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If you are reading these words, this means that you have successfully completed all steps of the implementation. If not, have a look at our implementation guides to be sure your account is fully set up and ready for some real business!
If you get lost or stuck at some point in the process, please don't hesitate to ask our Support team for help in the bottom right corner of your screen. They will be happy to assist you.
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Note that Project management is a broad topic. This means that we will cover all aspects of the projects and all the possibilities through the different modules. Some parts of the projects are common to all modules but some others are specific. Don’t worry, we will make it very clear. If an instruction relates to a module you do not have, just skip it, it will not slow your learning process.
Creating a new project
How-to: Add a new project or duplicate an existing one
Rentman is project-based. All the events you plan are going to be new projects. Now, let’s use our imagination for a test round. You have an event to plan for next month. It is a two day simple event.
1 - Go to the table_chart Projects module and + Add project. Select "Blank project".
You do not have all the information yet but you know:
- The dates
- Who the customer is
- When the event will take place
- (Crew planner) What the dress code for your crew is
- (Inventory and Warehouse) That the customer is picky with the equipment used. They have to be as good as new.
You also have a map of the location.
2 - You are on the General page of that brand new project-to-be. Enter a name for that project.
3 - Remember the customer for which you have created a warning/project note? Type the first three letters of their name in the "Client field". Find their name in the list and select it.
Did you see the message popping up when you added the customer? That’s how Rentman makes sure you never forget anything and can ensure a top-notch follow up of your customers.
4 - Add a location that is not in your database yet. In the location section, click on the More options more_vert button and click (+ Add). Enter the relevant information and save.
This location is now part of your contact list and is set as the location for that event.
5 - (Crew planner) - Scroll down and add a note to that project. The note will say that the dress code is pretty chic so your crew members have to pay attention to their look. Make sure it is visible for everyone so your crew members will be aware of that instruction.
How-to: Add a note
6 - (Inventory and Warehouse) - Scroll down and add a note to that project. The note will say that the customer is picky with the equipment used. Therefore, the warehouse crew has to pay extra care to the equipment they pick and how they load them into the truck. Make sure this note is displayed in the Warehouse.
How-to: Add a note
7 - There is also a map of the location that you would like to add to this project. Click on Files, next to notes, and add a file from your computer. A random image will do the trick.
How-to: Upload and download files
All the general information of your project is there, but you are not finished yet. Your project has not even been saved yet. To do so, you first need to enter the dates. The project is a two-day event. It will take place in one month but you need at least a whole week before to prepare everything and two days after the event to wrap everything up. Here is what your time schedule should look like:
- Usage period: two days, one month exactly from today’s date - This is the period you charge your customer
- Planning period: Starts one week exactly before the beginning of the usage period and ends two days after the end of the usage period - this impacts the availability of your resources
- Prep: The whole week before the usage period
- Wrap-up: The two days following the usage period.
8 - Go to the Time schedule tab and enter the dates as described above. Save your project.
How-to: Time schedule of your project
This project is now officially created, congratulations. This is a solid first step! You now have a better idea of what your customer wants so let’s start planning.
Start planning your equipment - (Inventory and Warehouse)
How-to: Plan your equipment on a project
Imagine a kind of project you have already done. Any project. Keep in mind which equipment you will schedule on this one.
8 - Look for an item in the list of equipment on the left bar of the Equipment tab of the project. Double-click on it. It is now part of your project! However, you need 5 of them so double-click in the Quantity column to modify it.
9 - Look for another item but this time, you need 3 of them. Instead of double-clicking, select it and type 3 in the Quantity column. Press enter.
10 - Add more items and at least one case, one kit, and one item with accessories.
You need at least 10 items scheduled to continue.
The issue with that method is that you will end up with a big list of items and you can quickly get lost. Also, it is highly possible that you do not need all the items at the same time. To split them, let’s organize them into different equipment groups.
Did you see that when you scheduled the first equipment item, a new equipment group was created?
11 - You will now create a group for items you will only use for the preparation of the event. Select the existing equipment group and click edit edit. Rename the group "Prep" and make sure the usage period of the equipment group matches the prep period of the whole project. Save.
12 - Create another equipment group and name it "Event". Make sure the dates match the usage period of the project. Do the same for the "Wrap-up".
13 - Drag your items into the different equipment groups to organize them.
Your equipment is now all scheduled and the price will be calculated based on the rental price you have entered for each of them. It is possible to add discounts or edit the factors to change the price.
As always in the industry, there are some changes on the way. You realize that you will not need two but three days to wrap everything up after the event.
14 - Go back to the Time schedule tab of your project and change the periods accordingly. What does that change for your equipment groups?
Start planning your crew and transport - (Crew planner)
How-to: Add crew and transport functions to a project
Imagine a kind of project you have already done. Any project. Keep in mind who you will need for this job. But before planning people, you need to know what kind of functions this project requires. For example, you know that you need a light technician, but you do not know yet if it will be Peter or Alice. That’s ok at this step of the process. We need to focus on the functions first.
15 - On the left side of the Crew and transport tab of your project, you can see that a few functions have already been created by default. Good, because you will need a technician for that project. Double-click on that function.
16 - You realize you won’t need one but two technicians. Click on the quantity to modify it.
17 - You now need another function that is not yet in the list of functions. Add a default function to the list. You will need two of them as well. Instead of double-clicking, select it and enter your desired number in the Quantity column. Press enter.
The functions are not only for the crew but also for transport. You know that you will need 30m3 of transport volume but you don’t know yet if you will plan the Renault Master or the Peugeot Boxer. This can be decided later.
18 - Add a transport function following the process we just learnt.
The issue with that method is that you will end up with a big list of functions and you can quickly get lost. To split them, we will organize them into different function groups. Also, you need to enter periods to start planning and the functions group will make that task quite easy.
Did you see that when you scheduled the first function, a new function group was created?
19 - You will now create a group of functions you will only use for the preparation of the event. Double-click on the existing group or select edit. Rename the group Prep and make sure the usage period of the function group matches the prep period of the whole project. Save.
20 - Create another function group and name it Event. Make sure the dates match the usage period of the project. Do the same for the wrap-up.
21 - Drag your items into the different function groups to organize them.
Your functions are now all scheduled and the price will be calculated based on the rental price you have entered for each of them. It is possible to add discounts or edit the factors to change the price.
As always in the industry, there are some changes on the way. You realize that you will not need 1 week but only 5 days to prepare the event.
22 - Go back to the Time schedule of your project and change the periods accordingly. What does that change for your function groups? Do you see that the dates of the equipment group adapted?
Time to quote - (Finance)
How-to: Create a quotation or contract
You now have enough elements to create the quote. To create the document, Rentman will pull the data that you have entered into the project.
If you feel like adding extra elements such as additional costs, feel free to do so!
23 - Go to the Financial tab of your project. Before you send the quotation, you realize that you have been working with this customer for a few years already and it would be nice to give them a discount. What about 10% on rental equipment? Or, even nicer, on the whole project?
24 - Click +Add quotation to generate your first quotation. Choose a template and a letterhead and create that quotation.
Perfect! It is ready to be sent to your customer. This quotation will also appear in the files of your project, in the General page.
It is now time to dig deeper into the functionalities of Rentman. You can learn more about planning your equipment, planning your crew, booking equipment, or invoicing.