Setting up a new phase

To set up a phase:

  1. Open the Edit Phases window in one of the following ways:

    • On the ribbon, from the Elements group on the Data tab, click Phases.
    • In classic view, click Database > Phases.
    • From the spreadsheet, select a phase row, right-click, and then click Edit Phase on the shortcut menu.
  2. If you are adding the phase to the database rather than the estimate, click the [Database] button, if it is available.

    Important! If you have an estimate open, the Edit Estimate Phase window opens when you select Phases on the ribbon or the Database menu. Always check the window title to confirm whether you are editing an estimate phase or a database phase.

  3. Click [Add]. Estimating adds a new row above the selected row.

  4. In the new row:

    1. Enter the required Phase code, Description , and Unit for the group phase.

    2. If you have integrated the estimate with a job cost application, enter the job cost phase.

    3. Optionally, enter a note about the group phase in the Notes column.

    4. If you are adding a group phase, select the Is Group checkbox, indicating that the new phase is a group phase.

  5. To set up additional phases, repeat steps 3 and 4.

    To remove a phase, select the row on the grid, and then click [Remove] to mark the phase for removal. You can also right-click the row, and then select Remove from the shortcut menu. (Estimating removes marked phases when you click [OK], in the next step.)

    To restore a phase that you removed (provided you did not save the change by clicking [OK]), select the row on the grid, and then click [Restore]. You can also select Restore from the shortcut menu.

  6. When you finish adding phases, or periodically to save your work, click [OK].

  7. Click [Close] to return to the estimate spreadsheet.

Tips:  

  • After you set up your phases, you can print the Phases report from the Reports tab > Database Reports group (or Reports menu in classic view) to check them.
  • You can use Edit Phase from the shortcut menu to copy a phase from an estimate to a standard database or from a standard database to an estimate. For more information, see Copying standard database information to an estimate.