Adding a Project in Contractor Foreman

Projects in Contractor Foreman act as the central hub for managing every aspect of your work—from estimates and budgets to scheduling, communication, and documentation. Because every workflow is different, Contractor Foreman gives you multiple ways to create a project, depending on where you start your process (Estimate, Lead, Opportunity, Directory, CompanyCam, QuickBooks, or directly within Projects).

This article explains each method, when to use it, and the standard fields you’ll complete when creating a project.

Ways to Create a Project

Contractor Foreman supports several project-creation paths. Each option fits a different workflow, depending on where the job begins in your sales or production process.

1. Estimate → Project

Best when: You start work by building an estimate first.
This workflow converts an existing estimate into a project, carrying over the budget, items, and customer information automatically.

2. Lead → Estimate → Project

Best when: You track potential jobs as Leads before estimating them.
You first create or receive a Lead → build an Estimate → convert it into a Project once the job is moving forward.

3. Opportunity → Estimate → Project

Best when: You manage sales through the Opportunity pipeline.
Create an Opportunity → prepare an Estimate → convert to a Project once the bid is accepted.

4. Opportunity → Project

Best when: You want to turn a qualified Opportunity directly into a Project, even before creating an estimate.
(An estimate can still be created later from within the project.)

5. Directory → Customer → Project

Best when: You already have the customer in your Directory and want to start a job quickly.
This creates a project pre-filled with the customer’s information.

6. CompanyCam → Project

Best when: You begin fieldwork or photo documentation before formal project creation.
A project can be generated directly from CompanyCam, pulling in images and details.

7. QuickBooks → Project

Best when: Your accounting team creates customer/job records in QuickBooks first.
Contractor Foreman can import these and generate a project based on synced data.

8. Project Module → +Project (Manual Creation)

Best when: You simply want to manually enter a new job without any previous workflow.
This is the most straightforward path and the one described in most basic onboarding steps.

How to Manually Add a Project (Project Module → +Project)

1. Navigate to Projects from the main menu.

2. Click + Project in the upper-right corner.

3. Complete the project details form. The key fields include:

Required & Key Fields

• Project ID*
  A unique identifier automatically generated. You may customize this in Project Settings.

• Project Name*
  Enter the official name of the job.

• Project Status
  Options include: Pending, Bidding, Submittal, Unscheduled, Started, Completed.

• Project Type*
  Choose from existing types (Residential, Commercial, etc.) or type your own and press Enter to add it.

• Customer*
  Select an existing customer or create a new one directly from this field.

• Project Address
  The physical job location.

• Import from Project Template
  If your company uses templates, selecting one will pre-populate fields, saving time on setup.

Once all required details are complete, click Create Project.

After the Project Is Created

You will be taken to the Project Summary tab, which displays:

• Project name & ID

• Status

• Financial totals

• Quick links to major tools

• Recent activity

Use the left-side navigation panel to continue adding details.

The Details Tab includes:

• Start Date

• End Date

• Retention Rate

• Project Description

These fields help define scope, schedule, and project-specific requirements.

Next Steps: Building Your Budget

We recommend creating an Estimate inside the Project to set up your budget properly.
Navigate to Financial → Estimates from the project sidebar.