> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.getatelier.design/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your first project in 10 minutes

> Build a real project end to end — client, phases, pinboard, schedule, invoice.

The fastest way to learn Atelier is to run one small job through it. Use a
real project if you have one; a made-up one-bedroom apartment works just as
well.

By the end you will have a client, a project with a timeline, a pinboard you
can share, a costed schedule and an invoice.

## 1. Add the client

Go to **Library → Clients** and choose **Add client**. Only the name is
required. Everything else — legal name, billing address, email, phone,
tax-exempt status — appears on invoices and purchase orders later, so it is
worth filling in properly the first time.

<Tip>
  Client names are not de-duplicated. If you have worked with someone before,
  search the list rather than adding them again.
</Tip>

## 2. Create the project

Go to **Projects** and choose **New project**. Pick the client you just
created and give the project a name — most studios use the address, for
example `123 Maple Street`.

Worth setting now:

| Field               | Why it matters                                                             |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Status**          | New projects start as **Lead**. Move to **Active** once the job is signed. |
| **Budget**          | Shown against your spend on the schedule's Financials view.                |
| **Hourly rate**     | Used when you log billable time on this project.                           |
| **Ship-to address** | Printed on purchase orders.                                                |
| **Project type**    | For example *Single Family Residential*, *Commercial*.                     |

## 3. Lay out the timeline

Open the project's **Overview** tab. The **Timeline** strip is empty until
you add phases — Concept Design, Design Development, Procurement,
Installation, whatever your process looks like. Each phase has a start date,
an end date and a colour.

Atelier shows today's position on the timeline and warns you on the Overview
when a phase is about to end.

## 4. Build a pinboard

Open the **Pinboards** tab, choose **New pinboard**, and name it after the
room — `Bedroom`, `Living room`. Use **Add image** to drop in reference
photography, plans, material shots and product images, and the text tool to
label them (*Bucle for bed*, *Light beige limewash paint on the walls*).

**Add page** gives you a second board in the same document, so one pinboard
can carry a whole presentation.

## 5. Share it with the client

In the pinboard toolbar choose **Shared**. Atelier gives you a link. Your
client opens it in a browser, with no account and nothing to install. They
can comment on individual items and approve them.

Every comment and approval lands in your **Inbox**.

## 6. Start the schedule

Open the **Schedule** tab and choose **New schedule**. Name it after the room
or the package — `Maple Street Loft`, `Living Room FF&E`. Add the products the
client approved.

The Planning view is where you work day to day: brand, material, finish,
quantity, retail price, lead time and status for every line.

## 7. Cost it

Switch to the **Financials** view. Enter what the vendor charges you in
**Vendor cost**, then set a markup — either per line, or on everything at
once with **Apply markup to all**. **Apply tax to all** does the same for
sales tax.

Atelier calculates the selling price, the profit per unit and the client
total, and shows the running spend against the project budget at the top of
the view.

## 8. Invoice

Still on the **Financials** view, choose **Create invoice**. The schedule
lines become invoice lines with your markup and tax already applied.

The invoice carries your studio branding, business details and payment
instructions from **Settings → Studio**, so set those up before you send the
first one.

## What next

* **Set up your studio** — Logo, currency, tax and payment terms — everything
  that appears on client documents.
* **Invite your team** — Roles and what each one can do.
* **Add products from vendor sites** — Import from a URL or capture with the
  Chrome extension instead of typing.
* **Procurement** — Purchase orders, order dates, tracking and delivery.