Simplify Custom Product Specs

Use Programa’s ‘Hidden’ Status
Programa
Programa
Updated: 25 October 2024
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The ‘Hidden’ functionality in Programa is an essential tool for managing complex custom products and simplifying schedules for clients. This feature gives you full control over how much detail you share with your clients, allowing you to hide specific components of a product while keeping the overall line item visible for approval, invoicing, or purchase orders. Whether you’re working on custom furniture or assembling a detailed product, the ‘Hidden’ status streamlines communication and presentation with your clients, without compromising internal details.

Plain Product Display

What is the ‘Hidden’ Status?

The ‘Hidden’ status allows you to create multiple components for a single product without showing all the detailed breakdowns to your client. This is particularly useful when you need to manage:

  • Custom Products: Break down the materials, labor, and components for a custom item, but only show the total cost to your client.
  • Quote Comparisons: Hide alternate quotes or drafts from client-facing schedules to present a more polished view.
  • Internal Documentation: Keep all technical details or drafts hidden while allowing the client to see only the finalized product.

Use Case: Building a Custom Product

Let’s say you’re designing a Custom Armchair. The chair may have various components—such as fabrics for different sections, frame materials, and labor costs. Here’s how to handle it in Programa:

 

  1. Create the Main Product:
    First, set up the main product in your schedule, like the Custom Wingback Chair. Include the primary specifications—dimensions, materials, finishes, etc.—and add a visual (sketch, 3D image, etc.).
  2. Add Components:
    Now, create individual line items for each component of the product:
    1. Frame: Note the frame material and finish.
    2. Labor: Add assembly and labor costs.
    3. Fabrics: Specify the fabric for the seat, back, and panels.
  3. Use ‘Hidden’ Status:
    Once all components are added, mark them as Hidden. This ensures that your client will only see the main Custom Wingback Chair line item when you share the schedule. All the detailed components are still tracked internally but are invisible to the client.
  4. Approval and Sharing:
    Share the schedule with your client using Client Dashboard. They will only see the top-level product (the Custom Wingback Chair), with the total cost and relevant details. They can approve or reject this single item, making the process more straightforward for them.
Product Financials

Simplifying Financials with Hidden Status

By using the ‘Hidden’ functionality, you can also streamline your financials. Here’s how:

  • Invoice with Ease: When invoicing a client, the ‘Hidden’ components remain invisible. The client sees only the total cost of the product, simplifying billing.
  • Purchase Orders: When placing a purchase order, all hidden components (such as specific fabrics, labor, or assembly fees) will still be included in the PO, ensuring no detail is missed during manufacturing or sourcing.
Product Details Tray

Reusing and Grouping Components

One of the key flexibilities of the ‘Hidden’ status is that it allows you to group components without embedding them in the main product. These components can be saved to the Product Library for future use, allowing you to:

  • Reuse Custom Items: Save frequently used items (like labor costs or materials) to the library, and apply them across different projects without recreating them each time.
  • Flexible Spec Management: Copy and reuse hidden items across multiple specs within the same project, giving you more flexibility in managing your products.
Plain

Invoice

Invoicing with 'Hidden' Status applied

Programa’s ‘Hidden’ functionality provides designers with the tools to manage complex products efficiently while presenting a polished, simplified view to clients. Whether you’re working on custom furniture, sending quotes, or managing schedules, this feature ensures that internal details remain confidential while clients get a clear, easy-to-approve version of the final product.

Table of contents
  1. <strong>Principles for when you use the Services</strong>
  2. <strong>Implications for violating the User Guidelines</strong>
  3. <strong>Dangerous Content</strong>
  4. <strong>Deceptive Content</strong>
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  6. <strong>Illegal Content</strong>
    1. Introduction
    2. Why we have User Guidelines
    3. User Guidelines for what is strictly prohibited
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    6. Advice for other small studios
    7. Interior Design Software For Professional Interior Designers
      1. Programa Interior Design Software: A Comprehensive Project Management and Collaboration Solution for Architects and Interior Designers
      2. User-friendly Interface and Tools for Seamless Project Management
    8. Why Use Interior Design Client Proposal Templates?
    9. Key Components of an Interior Design Presentation Template
    10. Conclusion
    11. The Shortcomings of Conventional Tools for Interior Designers
    12. Breaking Away from Tradition with Programa
    13. From FF&E to beautiful client comms with Programa.
    14. Schedules: Organized and Up-to-Date Project Tracking
      1. Benefits:
    15. Pinboards: Visual Inspiration and Design Curation
    16. Canva Sharing: Collaborative and Seamless Presentation Integration
    17. Invoices: Simplified Financial Management and Transparency
    18. Client Dashboard Controls: Complete Access Management at Your Fingertips
      1. How the Client Dashboard Transforms Your Workflow
      2. Benefits of the Update
    19. Interior Design & Architecture Software For Professional Interior Designers & Architects
    20. 19 December 2024
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    22. 10 December 2024
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    24. 03 December 2024
    25. Seamless Integration with Product Library
    26. Tailored PDF Exports
    27. Intuitive Schedule Navigation
    28. Task Management: Keeping Every Detail in Check
    29. Phases: Breaking Down Your Projects
    30. Combining Studio & Task Management for Optimal Workflow
    31. Getting Started: Setting Up Your Tasks & Phases
    32. Bringing it all together.
    33. Welcome Back!
    34. 06 January 2025
    35. Why Time Tracking is Essential for Interior Designers
    36. How to Use Programa for Effective Time Tracking
    37. Tips for Maximizing Your Time Tracking Efforts
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      2. Phases
      3. Dynamic Views
      4. Prepare your Studio
      5. Key Changes
      6. Detailed Steps for Current Studio WIP Users
      7. Future Releases
      8. Support
      9. & Tradition Furniture
      10. Spreadsheets Weren’t Built for Interior Design
      11. Specification Simplified: Say Goodbye to Arduous Data Entry
      12. Always Up-to-Date: Live Schedules for Real-Time Collaboration
      13. Seamless Sharing and Client Communication
      14. Build Your Own Product Libraries
      15. Eliminate Stress with Real-Time Version Control
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      17. Effortless Integration and Customization
      18. Join Thousands of Designers Transforming Their Workflows with Programa
      19. Key Features:
    38. Product Approvals are engineered to streamline designer-client collaboration.
    39. Main Benefits Of Product Approvals
    40. Creating & Submitting Approval Requests
    41. Client Approval Process
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    43. With Programa’s Purchase Orders, you can:
    44. Challenges Faced by Designers in Procurement
    45. How designers can use Procurement Hub
    46. Built by and for designers
  7. Streamlining the A&D industry – it’s about time.
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    1. 1. Definitions
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    3. 3. European Union and United Kingdom
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    6. Appendix 1: Details of Processing
    7. Based in Sydney, YSG is a multi-disciplinary practice trailblazing architectural builds and interior design across the residential, commercial, and hospitality sectors. The studio charges spaces with atmospheric potency, staging, and storytelling driving their narrative process. With bold concepts and resourceful details, YSG's projects hopefully stir the soul and spark an emotive drive to feel one's best self within them.
  9. Discover the future of sourcing and specification within Programa
  10. The marketplace made for designers and suppliers
  11. What’s new. Trade Portal 2.0?
    1. Sleek new look and feel
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    3. Recommendations, category and brand highlights
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    10. Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2025
  13. 1. The Importance of a Strong Digital Presence
  14. 2. Leveraging Social Media Engagement
  15. 3. Implementing SEO Optimization Techniques
  16. 4. Offering Virtual Consultations and Collaborating with Others in the Industry
  17. 5. Showcasing a Diverse Portfolio and Staying Ahead with Future Trends in Client Engagement Strategies
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    9. The impracticalities of using generic software
    10. Enter Programa.
    11. Remove unnecessary stress and double handling with Programa:
    12. <strong><strong>1. Follow A Clearly Defined Process</strong></strong>
    13. <strong>2. Create a Detailed Scope of Work</strong>
    14. <strong><strong>3. Set Clear Boundaries</strong></strong>
    15. <strong>4. Document Everything Thoroughly</strong>
    16. <strong>5. Be Clear on the Limit of your Management Services</strong>
    17. <strong>6. Communicate Regularly</strong>
    18. <strong>7. Action Breakdowns Immediately</strong>
    19. <strong>8. See It Through</strong>
      1. What is the ‘Hidden’ Status?
      2. Use Case: Building a Custom Product
      3. Simplifying Financials with Hidden Status
      4. Reusing and Grouping Components
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Programa’s ‘Hidden’ status is a game-changer for interior designers managing complex custom products. This feature allows you to break down components—like materials, labor, and custom details—without cluttering client-facing schedules. Designers can create and hide individual product components, simplifying the client’s view while maintaining full control over internal documentation.

This feature is perfect for those working on custom furniture, intricate product builds, or anything requiring multiple components. With Programa, you can easily manage your schedules and client communication in one platform, ensuring clarity and efficiency in every project.