Section 0.2: Order of operations guide

This guide follows one production through ABRAM in the order the work happens, from the first request to the final payment. Each step links to the guide that covers it in full.

Workflow overview

1. The request

Work often arrives before it is a project.

• Intake forms (Studio and above): a client fills in your form, and the request lands in Triage on the Projects page. ABRAM reads each request for fit, capacity, budget and missing information, so you can turn it into a quote and then a project. See Section 2.3.
• Client calls (Studio and above): click Add call under a project's Client > Calls, then paste or upload a call transcript. ABRAM pulls out a summary, decisions, action items and scope changes, and can draft a quote change for you to review. It counts toward your AI usage.

2. Creating the project

Pick the way in that fits what you already have:

• Start from scratch: name it, set the dates and build as things firm up. See Section 2.2.
• Draft with ABRAM: type or paste a brief, or attach one on Pro and above, and ABRAM drafts the name, dates, a budget estimate and work packages for you to edit. See Section 2.1.
• Scope with ABRAM: for a new project or an incoming request, ABRAM proposes the deliverables, crew, gear, shoot days, budget and quote on one page, and nothing is created until you click Apply. See Section 2.7.
• Import projects: from the Projects page, click Import to bring in a CSV file, or projects from Jira, Asana or Monday. An owner or admin connects each of those tools once for the organization. People are matched to your team as they come in. These importers are new.
• Import a script: for scripted work, Import script in Production > Breakdown builds your scenes and elements, from Pro and above. See Section 2.4.

Every project gets a project number. Click it to copy.

3. Work packages, milestones and deliverables

• Work packages split the project into phases. There are 12 types, from Discovery and Pre-production to Delivery and Coordination, and each moves through Planning, Matching, Staffed, In progress, Blocked, Completed or Cancelled.
• Milestones are checkpoints, each with a target date and an optional Payment %.
• Deliverables are what you hand over. Each moves through Not started, In progress, In review, Approved and Completed.

See Section 3.2 and Section 3.8.

4. Crewing

Open Resources > Team on the project.

1. Type a name or email into Add people: name or email and choose a role.
2. Everyone you add lands drafted. Nobody is contacted until you send invites.
3. Set each person's access: Can manage, Can edit or Crew view.
4. Click Send invites · N, which appears while someone is still drafted.

Auto-fill roles, under More actions while roles are open, suggests people from your organization and crew roster for open roles. Suggestions land drafted too.

People from outside your organization can join without a seat, up to a limit per production: Free 2, Pro 10, Studio 100, SMB / Enterprise unlimited. See Section 4.3 and Section 4.8.

5. Invitations

Invited crew see the invitation in their Inbox and can Accept or Decline. Accepting books their time. People invited by email to a work order or calendar event can answer Accept, Maybe or Decline from the link without signing in.

6. Work orders

A work order holds a call: when and where, who is on it, and what gear goes. From a work order you can Add project crew, check who is free on the Schedule tab of its Crew & resources card, and Send invites. See Section 3.3.

7. Schedule and gear

• Shoot days: in Production > Shoot days, each day gets a call sheet you preview, edit, publish and Send to crew (Pro and above). See Section 3.7.
• Calendars: bookings show on everyone's calendar, colour-coded. You can publish your ABRAM calendar to another calendar app and subscribe to outside calendars. See Section 4.4 and Section 4.5.
• Equipment: in Resources > Equipment, see what is needed next to what is booked, and book it. Each work order has a pack list: tick items Packed on the way out and Returned on the way back. See Section 3.5.

8. Delivery and client review

• Upload a new version of a deliverable as a video, PDF or DOCX file, or submit a link.
• A cut can be an uploaded video, on Pro and above, or a Vimeo link. Your client reviews it in the portal with notes pinned to the exact frame. Checks, coverage and footage search are in Section 6.10, and storage in Section 6.9.
• In the client portal, your client can Request changes or Approve and sign.

See Section 3.8, Section 6.4 and Section 6.6.

9. Hours

• On set, crew tap Check in on their phone and Wrap at the end of the day. The hours come from the clock.
• Crew log and submit their week from the time card. Time tracking needs Pro. Submitting a week for approval needs Studio.
• Whoever runs the project reviews and approves hours.

See Section 1.9 and Section 5.5.

10. Invoicing and payment

• Invoices: click New invoice in Financials > Invoices & payments, or in Invoices on the Free plan, which allows three a month. Click Save draft, then Send invoice. See Section 5.2.
• Processing Fee: calculated on the subtotal, tiered by the payee's plan, and charged only on monthly volume above the plan's allowance: 3% on Free, 1% after the first $10k a month on Pro, 0.5% after the first $100k a month on Studio, and 0.25% after the first $100k a month or a contract rate on SMB / Enterprise.
• Purchase orders: the payer clicks New PO and then Authorize payment to place a hold on their card. The payee must be on Pro or above and can Accept PO or Reject PO. The hold lasts 7 days. The payee is warned in the last 24 hours, and after day 7 the hold is released and the PO shows as Expired.
• Payment: payments go straight to the payee's connected payout account. ABRAM never holds the funds. Set up payouts in Settings > Billing > Payouts. See Section 5.1.