: QuickBooks Online Customer Feedback

QBDT

1. Go to the Help menu and select Send Feedback Online.
2. Click Product Suggestion.
3. Choose a feedback type and product area on the QuickBooks Feedback window.
4. Enter your suggestion or feedback, name, and email address (optional).
5. Select the Send Feedback Online.

On the other hand, you can consider looking for a supported third-party application that'll enable you to track projects in a way that's convenient for you and your business. Refer to this link to find one: Apps help QuickBooks run better. You can narrow down the results by typing in some keywords like "track project".

Lastly, I'll be including this article that'll help you for future use in case you'd feel the need to add paid and unpaid invoices to projects: Add existing invoices to QuickBooks Online Projects. 

Feel free to hit on the Reply button if you require further assistance or additional questions with regard to managing projects in QuickBooks whether in online or desktop version. Keep safe.