In Project Mode, a directory structure is created on disk to help you manage design sources, run results and reports, and track project status.
The automated management of the design data, process, and status requires a project infrastructure that is stored in the Vivado project file (.xpr).
In Project Mode, the Vivado tools automatically write checkpoint files into the local project directory at key points in the design flow.
To run implementation in Project Mode, you click the Run Implementation button
in the IDE or use the launch_runs Tcl command. See this
link in the
Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Design
Flows Overview (UG892) for more
information about using projects in the Vivado Design Suite.