gopher
multi-week project work — milestones, materials, draws
articles
- 01
start your first project
gopher is for the long stuff — custom builds, fabrication, woodwork, contractor jobs that span weeks. crawdad is for one-day jobs; gopher is the multi-week room.
3 steps·~2 min - 02
set up phases (milestones)
long builds break into phases — design approval, materials ordered, frame complete, finishing, delivery. each phase has a target date so you can see if the build is on or off track.
3 steps·~2 min - 03
build the materials list
every line item with quantity and unit cost rolls into the project budget — so you always see plan vs. actual without a separate spreadsheet.
3 steps·~2 min - 04
set up a deposit + draw payment schedule
long builds get billed in chunks, not all at the end. a deposit, named draws as phases complete, and a final payment — each one mints a pawpaw invoice in a click.
4 steps·~3 min - 05
post a progress update the customer can see
weekly progress posts in the customer's yaupon portal cut down on "how's it coming" calls. one photo and a one-paragraph note keeps them in the loop without picking up the phone.
3 steps·~2 min - 06
gopher vs crawdad — when to use which
both are job management. the split is by how long the work takes — and that changes how the room is set up.
3 steps·~3 min - 07
filter projects by status (active / on hold / done / archived)
the projects list defaults to active. flip the filter to find anything paused, recently shipped, or stashed away.
3 steps·~2 min - 08
edit a project's overview (budget, dates, customer)
the overview tab is the headline view. budget, customer, dates, and description live here. edit any of them inline — the budget reconciles to materials cost + drawn payments live.
3 steps·~2 min - 09
what the milestone target vs completed date means
every milestone has two dates — the target you set when you planned the project, and the completed date that stamps when you actually finish. comparing them tells you the true pace of the build.
3 steps·~2 min - 10
delete a material line or draw payment
deleting cleans up. for materials, it removes the line and re-totals the budget. for draws, it removes the scheduled payment — gopher won't let you delete one that's already minted an invoice.
3 steps·~2 min - 11
post a private vs customer-visible update
the updates tab has a visibility toggle. customer-visible posts show in the customer's yaupon portal. private posts stay just for you (and your team) — useful for build-log notes the customer doesn't need to see.
3 steps·~2 min - 12
delete a progress update
for typos, wrong photos, or anything you'd rather pull back. private and customer-visible posts both delete the same way.
3 steps·~2 min - 13
outstanding balance vs total budget — how the numbers connect
two important totals on every project. budget is the price the customer agreed to pay; outstanding is what's still owed at the moment.
3 steps·~2 min
still need help with gopher?
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