Overview
Structur is built around a simple, logical workflow that mirrors how construction projects naturally progress from initial inquiry to final payment. Understanding this workflow is essential to getting the most out of the platform and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Every project in Structur follows the same 8-stage lifecycle: Lead, Estimate, Proposal, Approval, Project, Budget, Invoice, and Closeout. Each stage represents a critical phase, and Structur is designed to make transitions between stages seamless.
Information entered at one stage carries forward automatically to the next, so your team never has to re-enter data that already exists somewhere else in the system.
This guide walks you through each stage, what happens there, and how data flows from one step to the next.
Understanding the Project Lifecycle
What It Does
The project lifecycle in Structur allows you and your team to:
Capture and qualify leads - track inquiries from first contact through to a signed contract
Build detailed estimates - organize costs by cost code with overhead, profit, and markup applied
Generate professional proposals - turn estimates into branded, client-facing documents without re-entering data
Convert approvals into active projects - automatically create a project the moment a proposal is approved
Manage active projects - coordinate tasks, schedules, daily logs, timesheets, RFIs, submittals, and change orders
Track budget vs. actual costs - monitor financial performance in real time throughout the project
Invoice and collect payment - bill clients via Simple Invoice or Pay Application with retainage support
Close out projects - collect final payments, archive documents, and preserve a complete project history
When to Use It
Understanding the full lifecycle is most valuable when you want to:
Onboard your team so everyone understands how projects flow from start to finish
Make sure no stage is being skipped that could cause problems downstream
Understand how data carries forward so you stop re-entering information manually
Train new estimators, project managers, or field staff on how Structur is structured
The 8-Stage Project Lifecycle
Stage 1 - Lead
The starting point for every potential project. This is where you capture initial client inquiries and qualify opportunities before committing estimating resources.
What happens here:
Capture inquiries through your website embed form or add them manually
Track project details and client contact information
Qualify leads and move them through your customizable pipeline stages
Create quick ballpark estimates for early-stage budget conversations
Assign leads to specific team members for follow-up
When to move forward: Move to the Estimate stage when a lead is qualified and you're ready to provide a detailed cost breakdown. Creating your first estimate automatically moves the lead to the Estimating stage in the Leads pipeline.
Stage 2 - Estimate
A detailed, line-by-line cost breakdown organized by cost codes. This is where the financial foundation of the project is built.
What happens here:
Create cost groups to organize your estimate
Build line items using your cost code library
Calculate material costs, labor hours, and subcontractor prices
Apply overhead and profit margins
Create multiple estimate versions for value engineering or alternate pricing scenarios
Save estimates as templates for future projects
When to move forward: Advance to the Proposal stage when your numbers are finalized and you're ready to present a formal proposal to the client.
Stage 3 - Proposal
A professional, branded document that presents your estimate to the client for review.
What happens here:
Generate a branded proposal directly from your estimate
Customize the scope of work, terms, and company sections
Include payment schedules and terms
Send the proposal to the client digitally
Track when the client views the proposal
When to move forward: Sending the proposal automatically moves the lead to the Proposal Sent stage in the Leads pipeline.
Stage 4 - Approval
The proposal is approved and the project is formally authorized to proceed.
What happens here:
Approve the proposal manually or collect a digital client signature
Define payment milestones and schedules
Establish project terms and conditions
Store the executed contract documents in Structur
When to move forward: Approving the proposal automatically converts the lead into a project and moves it to the New Project stage in the Projects pipeline. From this point forward, the work lives in Projects, not Leads.
Stage 5 - Project
Active project execution and day-to-day management. This stage runs from the first day on site through project completion.
What happens here:
Coordinate daily operations and team assignments
Manage tasks, schedules, and milestones
Track daily logs, weather, and site conditions
Log labor hours through timesheets
Handle RFIs and submittals
Coordinate with subcontractors
Manage project files and documents
Process change orders as scope evolves
Modules available in this stage: Overview, General, Intake, Ballparks, Takeoff, Estimates, Proposals, Bid Pkgs, Tasks, Daily Logs, Schedules, Timesheets, Submittals, Checklists, RFIs, Files, Emails, Selections, Allowances, Budget, Subcontracts, Bills, Expenses, CO's, Invoices, Receipts
Note: Punchlists, Meetings, and POs are visible in the module top bar but are not yet available. These are coming soon.
Ongoing stage: Projects remain here throughout execution until completion.
Stage 6 - Budget
Financial tracking and cost control that runs in parallel with project execution from the moment the project is active.
What happens here:
Use your approved estimate as the budget baseline
Track actual costs against budgeted amounts by cost code
Monitor cost codes for overages or savings
Manage allowances and client selections
Process subcontracts and track committed costs
Record bills and expenses as they come in
Monitor profitability in real time
Ongoing stage: Budget tracking runs throughout the full project lifecycle alongside execution, not as a separate sequential step.
Stage 7 - Invoice
Billing the client and collecting payment according to your agreement. Invoicing happens throughout the project according to your payment schedule, not just at the end.
What happens here:
Create invoices based on your payment schedule or project progress
Apply retainage if required by your contract
Track payment status and outstanding balances
Record payments received
Invoice types available:
Simple Invoice - quick billing for straightforward or fixed-amount payments
Pay Application - progress billing with a full Schedule of Values, retainage support, and line-item detail tied to approved proposals and change orders
Stage 8 - Closeout
Final project completion, documentation, and archiving. This stage marks the official end of the project lifecycle.
What happens here:
Collect final payments
Deliver warranties and documentation to the client
Archive all project files
Conduct a project review and capture lessons learned
Update client relationship status for future opportunities
Note: Punchlists are coming soon and will support tracking final punch list items during closeout.
How Information Flows Between Stages
The power of Structur's workflow is how seamlessly data carries from one stage to the next without re-entry.
Lead to Estimate - client contact details, project information, and initial requirements carry forward automatically
Estimate to Proposal - your cost breakdown populates a professional branded proposal without re-entering data
Proposal to Approval - all pricing and scope details are preserved when the proposal is approved
Approval to Project - the lead converts to an active project automatically with all details intact
Estimate to Budget - your approved estimate becomes the financial baseline for the project budget
Budget to Invoice - billing is tied directly to your budget structure and actual costs tracked throughout the project
All Stages to Closeout - the complete project history is preserved, creating a reference for future estimates and continuous improvement
Flexibility Within the Workflow
While Structur follows this logical progression, the system is flexible enough to match how your business actually works.
Skip stages when appropriate - smaller projects may not need a formal proposal or contract and the workflow adapts accordingly
Work in parallel - budget tracking and project execution happen simultaneously, not one after the other
Return to previous stages - create additional estimates for change orders, revise proposals, or amend contracts as needs evolve
Customize your pipeline stages - tailor the lead and project pipeline stages to match your specific sales and delivery process
Best Practices
Start every new job as a lead - even if you know you're getting the work, capturing it as a lead first gives you a complete record from first contact to final invoice.
Build your estimate before your proposal - the proposal is generated from the estimate, so the numbers need to be right before you present anything to a client.
Let approvals trigger the project conversion - don't create a project manually before the proposal is approved. The automatic conversion keeps your pipeline data clean.
Track costs in real time, not at month end - enter bills, expenses, and timesheets as they happen so your budget view is always accurate.
Invoice on a schedule, not just at the end - agree on a billing cadence with your client upfront and stick to it throughout the project.
Use closeout to capture lessons learned - what you learn on one project improves your estimates and processes on the next one.
Common Questions
Q: Do I have to use every stage for every project?
A: No. Smaller projects might skip formal proposals or contracts. The workflow is flexible and adapts to your business needs.
Q: Can I go backward in the workflow?
A: Yes. You can create new estimates, revise proposals, or issue change orders at any point as the project evolves.
Q: What if my business process is different from this workflow?
A: Structur's workflow is designed to be adaptable. You can customize pipeline stages and processes to fit your specific requirements.
Q: How do change orders fit into the workflow?
A: Change orders are created during the Project stage and follow the same path as the original scope - estimate the change, create a change order, get client approval, then update the budget and invoice accordingly.
Q: When does a lead become a project?
A: Automatically, when the proposal is approved. You don't need to manually create a project. Structur converts the lead and moves it to the Projects pipeline for you.
Q: Are Punchlists, Meetings, and POs available yet?
A: Not yet. These modules are visible in the project top bar but are coming soon. All other modules are fully available.
Q: What's the difference between a Simple Invoice and a Pay Application?
A: A Simple Invoice is a straightforward flat-amount bill. A Pay Application is for progress billing and includes a full Schedule of Values tied to your approved proposals and change orders, with support for retainage. Use Pay Applications for Cost Plus and larger fixed-price projects billed in stages.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't | Do |
Skip the Lead stage and create projects directly | Start every job as a lead so you have a complete record from inquiry to closeout |
Build a proposal without finalizing the estimate first | Lock in your numbers in the estimate before generating the proposal |
Manually create a project before the proposal is approved | Let the approval trigger the automatic lead-to-project conversion |
Wait until month end to enter bills and expenses | Record costs as they happen so your budget is always current |
Invoice only at project completion | Set a billing schedule with the client and invoice throughout the project |
Ignore the closeout stage | Use it to collect final payments, archive documents, and capture lessons learned |