Planyard Ultimate – 11-Step Getting Started Guide

Setup guide for busy professionals who want to quickly get started as their next project begins (Usually takes 15–20 minutes)
This guide is for the Planyard champion—typically a manager or project lead—who wants to quickly set up a standardized workflow and eliminate spreadsheets. Follow these eight steps to set up your account and start running real-time cost control.

1. Log into your account

If you don’t have one, start your 14-day free trial here.

2. Fill in your company profile

Your company name, registration code, and logo will appear on all documents (POs, applications, etc.).

3. Invite your team

Add project managers, QSs, site engineers, finance staff, or even the client to allow him to track the project in real-time.

  • Click CompanyUser Management
  • Click Add New User
  • Enter their email, choose permissions, and click Create
    Planyard will email them the account access details and quick setup guides.

4. Decide project visibility

Set whether users can access each other’s project item cost data. Shared visibility improves estimating and market benchmarking.

  • Select the user right: View projects, either Everyone’s or Own & Shared

“Sharing this information allows team members to quickly check budget item costs in colleagues’ projects for cost estimating or to understand market prices better when negotiating subcontractors. It’s especially useful if you use the same cost codes for all the projects, allowing the users to one-click print item cost breakdowns across all portfolio projects—active and historic.”

5. Upload your first project

Go to ProjectsCreate Project.
You can upload the starting project budget spreadsheet using short video guides. You can use any budget item names and cost codes, fill them in accordingly on the import file:

We recommend that one manager upload all initial projects to ensure consistency. You can then assign the project owner in Project Settings so all projects are prepared similarly.

6. Lock budget estimates for accountability

Prevent QSs and PMs from editing original estimates so you can always backtrack:

“Restricting edits to budget estimates increases accountability and allows backtracking what was estimated vs. what actually happened.”

Best way to link accounts payable invoices:

8. Automate invoice processing to accounting

Avoid manual entry by integrating it with your accounting software:

  • Connect to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, or MYOB
  • Or let Planyard automatically forward approved invoices to your accountant’s email

9. Supporting roles for your projects

You can share access to your Planyard project with stakeholders such as the client (view-only), site engineers, and foremen (to register change orders, raise purchase orders, etc.).

To do this:
ProjectSettingsShare project → Select the team member and assign appropriate user rights.

This configuration lets you define a purchase order terms template that your team can customize before sending POs to vendors. It’s helpful for reminding suppliers about:

  • Payment terms
  • Where to send the invoice
  • Including the Purchase Order number as a reference

This ensures all purchase orders from your company follow a consistent and professional format.

Go to:
CompanySettingsCustom Purchase Order Terms

This setup allows Planyard to send emails using your company’s work email domain. It’s especially useful when sending purchase orders, RFQs, and payment applications to subcontractors or vendors—helping avoid spam filters and improving trust.

Go to:
CompanySettingsEmail Identities

Just copy the configuration details and send them to your IT support. They only need to make a small update in your email service provider.

Advanced setup (optional) – support@planyard.com

  • Invoice approval workflows
  • PO approval workflows
  • Subcontractor bid comparisons