Design Packages – Product Support Guide

Key Vocabulary

Term	Meaning
Placeholder / Slot	A slot in the design package that needs a product. Created by Estimation in Takeoff Manager.
Location / Feature	Standardized physical areas (e.g., Kitchen). Features are standardized children of Locations (e.g., Kitchen Island).
Item / Product / Variant	Item = product type by Item Code. Product = a specific catalog item. Variant = same product in a different size, finish, shape, or color.
Elevation	The architectural exterior style. Plans can have multiple elevations with different schemes; applies to the Exterior Design Package.
Design Package / Interior Scheme	A named aesthetic representing a complete, cohesive set of interior finish selections.
Option	Any configurable choice that defines a plan's personalization program.

How It Fits Together

The Design Package sits in the middle of a larger flow. Each stage hands off to the next:

Material Catalog — Construction Materials, Placeholders, and Products (the source library).
Takeoffs — adds Labor to materials and defines Placeholders for each plan.
Design Package — assigns Products to Placeholders: the finishes in a home.
Offering — Products with quantities, ready for configuration and pricing.

Publishing a Design Package makes its products and changes available to both the Product Offering and Bid Packages.

Add Products to the Material Catalog

Designers can add Products, and Variants, to the Material Catalog. Confirm the item isn't a duplicate, add a Variant where possible, and keep attributes accurate.

Material Catalog — use “Add New” to create a product; add Variants for size/finish/color differences.

Creating a Design Package

From scratch

Goal: a saved package with consistent naming, the Designer in Market as Owner, Interior Schemes and Spec Levels selected, all relevant plans connected, and elevations/schemes added as applicable.

Use consistent naming and set the Designer in Market as Owner.
Connect all relevant plans, then select Interior Schemes and Spec Levels.

Design Packages list — “Create New” starts a package from scratch.

Clone an existing package

Reuse a completed package as the starting point for a new community.

Select “Make a Copy,” then update the name and connected plans.
Confirm schemes and spec levels, and spot-check three slots to confirm products and placeholders carried over.

The package menu — “Make a Copy” clones an existing package.

Rooms & Required Add-Ons

Alternate rooms & pairing

Create alternate rooms (e.g., extra Baths/Powder Rooms) and use Room Pairing to match them to architectural plans.

Room menu — Create Alternate and Room Pairing.

Required Add-Ons

From the package menu, open Edit Required Add-Ons, add Add-On Options, and scope each to a specific Interior Scheme and/or Spec Level.

Edit Required Add-Ons from the package toolbar menu.

Populating & Managing Placeholders

Populate placeholders

Assign products to slots using the correct chip logic (Interior Scheme & Spec Level). Navigate to Placeholders, add Scheme & Spec Level, add Products and tag them, add a Design Note, and Copy between similar rooms (e.g., Bath to Bath).

Placeholders view — filter by Interior Scheme and Spec Level, then assign products to each slot.

Add a new placeholder

Three entry points: within a Location, from the Design Package, or from the bottom-left.
Default is all linked plans; set the Location and match the Type to the Material Catalog Item Type.
New placeholders show Pending until approved by Estimation.

To prune or not to prune

A placeholder can be pruned (deleted) when it is no longer connected to any plans. Check the connection before pruning.

Apply To panel — “No plan lines associated with this slot” means the placeholder can be pruned.

Personalization Options

Type	Use it for
Single Product Option	Personalization on just one placeholder. Does not control Scheme & Spec Level.
Linked Product Option	Multiple placeholders using the same Item Type. Controls Scheme/Spec Levels to populate all at once (e.g., Hardwood Flooring).
Package Option	Multiple placeholders of different Item Types, such as an Appliance Package (range, refrigerator, etc.).

To add: navigate to Placeholders, create the Personalization Option, add products, and tag to schemes if needed.

Create Personalization Option from the placeholder actions menu.

Versioning & Publishing

“Updates available” means a connected plan's Takeoff Manager changed. Updates aren't mandatory, but skipping them leaves the package slightly out of sync.
To accept: click Updates Available, review the version info, click Accept Updates, and flag Estimation if issues arise. Accepting may add new placeholders or make existing ones prunable.
A package stays in Draft until Published. After a publish, any change automatically creates a new draft — always work on the latest draft (old versions are read-only).

Updates Available dialog — review added/removed/modified item-slots before accepting.

Design Package Completion Checklist

Setup

Consistent naming, Designer in Market as Owner, all relevant plans connected.
Interior Schemes and Spec Levels set up (plus elevations as applicable).
If cloned: name/plans updated and a spot check confirms products carried over.
Required Add-Ons set up and scoped to scheme/spec level.
Alternate rooms created and paired correctly to plans.

Placeholders

All placeholders populated with correct Scheme/Spec Level tags (green checks).
New placeholders approved by Estimation (not “Pending”).
Unused, unconnected placeholders pruned if not needed.
Cabinets and similar placeholders set up for the best Checkout experience.

Personalization, QC & Finalization

Personalization options set up correctly and verified in Checkout.
Latest version of the Design Package is Published.
Lot Summary QC'd and applied with Purchasing.
Finish Schedule reviewed and exported as the source of truth.