> ## 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.

# Phases and the timeline

> Break a project into stages with dates and colours, and read the timeline on the project Overview.

A phase is a stage of the job — Concept Design, Design Development,
Procurement, Installation. Phases give the project a shape and drive the
timeline on the Overview.

## Add a phase

From the project **Overview**, add a phase with:

| Field          | Notes                                                                                |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Name**       | *Concept Design*, *Joinery*, *Installation*.                                         |
| **Start date** | Required.                                                                            |
| **End date**   | Required.                                                                            |
| **Colour**     | Optional. Used on the timeline bar — worth setting so the eye can tell stages apart. |
| **Order**      | Optional. Position in the sequence; the first is 0.                                  |

Phases can overlap. Real projects do.

## Reading the timeline

The Overview draws every phase as a bar across the months, with a vertical
marker on today. In one glance: what stage the project is in, what is
coming, and whether you have run over.

The project header shows the current phase as a chip beside the status, and
the top right of the timeline shows how long is left in it — *3d left ·
Concept Design · Due Jul 30*.

## Phase ends soon

When a phase is close to its end date, Atelier raises a **Phase ends soon**
card in **Needs your attention** on the Overview, with the number of days
and the date.

It is a nudge, not a blocker. Either the work is nearly done, or the dates
need moving — both are better decided now than at the end of the month.

## Editing and reordering

Phases can be renamed, redated, recoloured and reordered at any time.
Changing dates redraws the timeline immediately and updates the phase chip
in the project header.

<Tip>
  Set phases up when you create the project, even roughly. A timeline with
  approximate dates is far more useful than an empty one, and it is what makes
  the Overview worth opening.
</Tip>