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How to Create and Manage a Project

Learn how to add new projects for tracking materials, orders, and invoices.

Written by Andrew Rapinchuk
Updated over 3 months ago

This article explains how to create projects in SubBase, assign project details, and understand how groups and watchers work to control visibility and notifications across your company.

Overview

Projects are the foundation of SubBase. Every material request, order, and invoice is tied to a project, allowing your team to track spending, deliveries, and approvals in one place.
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Each project includes core details such as Project Name, Project ID, Project Group, Delivery Address, and an optional Default Invoice Assignee that connects to your Accounts Payable workflow.

Who Can Do This

Access to create and manage projects depends on your role and company permissions.
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Admin

  • Always has full access to create, edit, deactivate, and manage projects

  • Can manage project-level invoice assignees and visibility

Purchaser

  • In most setups, can create and edit projects

  • If you do not see Add Project, your permissions may be restricted by your Admin

User and Material Requester

  • View-only access

  • Can see existing projects but cannot create or edit them

Note: If you do not have access to create projects, contact an Admin. Only Admins can update permissions under Company Settings > Permissions.

What Is a Project Group

Project Groups organize projects into manageable sets, such as by region, department, or business unit. Groups control both organization and visibility.
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When you assign a project to a group, users who belong to that group automatically see all projects inside it.
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Common examples include:

  • Regional groups like West Coast Projects or Southeast Division

  • Trade-based groups like HVAC Projects or Electrical Projects

  • Client or business unit groups like Retail Development or Public Works

Admins can add or rename groups from the User Profile Menu > Company Settings > Groups.

Important: Ungrouped Projects

If a project is created without a group, it is automatically placed in Ungrouped Projects.

Projects in this category may not appear for users unless they are members of the Ungrouped Projects group.

Best Practice:

  • Confirm the correct group exists before creating a project

  • If it does not exist, create the group first, then assign the project during creation

This ensures the project is visible to the right users immediately.

Before You Start

Make sure you have the following information ready:

  • Project Name and optional Project ID

  • The Project Group the project should belong to

  • A Delivery Address, or plan to add one later

  • Optional Default Invoice Assignee for invoice review

  • If Inventory is enabled, the Warehouse assigned to the project

All of these fields can be edited later from Project Settings.

Steps to Create a Project

Step 1: Go to the Projects tab in the blue navigation bar.

Step 2: Click Add Project at the top right.

Step 3: Complete the project details:

  • Project Name

  • Project ID (optional)

  • Project Group

  • Warehouse (only if Inventory is enabled)

  • Default Order Watchers (optional)

  • Invoice Assignees for project invoice roles

  • Delivery Address

Step 4: Click Save Changes.
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End State: The project appears in the Projects list and is available when creating Orders, RFQs, and Invoices.

Watchers and Notifications

Watchers control who receives notifications about activity.

Project-level watchers

  • Receive notifications for all activity on the project

  • Best for project managers or leads

Order-level watchers

  • Receive notifications only for specific orders they are tagged on

Important: When you create a project, you are automatically added as a project-level watcher. You can remove yourself later if you do not need notifications.

Manage Existing Projects

Admins and permitted Purchasers can manage projects at any time.

You can:

  • Edit project details using the gear icon

  • Update delivery addresses

  • Change default invoice assignees

  • Add or remove watchers

  • Toggle projects between Active and Inactive

  • Search by Project Name or Project ID

  • Switch between Card View and List View

Uploading Multiple Projects at Once

Bulk project imports are handled by the SubBase Customer Success team.

Before reaching out to Support, there are a few required steps to ensure your upload can be completed quickly and accurately.

Troubleshooting

I cannot see the Add Project button

  • Your role may not allow project creation

  • Contact an Admin to confirm permissions

I do not see my project

  • The project may be marked Inactive

  • Enable the Inactive toggle in the Projects tab

  • Check whether the project is in Ungrouped Projects

The group I need is not available

  • The group may not exist yet

  • Create the group first, then assign the project

I am receiving too many notifications

  • You may be a project-level watcher

  • Edit the project and remove yourself from the Watchers list

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