Project Mode - Project Mode - 2026.1 English - UG892

Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Design Flows Overview (UG892)

Document ID
UG892
Release Date
2026-06-23
Version
2026.1 English

The Vivado Design Suite uses a project-based architecture to assemble, implement, and track your design. This is called Project Mode. In this mode, Vivado automatically manages your design flow and data.

Tip: The key advantage of Project Mode is that the Vivado handles the entire design process, including dependency management, report generation, and data storage.

When working in Project Mode, Vivado creates a directory structure to manage your design source files locally or remotely. This structure supports changes and updates to the source files.

Note: Some operating systems, such as Windows, limit file path and filename length (for example, Windows has a limit of 260 characters). If your system has such limits, create projects closer to the drive root to keep file paths short.

The project infrastructure manages automated synthesis and implementation runs, tracks run status, and stores synthesis and implementation results and reports. For example it performs the following actions:

  • If you modify an HDL source after synthesis, Vivado identifies the current results as out-of-date, and prompts you for re-synthesis.
  • If you modify design constraints, the Vivado tools prompt you to either re-synthesize, re-implement, or both.
  • After routing completes, Vivado generates timing, DRC, methodology, and power reports.

You can run the entire design flow with a single click in the Vivado IDE. For detailed information on working with projects, refer to Using Project Mode.