Task Hierarchy: Phases & Sub-Tasks

A residential construction project can easily have 50 to 200 tasks. Without organization, that list becomes unmanageable fast. Baulit uses a simple two-level hierarchy: phases group related tasks, and tasks sit inside those phases. This mirrors how builders actually think about a job: foundation phase, framing phase, rough-ins, finishes, and so on.

What Are Phases?

A phase is a bold, navy-colored header row in your task list. It does not represent a single piece of work. Instead, it acts as a container that groups related tasks together. Think of phases as the chapter headings for your project schedule.

Typical phases for a custom home build:

Pre-Construction (permits, surveys, staking)
Site Work (clearing, grading, utilities)
Foundation (excavation, footings, slab or basement)
Framing (walls, trusses, sheathing)
Rough-Ins (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)
Exterior (roofing, siding, windows, doors)
Insulation & Drywall
Interior Finishes (trim, cabinets, flooring, paint)
Final (landscaping, driveway, punch list, closeout)

When you use a project template or let AI generate your task list, phases are created automatically. You can also create them manually at any time.

Creating a Phase

Open the Tasks tab in your project view.

Click "Add Task" at the bottom of the task list (or use the floating add button).

Check the "Create as phase" checkbox. This appears next to the task name input. When checked, the new item is created as a phase header instead of a regular task.

Type the phase name and press Enter or click Save. The phase appears in bold navy text in your task list.

Adding Tasks Inside a Phase

Once a phase exists, you can add tasks inside it in two ways:

Add directly under the phase. Click the small "+" button that appears when you hover over a phase row. The new task is automatically placed inside that phase.
Indent an existing task. Select a task that is currently at the top level, then click the Indent button (right arrow) in the edit toolbar. The task moves under the phase above it.

Phase Aggregation

Phase rows display summary information rolled up from their child tasks:

Child count — shows how many tasks are inside the phase (e.g., "8 tasks")
Aggregated budget — the combined estimated and actual costs of all child tasks
Latest due date — the furthest-out end date among child tasks
Progress indicator — a mini bar showing what percentage of child tasks are Complete

This means you can collapse a phase and still see its health at a glance without expanding every individual task.

Collapsing and Expanding Phases

Click the arrow icon on the left side of any phase row to collapse or expand it. When collapsed, the child tasks are hidden and only the phase summary row is visible. This is especially useful when your project has 100+ tasks and you only want to focus on one section of the build.

Tip: Collapse all phases except the one you are actively working on. This keeps your task list focused and prevents scrolling through finished or future work.

Indent and Outdent

You can move tasks into or out of phases using the indent and outdent controls.

To indent (move a task inside a phase): Select the task row, then click the right arrow indent button in the task toolbar. The task becomes a child of the nearest phase above it.

To outdent (move a task out of a phase): Select a task that is currently inside a phase, then click the left arrow outdent button. The task moves to the top level, outside of any phase.

Converting Between Phases and Tasks

Sometimes you create a regular task and later realize it should be a phase, or vice versa. Baulit lets you convert in either direction.

Task to Phase

Open the task for editing and select Convert to Phase from the task menu. The task becomes a phase header. Any task-specific data like status, duration, cost items, and assignee is removed because phases are containers, not work items.

Warning: Converting a task to a phase removes its status, duration, cost line items, assignee, and dependencies. This action cannot be undone. Make sure you want the task to be a grouping header before converting.

Phase to Task

Open the phase and select Convert to Task. The phase becomes a regular task. Any tasks that were inside the phase are moved to the top level (they become un-parented). The converted task starts with a Not Started status and no duration.

Drag and Drop

You can reorder tasks and move them between phases using drag and drop. Grab the drag handle on the left side of any task row and drag it to a new position.

As you drag, visual indicators show you where the task will land:

Line above or below a row — the task will be placed before or after that row at the same level.
Gold highlight inside a phase — the task will become a child of that phase. Look for the gold indicator bar that appears slightly indented to confirm you are dropping inside the phase, not above or below it.

Drag and drop on mobile: On touch devices, press and hold a task row for a moment before dragging. The long-press activates the drag handle so the app can distinguish between scrolling and reordering.

Maximum Nesting Depth

Baulit supports one level of nesting: phases contain tasks. You cannot nest phases inside other phases or create deeper hierarchies. This is intentional. Construction schedules work best with a flat, scannable structure. A phase with 15 tasks is easy to manage. A phase with sub-phases with sub-sub-tasks becomes difficult to navigate and slows down your team.

If you find yourself wanting deeper nesting, consider splitting a large phase into two smaller ones. For example, instead of "Rough-Ins > Plumbing > First Fix" and "Rough-Ins > Plumbing > Second Fix," create "Plumbing Rough-In" and "Plumbing Top-Out" as separate phases.

Phases in Templates

When you save a project as a template, the phase structure is preserved. Starting a new project from that template recreates the same phases with the same tasks inside them. This is the fastest way to set up repeatable project types like spec homes, renovations, or additions.

For more on templates, see Templates in the Mastery section.