How the STACK Workspace Is Organized
Manage Company-Wide Work
Manage projects, schedules, and reusable estimating resources shared across the organization.
Work Inside a Project
Work with project-specific plans, takeoffs, reports, and estimates.
Understanding the STACK Workspace
STACK uses two levels of navigation to organize company-wide and project-specific work.
Company Workspace
The main navigation bar provides access to company-wide areas, including Projects, Calendar, and Libraries.
Project Workspace
When a project is opened, the project navigation bar becomes available. It provides access to Home, Plans & Takeoffs, Reports, and Estimates.
Understanding the difference between these two navigation levels makes it easier to find the right tools throughout the estimating workflow.
Most work in STACK begins by opening a project from Projects. Once inside a project, use the project navigation bar to upload plans, perform takeoffs, review reports, and build estimates.
Understanding the Interface
Several controls remain available throughout STACK, regardless of which page is open. These controls provide quick access to navigation options, search, product updates, notifications, help resources, account settings, and support.
- Navigation controls. Collapse or expand the navigation, open STACK in a new browser tab, or switch to full-screen mode.
- Main navigation bar. Switch between Projects, Calendar, and Libraries.
- Search. Search supported content from the current workspace.
- Product updates. View announcements and information about new features and product improvements.
- Notifications. Review available project and system notifications.
- Help and account. Access Help Center resources, account settings, and user preferences.
- Support. Open the chat widget in the lower-right corner of STACK for additional assistance.
- Current workspace. The main workspace changes depending on the page or project that is open.
Explore the Main Navigation
The main navigation appears at the top of STACK and provides access to the primary company-wide areas of the platform. Use Projects to manage project work, Calendar to view project schedules, and Libraries to manage reusable estimating resources.
Select a tab below to explore each area.
PROJECTS
Projects is the primary workspace for creating, organizing, and managing projects in STACK. From the Projects page, projects can be searched, filtered, opened, and managed throughout the estimating process.
Frequently used projects can be accessed directly from the Projects page. Using the search and filter options can make it easier to locate active projects in larger organizations.
- Search and filter projects. Use the search box to quickly find projects by name or keyword. Click Search to apply the search or Reset to clear it.
- Browse and open existing projects. Review project details such as status, bid date, location, and assigned team members. Select a project name to open it.
- Create a new project. Click New Project to create a project. Use the dropdown to access any additional project creation options available.
Opening a project displays the project navigation, where project-specific tasks such as uploading plans, performing takeoffs, reviewing reports, and creating estimates are completed.
Try it
Open Projects and select an existing project. Notice how the navigation changes to display Home, Plans & Takeoffs, Reports, and Estimates.
CALENDAR
Calendar is used to view project schedules and important milestones in one place. It helps track upcoming work, monitor key project dates, and quickly open projects directly from the calendar.
Review the Calendar regularly to stay aware of upcoming bid dates, project milestones, and scheduled work.
Selecting a project from Calendar opens the project, where work can continue in Home, Plans & Takeoffs, Reports, or Estimates.
LIBRAIRIES
Libraries is where reusable estimating resources are created, organized, and managed. Libraries help standardize estimating by storing items and assemblies that can be reused across multiple projects.
- Choose the Library to work in.
- Switch between Items and Assemblies to manage different types of reusable estimating resources.
- Browse folders and resources to locate the Item or Assembly to work with.
- View or edit the selected resource in the details pane.
From Libraries, create and maintain Items and Assemblies that can be added to estimates and takeoffs, helping improve consistency and reduce repetitive setup.
Exploring the Project Workspace
Opening a project from Projects displays the project workspace. The project name and project-level navigation remain available while working with plans, takeoffs, reports, and estimates.
- Project name. Identifies the project currently open in the workspace.
- Project navigation. Switch between Home, Plans & Takeoffs, Reports, and Estimates.
- Share. Access available options for sharing project information.
- Invite. Invite other users to collaborate on the project when available.
Exploring Project Navigation
After opening a project from Projects, a second level of navigation becomes available. These project navigation bar tabs provide access to project information, plans, takeoffs, reports, and estimates.
HOME
Home provides an overview of the current project. It is the central place to view project information, upload plans and documents, manage project notes, and update project details before beginning takeoffs and estimating.
- Project Details. View and update key project information, such as project status, bid date, and other project details.
- Project Files. Upload and manage plans and supporting documents for the project.
- Project Notes. Add notes and other project-specific information that can be referenced throughout the estimating process.
- Project Fields. Complete additional project information and company-specific fields when applicable.
The information available in Home may vary depending on the organization’s configuration and permissions.
PLANS & TAKEOFFS
Plans & Takeoffs is the main workspace for managing plan sheets, creating takeoffs, organizing project information, and working with estimating resources. The workspace is divided into several areas that change depending on the selected plan, takeoff, or tool.
- Left navigation panel. Access project tools such as Plans, Takeoffs, Tags & Labels, Typicals, and Audit Trail.
- Main workspace. View the project overview, open plan sheets in tabs, and work directly with drawings and takeoffs.
- Right panel. Access estimating resources and libraries related to the current project.
- Plan and takeoff toolbars. When a plan is open, use the available tools to measure, edit, filter, set scale, and work with the selected sheet.
REPORTS
Reports provides access to project reporting tools. Use this workspace to review project information, generate reports, and export data for estimating, project review, or sharing with others.
- Report categories. Browse the available report types for the current project.
- Report options. Select report settings and filters before generating a report.
- Report preview. Review the generated report before exporting or printing.
- Export and print. Download, print, or share reports in the available formats.
The reports available may vary depending on the project data, enabled features, and user permissions.
ESTIMATES
Estimates provides the workspace for building and managing project estimates. Use this area to review estimate details, organize costs, adjust pricing, and prepare the estimate for review or export.
- Estimate navigation. Access the available estimates for the current project and switch between estimate views.
- Estimate worksheet. Review and update quantities, costs, markups, and other estimate details.
- Cost organization. Group and review estimate data by the available cost types, items, assemblies, or other project categories.
- Estimate actions. Use the available tools to manage, review, print, or export the estimate.
The options available in Estimates may vary depending on the estimate setup, enabled features, and user permissions.
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