Sub-Projects

Sub-projects let you break a large event into independently managed stages while keeping all finances consolidated under a single parent project. A festival with three stages, a corporate conference spanning multiple rooms, or a touring production visiting several venues — all of these are natural fits for the sub-project model.

How sub-projects work

A sub-project is a full project that lives underneath a parent project. Each sub-project has its own name, dates, equipment list, crew assignments, transport plan, and time periods. However, all costs roll up to the parent project, which generates a single consolidated quote and invoice for the entire event.

For example, a parent project called "Summer Festival 2025" might contain three sub-projects:

• Main Stage — PA system, lighting rig, 12 crew, 3 transport trips
• Acoustic Stage — Smaller PA, basic lighting, 4 crew, 1 transport trip
• VIP Area — AV equipment, ambient lighting, 2 crew, 1 transport trip

The parent project shows a combined total — for instance, £65,500 — and one quote or invoice covers everything.

Sub-project data model

Sub-projects are identified by two fields on the project model:

• parent_project_id — The ID of the parent project. When this field is set, the project is treated as a sub-project.
• is_sub_project — A boolean flag that explicitly marks the project as a sub-project

Enforced rules

NexusRMS enforces the following rules for sub-projects at the model level (in the model boot method), meaning they cannot be circumvented through the UI or API:

• Client inheritance — A sub-project MUST inherit its client from the parent project. This is enforced automatically and cannot be overridden. All sub-projects share the same client to ensure a single billing relationship.
• No separate quotes or invoices — Sub-projects CANNOT have their own quotes or invoices. All financial documents are generated at the parent level.
• Independent resources — Sub-projects CAN have their own equipment lists, crew assignments, transport plans, and time periods, managed independently from the parent and from each other.
• Cost rollup — All costs from sub-projects automatically roll up to the parent project's Financial tab.

Accessing the Sub-Projects tab

The Sub-Projects tab is only visible on parent projects and displays a badge showing the number of child sub-projects. If a project has no sub-projects, the tab displays an empty state with a prompt to create the first one. To open the tab, navigate to the project detail page and click Sub-Projects in the tab navigation.

Creating a sub-project

Click the Add Sub-Project button on the Sub-Projects tab. A creation form appears with the following behaviour:

• Client — Inherited from the parent project and displayed as read-only. You cannot change it.
• Name — A descriptive label for the sub-project (e.g., "Main Stage", "Day 2 — Workshop Hall")
• Dates — Start and end dates are independent of the parent. Each sub-project can span a different time window within the overall event.
• Template — Optionally apply a project template to pre-populate equipment, crew roles, and settings

Sub-project navigation

NexusRMS provides several navigation aids for working with sub-projects:

• Type indicator chip — The project detail header displays a chip labelled either "Sub-Project" or "Main Project" so you always know which level you are viewing
• Switcher dropdown — A dropdown in the project header lists the parent project and all sibling sub-projects, allowing you to jump between them instantly without returning to the project list. The currently active project is highlighted.

Visual indicators on the project list

In the main project list, parent projects and their sub-projects are visually distinguished:

• Sub-project count badge — Parent projects display a badge showing the number of sub-projects (e.g., "3 sub-projects")
• Expand/collapse chevrons — Click the chevron on a parent project row to expand and reveal its sub-projects
• Tree lines and indentation — Sub-project rows are indented beneath their parent with connecting tree lines, making the hierarchy visually clear
• Direct navigation — Click any sub-project row to navigate directly into that sub-project's detail page

Independent resources per sub-project

Each sub-project manages its own resources independently:

• Equipment — Each sub-project has its own equipment list. Items are allocated separately, and availability is calculated per sub-project.
• Crew — Crew members are assigned to individual sub-projects with their own schedules and call times.
• Transport — Transport trips are planned independently, with separate vehicles, routes, and timings per sub-project.
• Time periods — Each sub-project defines its own time periods (build, show, teardown, etc.) with independent schedules and rental multipliers.

Financial tab visibility

The Financial tab is hidden on sub-projects. Because all costs roll up to the parent, financial management — including discounts, tax configuration, price overrides, and document generation — takes place exclusively at the parent level. This prevents duplicate accounting and ensures a single source of truth for the event's finances.

Cost rollup to parent

The parent project's Financial tab displays a consolidated breakdown that includes figures from every sub-project. Equipment rental, crew costs, transport costs, and additional costs from all child sub-projects are aggregated into the parent's four-category breakdown. This means:

• A single quote covers the entire event, including all sub-project line items
• A single invoice is issued to the client for the combined total
• Profit margin calculations reflect the event as a whole

Equipment conflict detection

When two or more sub-projects under the same parent request the same equipment during overlapping time periods, NexusRMS flags a conflict. A warning indicator appears on the affected equipment lines in both sub-projects, allowing the project manager to resolve the clash by adjusting quantities, swapping items, or shifting dates.

Tips

• Plan the parent project first — Set the client, overall dates, and project template at the parent level before creating sub-projects. This ensures consistent settings across all stages.
• Name sub-projects descriptively — Use clear labels like "Main Stage", "Hall B", or "Day 2 Morning" rather than generic names. Sub-project names appear on quotes, invoices, and crew call sheets.
• Check cross-sub-project equipment conflicts — When multiple stages share the same venue dates, review the conflict warnings to ensure you have enough stock allocated across all sub-projects.
• Review consolidated financials regularly — As sub-projects are built out independently, the parent Financial tab is the only place that shows the full picture. Check it frequently to ensure the overall event remains within budget.

Next steps

Continue to the next article to learn about the Documents tab, where you will generate, manage, and send quotes, invoices, contracts, and other project documents.