Create a project (or build one from an estimate)

A project groups a big, multi-payment engagement — a remodel, a full installation, anything billed in stages — under one customer, with a payment schedule, invoices, estimates, expenses, photos, and contracts in one place. Create one from the Projects page with New Project, or open it straight from an existing estimate by attaching that estimate in the same drawer. Every project lives on its customer's page; the Projects page itself is a finder.

Before you start

• The project needs a customer. Add the customer first if they aren't in Dispatch Bros yet.
• You need an owner, admin, or dispatcher login with project access.
• If you already wrote the scope as an estimate, have it ready — attaching it saves you from re-typing the contract value and the schedule.

Step 1 — Open the New Project drawer

1. Click Projects in the left sidebar.
2. Click New Project (top right). The same button appears in the empty state on a fresh account.

Step 2 — Name it and pick the customer

1. Enter a Project Name — for example the drawer's own suggestion, "Kitchen Remodel — Smith Residence".
2. Under Customer, type at least two letters to search, then click the customer. Their address auto-fills the Address field if it was empty (you can change it to the project site address).

The customer is required — if you try to save without one, the app tells you "Pick a customer — the project lives on their page".

Step 3 — Attach estimates (optional, recommended)

Once a customer is selected, an Attach estimates list appears with that customer's estimates that aren't in a project yet. Check any that belong to this project — multiple versions are welcome.

• The primary (approved) estimate drives the contract value, and its line items become one-click milestone suggestions on the project page.
• A paid or converted estimate shows the badge "Paid — invoice joins the project" — its invoice and recorded payments come into the project with it.
• If the list is empty you'll see "No linkable estimates for this customer — the project starts blank." — that's fine; you can link estimates later from the project's Estimates tab with Link existing.

Step 4 — Contract value, dates, and notes

1. Enter the Contract Value — the total the customer agreed to pay. With estimates attached, this acts as an override of the estimate's total.
2. Optionally set Start Date, End Date, and Notes (scope of work, site details).
3. Click Create Project. You'll see "Project created" (or "Project created with N estimates") and land on the new project's page, inside the customer's page.

Step 5 — Find it again later

• Projects in the sidebar lists every project. Search by name with Search projects… or filter by status (Planning, Active, On hold, Completed, Cancelled).
• Clicking a row opens the project inside its customer's page. You can also reach it from the customer's page under their Projects tab.
• To change the name, status, dates, or contract value later, open the project and click Edit.

Deleting a project

Two places do it: the trash icon on the project's row in the Projects list, or Delete project inside the project's Edit dialog. Both ask before anything happens.

What deletion does: the payment schedule — including any unsent draft invoices the project created — plus its expenses, files and photos are permanently removed. Linked estimates and jobs are kept; they just leave the project.

What stops it: an invoice that was sent or paid. The money trail is never deleted with a project — the message names the blocking invoice numbers, and you can cancel or delete those invoices first if you really mean to erase everything. Cancelled unpaid invoices are kept as history and simply leave the project.

Troubleshooting

• A project row says "Attach a customer" — it's an older project that was created without a customer, and a project has nowhere to open without one. Click the row, search for the right customer, and attach them. This can only be set once, so pick carefully.
• "Couldn't load projects" — a connection problem. Click Retry.
• An estimate you expected isn't in the Attach list — it's already linked to another project. An estimate can belong to only one project.
• "You don't have access to projects" — your role doesn't include project access. Ask an owner or admin to grant it — see roles and permissions.