Home Screens User Guide

Complete guide for onboarding, project management screens, configuration, and team operations.

Back to Documentation Home

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Projects Home Screen
• Add Project
• Project Details
• Edit Project
• Cost Items
• Project Receipts
• Project Bills
• Project Change Orders
• Project Photos and Notes
• Company Settings
• Configuration Home Screen
• Team Management
• Navigation Patterns
• Loading States
• Troubleshooting

Getting Started with ProjectHound

ProjectHound uses Clerk for authentication. New users sign up with email + password, verify with a 6-digit code, then create an organization to begin using the app.

Sign Up and Verify

1. Open ProjectHound and tap Sign up.
2. Enter email and password, then tap Continue.
3. Enter the verification code sent to your email and tap Verify.

Create Organization

1. Enter your organization name on the Create Organization screen.
2. Tap Create Organization.
3. You are set as initial org admin and redirected to Projects Home.

Projects Home Screen

This is your main dashboard for project access. You can open project details or use quick actions for Notes, Photos, Receipts, Bills, and Change Orders.

Quick Actions

1. Like - Mark/unmark favorites for faster access.
2. Notes - Open project task notes.
3. Photos - Manage project photos and videos.
4. Receipts - Track expenses and assign line items.
5. Bills - Manage vendor bills and sync status.
6. Changes - Create and manage change orders.

Main Menu

• Company Settings
• Configuration
• Logout
• Add Project (after configuration is complete)
• Manage Team (organization admins only)

Add Project

Create projects from templates and seed cost items automatically.

Required Fields

• Project Name
• Project Template

Optional Fields

• Location
• Customer (CustomerPicker)
• Owner details and contact info
• Bid price, start date, planned finish date, project status

Project Details Screen

The financial command center for each project. It includes quoted/spent/balance metrics, completion summaries, and cost-category rollups.

Project Menu Actions

• Edit Project Info
• Add Cost Category
• Set Estimate Costs
• Cost Item Cleanup
• Export Cost Items
• Delete Project (with confirmation phrase)

Edit Project Screen

Edit Project Info supports updates to name, abbreviation, quoted price, location, customer selection, start/end dates, and GPS coordinates. Field values save as users blur inputs.

• Use Current GPS sets location from device permissions.
• Select on Map allows coordinate selection on map UI.

Cost Items (Work Items)

Category rows in Project Details drill into cost-item summaries showing estimate, spent, balance, and completion indicators. Tapping an item opens detail with transaction history.

• Add cost items from configured category definitions.
• Use Set Estimate Costs to bulk maintain estimated amounts.
• Cost Item Cleanup removes unused items with no estimate and no spend.

Project Receipts

Use Receipts to record material/supply spend via camera capture or manual entry. Receipt Details supports line item assignment, warnings for missing mappings, and QuickBooks sync when requirements are met.

QuickBooks Receipt Sync Requirements

1. QuickBooks connected
2. At least one line item
3. Total amount greater than $0
4. Payment account selected
5. Vendor linked to QuickBooks
6. All line items assigned to work items
7. At least one line item assigned to current project
8. Line item total matches receipt total

Project Bills (Invoices)

Bills track vendor invoices and support photo/manual entry, line item assignment, and QuickBooks synchronization.

QuickBooks Bill Sync Requirements

1. QuickBooks connected
2. At least one line item
3. Total amount greater than $0
4. Vendor selected
5. All line items assigned to work items
6. Line item total matches bill total

Project Change Orders

Change orders support draft/pending/approved/cancelled statuses, itemized pricing, and customer approval emails.

• Send for approval generates branded HTML and email link (48-hour validity).
• Resend creates a fresh approval link when needed.
• Approved change orders roll into quoted price totals.

Project Photos and Notes

Photos

• Capture photo/video from camera
• Import from device library
• Manage photo access and sharing

Notes

• Add, edit, complete/incomplete, and delete task notes
• Incomplete notes are shown before completed notes

Company Settings

Company settings control branding and contact data used in generated documents. Typical fields include company name, address, city/state/zip, phone, email, website, and logo image.

Configuration Home Screen

Configuration is the setup hub for categories, templates, vendors, customers, and QuickBooks account mapping.

Core Sections

• Categories
• Project Templates
• Vendors
• Customers
• QuickBooks Accounts (when connected)

Menu Highlights

• Import/Export Configuration Data
• Import/Export Vendors (only when QuickBooks is not connected)
• Import Customers from CSV (only when QuickBooks is not connected)
• QuickBooks sync options when connected (company info, vendors, customers, accounts)

Team Management (Admins Only)

• Invite users by email
• Promote/demote admin roles
• Remove members (with owner/self constraints)

Navigation Patterns

• Projects -> Menu -> Configuration -> Back returns to Projects.
• Projects -> Menu -> Add Project -> Create returns to project dashboard.
• Back navigation saves pending field edits when blur/save has occurred.

Loading States

• Initial app startup displays Loading state before route resolution.
• Welcome/setup state appears when minimum configuration is incomplete.
• Sync and media processing can show spinners/processing indicators.

Tips and Best Practices

1. Import defaults first, then customize categories/cost items.
2. Create 2-3 templates for common job types.
3. Set up vendors/customers before heavy receipt/bill entry.
4. Export configuration and vendor data before major updates.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Add Project missing: Ensure at least one category with cost items and one template exists.
• Manage Team missing: User must have org admin role.
• Receipt/Bill sync fails: Verify all QuickBooks checklist requirements are met.
• Change order send unavailable: Complete company settings and customer email data.
• Verification code not received: Check spam/junk and retry sign-up flow.

Related Documentation

• Cost Item CSV Import
• Vendor CSV Import/Export

Summary

ProjectHound combines operational project tracking with configurable cost structure and optional QuickBooks sync, giving teams one workflow from setup through daily execution.