Once a deal is won, the project record becomes your single source of truth for where the job is, what it was budgeted to cost, and what it is actually costing. This guide covers project phases, budget vs actual, and starting a new project from a template.
The project record
Every project carries a header you set up once and refer to throughout delivery: the client, the current phase and stage, a budget, the start and target dates, the site address, the team, and a cover image. A short project code identifies the job on quotes, purchase orders and invoices, so the same reference follows the work from BOQ to handover.
The project list shows every job with its status, phase and health, and you can filter by status, phase or client and search by code. Inside a project, sub-tabs scope everything to that one job: Overview, Tasks, Timeline, BOQ, Procurement, Payments, Documents, Site and Team.
Tracking phases and progress
A fit-out moves through phases, for example design, civil, carpentry, finishes and handover. The phase on the project header tells everyone at a glance which stage the job is in, while the Tasks tab breaks each phase into the individual tasks that make it up.
Note
Progress percent is set by people, not guessed
Budget vs actual
The project holds a budget on its header, and Finance tracks the real spend against it with a project dimension, so you always see committed vs spent and budget vs actual for the job. Approving a won quote seeds the project budget, purchase orders and vendor bills feed the committed and actual columns, and the live per-project P&L shows the margin as it moves.
| Figure | What it means |
|---|---|
| Budget | The approved cost you are working to, seeded from the won quote. |
| Committed | Value you have already committed through approved purchase orders. |
| Actual / Spent | What has actually been billed and paid against the project. |
| Variance | Budget minus actual, so an overrun shows up before the job closes. |
Because the numbers are dimensioned by project, a slip on one job does not hide inside a company total. You can open any project and see whether it is still inside its budget in rupees, without exporting anything to a spreadsheet.
Starting from a template
Most interior firms run the same shape of job again and again. Rather than rebuilding the phase and task structure each time, save a well-run project as a template and start new jobs from it, or duplicate an existing project. Finished jobs can be archived to keep the list clean.
Open Projects
Go to the Projects module and choose to create a new project.Start from a template or duplicate
Pick a project template, or duplicate a similar past project, so the phases and task breakdown come pre-built.Set the header
Enter the client, budget, dates, site address and team for the new job.Adjust and go
Trim or add phases and tasks to match this scope, then start tracking progress and spend.
Key takeaways
- The project record ties client, phase, budget, dates and team to one project code that follows the job everywhere.
- Progress percent is entered by task owners; Panzo shows the planned percent beside it so you can spot slippage.
- Budget vs actual is tracked per project, showing committed vs spent and live margin without a spreadsheet.
- Templates and duplication let you start a new fit-out from a proven structure instead of a blank page.