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Learn about project phases

by Intuit•1• Updated a day ago

Learn about project phases for QuickBooks Online Advanced with the QuickBooks Construction add-on, and Intuit Enterprise Suite.

Phases (formerly known as Milestones) help you break down complex projects into manageable stages. Use them to organize your work, track costs, and streamline your billing process.

Think of phases as strategic checkpoints in your project. Each one represents a specific stage of work, like Demolition, Site Prep, or Electrical. They give you clear end points that help prevent scope creep and keep everyone on the same page.

Why use project phases

When you add phases to a project, you can:

Stay organized: Group related work into stages so you always know what's done and what's next.
Track progress: Set deadlines and update statuses to spot delays early.
Manage costs: See estimated versus actual spending for each stage.
Bill with precision: Generate invoices based on the percentage of work completed (AIA-style billing).
Communicate clearly: Share professional estimates and proposals that show work and pricing by phase.

Set up phases

Create phases at the project level to establish your timeline.

Phase name (required): Give each phase a clear name, like "Foundation" or "Framing."
Description (optional): Add details about the work included.
Start and due dates (optional): Set your timeline for the phase.
Status: Track progress as Pending, In Progress, or Completed.

Plan your budget with phases

Phases work directly with your project budgets so you can manage estimated versus actual costs.

Group by phase: View your budget organized by phases to see exactly where your money goes.
Import budgets: Upload a budget spreadsheet and let the Project Management Agent automatically populate your budget with suggestions.
Keep everything in sync: When you add a phase within a budget, it automatically saves to your project details.

Create estimates and proposals

Use phases to communicate clearly with your clients.

Grouped estimates: Convert your budget to a project estimate with one click. Your client sees the work grouped by phase.
Professional proposals: Generate polished proposals that highlight the scope of work and pricing for each phase.

Note: Phases are only available on project estimates.

Track costs and committed costs

Link expenses to specific phases so every dollar is accounted for.

Purchase orders: Assign PO line items to a phase to track committed costs.
Real-time insights: Compare what you budgeted against what you actually spent per phase. This helps you catch potential overruns early.

Simplify billing with progress invoicing

Use phase-based invoicing (AIA-style) to bill clients based on the percentage of work completed.

Automatically generate invoices tied to specific phases.
Give your clients a clear view of what they've paid, what the current bill covers, and the remaining project balance.

See your progress at a glance

Get a bird's-eye view of your project health through phase-level reporting.

Progress widget: View a percentage breakdown of completion across all phases on your Project Overview.
Financial reports: Filter reports like Estimate vs. Actuals or WIP Reports by phase to understand profitability at every stage of the job.

Get help from the Project Management Agent

This is an AI-powered assistant that can help you work faster.

Upload contracts and let it auto-generate phases for you.
When you mark a phase complete, it can suggest draft invoices.