> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.stralos.app/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Setup checklist > The welcome dialog, setup lock and onboarding checklist guide admins through the steps required to get Stralos configured and ready to estimate. Stralos guides a new company through setup in two ways. Where the setup lock is switched on, it keeps **Projects** closed until three essentials are in place. The setup checklist walks admins through the rest of the configuration and a first estimate. > [!NOTE] > > 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**: 1. **Your office**: one of your own active locations. 2. **A client company**: an active company with the **Client** role. A supplier alone does not count. 3. **At least one rate**: a rate in your Resource library. Stralos checks your live records for each one, so a step is done as soon as the record exists. If your company already has a project that is not archived, these steps do not apply and **Projects** stays open, whichever projects you belong to. ## 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: | Step | Button | Where it takes you | | - | - | - | | Add your office | **Add your office** | **Locations** | | Add your first client | **Add a client** | **Companies** | | Add or import your resources | **Open resource library** | **Resource library** | 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. Admins see which step is next and a **Do this next** button that opens that page. Members are asked to contact their admin to add the missing steps. **Projects** unlocks by itself once the last step is done. You do not need to reload the page. If Stralos can't check your setup status, **Projects** stays open. The lock only guides you through setup. It does not change who can see or edit data. ## 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. If any of those conditions are not met, the checklist is hidden. ## 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: | Section | What it covers | | - | - | | Your company | Your company details and your office. | | Companies | Adding your first client. | | Resources and rates | Resource categories, resources and prices, and an optional activity. | | Your team | Inviting team members and connecting a shared drive. | | First project | Creating your first project in Stralos. | | First estimate | Working through the key parts of an estimate. | 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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/organisation-settings.md). **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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/reference/suppliers-and-locations.md#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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/reference/companies.md) 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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/rates-catalogue.md) 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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/users-and-authentication.md) 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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/drive-sources.md). ### 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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/projects.md) 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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/takeoff.md). **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](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/work-items.md). **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. ## Behaviour around other panels When a side sheet is open at the right edge of the screen (for example, a detail panel), the checklist launcher and panel move left to sit beside it. When a centred modal or the assistant panel is open, the launcher and panel step out of view but keep their state. They return when it closes. ## Dismissing the checklist Select **Dismiss guide** at the bottom of the panel to hide the checklist. Dismissing it hides the launcher until you reopen it. To reopen the checklist, click your name in the top navigation bar to open the user menu, then choose **Setup guide**. ## When the checklist completes When you complete all required steps, the launcher shows a brief celebration and then disappears. The checklist is recorded as completed for your company and stays hidden. You can still reopen it from **Setup guide** in the user menu. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.