The setup lock, the welcome dialog and the Dashboard setup prompt are being rolled out. If you don’t see them, they aren’t switched on for your company, and Projects stays open while you work through the checklist.
Three things to do first
Where the setup lock is switched on, Stralos needs these before anyone in your company can open Projects:- Your office: one of your own active locations.
- A client company: an active company with the Client role. A supplier alone does not count.
- At least one rate: a rate in your Resource library.
Welcome dialog
When you sign in as an admin and the three steps are not all done, Stralos opens a full-screen Welcome to Stralos dialog. It lists the steps in order, each with its own button:
Each step shows a tick once it is done. If you finish a step in another browser tab, the dialog updates when you come back to it. When all three are done, the dialog shows a Create your first project button.
Select I’ll do this later, press Escape or close the dialog to carry on without finishing. Selecting a step’s button also closes the dialog and takes you to that page. The dialog shows at most once per sign-in. Members do not see it.
While the welcome dialog is open, the checklist launcher and panel are hidden. They come back when you close the dialog.
Projects are locked until setup is done
When the setup lock is switched on and Stralos confirms the three steps are incomplete, the Projects area is locked for everyone in your company:- Projects is removed from the navigation and from the command palette.
- Opening the projects list, a new project or any project page shows Projects open once setup is done instead.
Dashboard setup prompt
While the three steps are not all done, admins see a Set up your business banner at the top of the Dashboard. It names the next step and has a button that opens it, for example Add a client. While setup is incomplete, the My projects widget on the Dashboard shows Let’s get you set up instead of its usual empty state. The prompt lists the three steps and ticks each one as you complete it. Admins see a button for the next step, for example Add a client. Members see a message asking them to contact their admin. Once setup is complete, or once your company has a project, the Dashboard returns to its normal view.Who sees the checklist
The checklist is shown when all of the following are true:- You are signed in as an admin.
- Setup guidance is enabled for your company.
- The checklist has not been completed or dismissed.
- Your company’s billing does not block access.
The launcher
A pill labelled Setup · X of Y appears in the bottom-right corner. The ring around it fills as you complete required steps. The pill shows in full on every page. On Settings → Company defaults and on a project’s settings pages, it moves up to sit just above the Save bar while that bar is showing. The checklist panel opens by itself each time you sign in. Select the pill to open or close the panel. You can also close it with its close button or by pressing Escape. Once you close it, it stays closed for the rest of that sign-in.The checklist panel
The panel groups the steps into six sections:
One section is open at a time. The first section that still has a required step to do opens automatically when you open the panel. Selecting another section’s header opens it and closes the current one. Selecting the header of the section that is already open closes it, leaving none open. When you finish all required steps in a section, that section closes and the next incomplete section opens by itself.
Required and optional steps
Steps labelled Optional are shown with their own tick but are not counted in the X of Y progress. The launcher reads Y of Y exactly when all required steps are done. A section where every step is optional shows Optional in place of a count.Step states
Each step shows one of three states:- Done: the check passed, or you selected Looks good on a review step.
- To do: the check answered but the condition is not yet met.
- Could not check: the check could not be answered (for example, a service was unreachable). These steps show neutral and are never counted as done. They are also never counted as to do, so Stralos will not ask you to go and do something you may already have done.
Review steps
Some steps cannot be detected automatically. For example, Check your company details asks you to confirm that your name, time zone, and defaults are correct. These steps have a Looks good button. Selecting it marks the step as done.Visit steps
Some steps are ticked automatically when you visit the relevant page, for example Open the estimate and Review margins and totals. No button is required.Step-by-step guide
Your company
1
Check your company details
Open Settings → Company defaults and confirm your name, time zone, and pricing defaults are correct. Select Looks good to mark this step as done. See Company settings.
2
Add your office
Go to Rates & resources → Locations and add your main office. The first-created active office becomes the automatic default until each person chooses their own. See Your default office.
Companies
1
Add your first client
Open Rates & resources → Companies and add a company with the Client role. Adding a supplier alone does not complete this step. See Companies register for how company records work.
Resources and rates
1
Review resource categories
Open Settings → Resource categories and check that the categories are set up the way you want. Select Looks good to confirm.
2
Add your resources and prices
Select Import a price list to import your rate schedule, or Open resource library to add resources one by one. See Rates catalogue for details.
3
Build an activity (optional)
Open Rates & resources → Activities & Assemblies and create an activity that bundles labour, plant, and materials into one reusable rate. This step is optional.
Your team
1
Invite your team (optional)
Open Settings → Users and invite the people who need access. See Users and authentication for how to manage invitations and roles. This step is optional.
2
Connect a shared drive (optional)
Open Settings → Shared drives to link a Google shared drive or SharePoint document library. This step is optional and only appears when your company has drive sync enabled. See Shared drives.
First project
1
Create your first project
Select Create a project in the checklist to open the new project form. A project holds its estimate and documents. See Projects for the full steps.
First estimate
These steps require a project to be created first. The section stays locked until a project exists.1
Open the estimate
Open the estimate for your project. The step is ticked when you visit the estimate page.
2
Measure a takeoff (optional)
Start a takeoff to measure quantities from a map or plan. This step is optional. See Takeoff.
3
Use a calculator (optional)
Open Calculators in the estimate to work out trench, pavement, or earthworks quantities. This step is optional.
4
Add a work item
Open Work items and add a line your client will see. See Work items.
5
Link a quantity (optional)
Link a quantity to a takeoff or calculator so it updates automatically when either changes. This step is optional.
6
Build up a rate
Price a work item from your rates and activities using the build-up tool.
7
Review margins and totals
Open Tender Submission → Markup (or Margin) to check your markup before the numbers go out. The step is ticked when you visit that page.
8
Submit the estimate
Go to Tender Submission and submit the estimate to freeze the prices you quoted.