How to use ICMS

From first login to RA bill — detailed playbook

Step-by-step for every role: demo login, search, Client Payment desk, final accounts + GST filing support, tender → cash, plus AI. Same guide lives in-app under How to use and in HOW_TO_USE.md.

Try Free Vastu Plan Staff login Book demo Walkthrough on WhatsApp

On this page

Login Search & shortcuts Theme colour End-to-end flow By role Modules Images & galleries List / grid / export CRM Call Desk Free Vastu Quick home Tender calendar Final accounts Post a voucher GSTR-1 / 3B Auditor pack Record payment AI Tips

1 Sign in & demo roles

  1. Open /login.
  2. Tap a role pill to auto-fill email & password (Super Admin → portals).
  3. Click Sign in to ICMS.
  4. Pick a project in the top-bar switcher so site/billing posts go to the right job.
RoleUseEmailPassword
Super Admin Full system · all companies admin@icms.local Admin@123
Owner Command centres · finance owner@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Project Manager Control room · planning · approvals pm@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Site Engineer DPR · attendance · WIR · PR site@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Tender Manager Tenders · AI analysis · CRM tender@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Quantity Surveyor BOQ · rate analysis · billing qs@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Purchase RFQ · PO · vendors purchase@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Accounts Vouchers · GST · P&L · cash accounts@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Auditor TB · BS · auditor pack (view) auditor@apexinfratech.demo Demo@123
Client Client portal client@nhai.demo Demo@123
Vendor Vendor portal · RFQ/PO vendor@ultratech.demo Demo@123
Subcontractor Work orders · bills subcon@ganesh.demo Demo@123

T Light / dark & theme colour

Appearance is per browser (not a company setting). Primary buttons, links and accents follow the colour you pick.

  1. Light / dark: tap the half-circle in the top bar. That still posts to /theme and is stored in your session.
  2. Theme colour: tap the palette icon next to it. Six swatches: Amber (default), Ocean, Emerald, Violet, Rose, Slate. Choice is saved in localStorage as icms-theme-color and applied as data-theme-color on <html>.
  3. Marketing pages reuse the same stored colour for Staff login / amber buttons when you visit / or /features from this browser.

3 End-to-end flow (tender → cash)

1
Command Centre
Read live KPIs on /dashboard. Drill into Construction, Tender or Finance command centres.
2
Tender office
Create tender → upload NIT/BOQ → AI analyse → Go/No-Go score → BOQ + rates + estimate → mark Awarded.
3
Convert project
On awarded tender click Convert. Select the new project in the top bar.
4
Plan
WBS → Planning/Gantt → dependencies → CPM → freeze Original Baseline → 30-day lookahead.
5
Procure & store
PR → RFQ → quotes → PO (approvals) → GRN → issue to site → reconciliation.
6
Site execute
Daily DPR, attendance QR, fuel, photos, RFI, WIR/NCR, safety permits.
7
Bill & cash
MB → RA → Client Payment desk. Final accounts: vouchers → TB → P&L → BS. GST reports then file on GSTN.
8
AI packs
Copilot for Q&A; AI Reports for portfolio / cost / schedule / QHSE management packs.

4 What each role should do first

Tender Manager

CRM → Tenders → AI analyse/score → Calendar deadlines → convert wins.

Quantity Surveyor

BOQ import → Rate analysis → MB → RA pack → certify support.

Site Engineer

DPR every day → PR → Attendance → WIR/NCR → Photos.

Purchase

PR queue → RFQ compare → PO → chase GRN with store.

Accounts

Payment desk → Final accounts (vouchers → TB → P&L → BS) → GST filing support → petty cash.

PM / Owner

Command centres → Approvals → Risks → MPR / AI Reports.

5 Sidebar module map

Command
Command Centre, Construction / Tender / Finance CC
Tender
Tenders, Calendar, CRM, Clients
Commercial
BOQ, Rate Analysis, Estimates
Projects
Projects, Planning/Gantt, Lookahead
Procure & Store
PR, RFQ, PO, Stock, GRN, Issues, Vendors, Materials
Site
DPR, Photos, Attendance, Labour, Plant, Fuel
Quality & HSE
Quality, RFI, Drawings, WIR, NCR, Safety
Billing & Finance
MB, RA, Payment desk, Final accounts, Vouchers, Ledgers, Cash/Bank, TB, P&L, BS, Auditor, GST, Cost, Journals
Help & AI
How to use, AI Copilot, AI Reports, Doc Search, Audit

Dashboard tiles, command centres, clients, projects, tenders, BOQ, CRM and the marketing site all show building / plan thumbs. See Images & galleries.

I Images everywhere + galleries

Demo SVGs live in public/assets/img/demo/. Uploaded files go under public/uploads/clients/{id}/ and public/uploads/projects/{id}/.

  1. Clients: every card/list row has a building thumb. Open a client (try Airports Authority of India) — hero + gallery. Staff with Clients edit: Upload / edit photos (site map, building, structure, plan). Caption, type and sort order are saved. A toast confirms a successful upload. Demo clients already have dummy galleries. To collect cash, click Add payment — that opens the Client Payment desk (/m/clients/{id}/pay), not the bare receivables grid.
  2. Projects: same pattern on Projects, Construction CC, and the project room. Upload a gallery on the project (Projects edit). Cards fall back to type-matched demo SVGs (highway, tower, home…).
  3. Tenders: thumbs on list, grid, Tender CC, tender show hero, and calendar event chips.
  4. BOQ: chapter/type plan thumbs on desk cards.
  5. CRM Call Desk: source avatars — Meta, Google, website, Vastu, Quick home.
  6. Dashboard: Free Vastu preview plus a module tile grid with images.
  7. Marketing / and /features: visual feature cards. Favicon + OG hero at /assets/img/favicon.svg and /assets/img/og-hero.svg.

G List / grid, filters, Copy / CSV / Print

  1. On Clients, Projects, Tenders, BOQ (and other data shells): toolbar search, List / Grid (remembered per page in this browser, also ?view=grid|list), status/type chips, Copy, CSV, Print.
  2. Empty lists show an illustration plus a CTA (Add client, Quick home, New project…).
  3. Print this page on client profile and project room (and tender show) — hides chrome and prints the dossier.
  4. Successful save/upload flashes a green alert and a short toast in the corner.

C CRM Call Desk

Telecalling queue at /crm. Default view is Desk (Today / Overdue / Upcoming / Mine).

  1. Each card shows a source avatar (Meta / Google / website / Vastu / home) plus click-to-call and 1-click outcomes.
  2. Chip Free Vastu filters website + planner enquiries (/crm?source=vastu). Ads chip filters Meta + Google.
  3. Won → convert toward tender / Quick home. Ads credentials live under CRM Ads API.

H Quick home / private job

  1. On Tenders → Quick home enter customer name, phone, plot and value.
  2. ICMS creates a home client + private tender and a CRM lead tagged quick_home.
  3. Homepage Staff login is the primary CTA for the demo; Free Vastu is the enquiry magnet (no login).

K Tender calendar + Google

  1. Open /tenders/calendar — month grid or agenda. Event chips show a small tender thumb.
  2. Add one date to Google Calendar from the event, or download /tenders/calendar.ics for Google / Outlook / Apple.

A Final accounts (construction books)

Path: vouchers → ledgers → cash / bank book → trial balance → P&L → balance sheet, then the auditor pack and GST filing-support reports. Start at Final accounts or the Finance Command Centre.

  1. Hub: open /accounts/final (sidebar Final accounts). Cards jump to every book. Period filter is Indian FY (April–March) or a calendar month.
  2. Chart of accounts: /accounts/ledgers. Demo AIPL has a construction COA (cash, bank, debtors, CWIP, retentions, advances, GST input/output, work certified, materials, labour, subcontract, overheads). Click a code to drill the ledger statement.
  3. Vouchers: /accounts/vouchers lists payment / receipt / journal / contra. Create at /accounts/vouchers/create — at least two lines, debit = credit. See How to post a voucher.
  4. Cash book & Bank book: /accounts/cash-book and /accounts/bank-book show ledgers whose nature is cash or bank. Print from the page.
  5. Trial balance: /accounts/trial-balance — opening, period, closing debit/credit. Totals must agree before you print P&L / BS.
  6. Profit & Loss: /accounts/profit-loss (old /accounts/pnl redirects here). Construction heads: project income / work certified, extra items, unbilled work, materials, labour, subcontract, overheads. Optional project filter. Project-wise snapshot sits on the same page.
  7. Balance sheet: /accounts/balance-sheet as at period end. Assets vs liabilities + equity, including current-year surplus.
  8. Legacy Journals / Payments / Petty cash / Cost / Cashflow remain for day-to-day ops. Client cash is recorded on the Client Payment desk, not by typing into the receivables grid.

A2 How to post a voucher

  1. Open Create voucher. Pick type: Payment (money out), Receipt (money in), Journal (accrual / transfer), Contra (cash ↔ bank).
  2. Date, optional project (so P&L can split by job), reference (cheque / UTR / RA no), narration.
  3. Enter two or more lines: ledger + debit or credit. Typical patterns:
    • Receipt: Dr Bank/Cash, Cr Debtors or Contract revenue (+ GST output if billing).
    • Payment: Dr Expense / Creditor, Cr Bank/Cash.
    • Contra: Dr Cash, Cr Bank (or reverse).
  4. The form shows running debit/credit totals. Submit only when they match. The voucher is posted immediately (company-scoped).
  5. Open the voucher to print; click a ledger code to see the statement.

A3 Cash book & Bank book

These are ledger extracts, not a separate cash module. Petty cash imprest still lives under Petty Cash.

  1. Cash book (/accounts/cash-book): all posted lines on accounts with nature cash (demo: Cash in hand).
  2. Bank book (/accounts/bank-book): nature bank (demo: HDFC CC, SBI Current).
  3. Filter month or FY. Use Copy / CSV / Print on the toolbar where shown. Drill to the voucher or the full ledger.

A4 Trial balance, P&L, Balance sheet

  1. Trial balance — prove books: closing debit = closing credit. Click a line to the ledger. Print CSS is letter-friendly.
  2. P&L — construction-oriented: work certified, extra items, unbilled, materials, labour, subcontract, overheads (site, HO, plant hire, fuel, depreciation, finance). Margin % is surplus ÷ income.
  3. Balance sheet — assets (incl. CWIP, retentions receivable, GST input), liabilities (creditors, advances received, GST output), equity + current-year surplus. Difference warning if out of balance.
  4. Always pick the same period on TB, P&L and BS before sending a pack to the auditor.

A5 Construction auditor report pack

Working papers for the statutory auditor — not an audit opinion. Print the whole pack.

  1. Open Auditor report (/accounts/auditor).
  2. Schedules: CWIP, retentions, mobilisation / material advances, company P&L snapshot, project-wise P&L.
  3. Notes remind the auditor to agree retentions to RA deductions, CWIP to MB/stores, advances to recoveries, and GST to the GSTN portal.

G GST reports (India) — filing support only

Labelled ICMS GST reports for filing support. They help you prepare GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B from ICMS invoices. They are not a substitute for the GSTN portal. Reconcile e-invoice / e-way bill / GSTR-2B, then file on gst.gov.in.

  1. Hub: /accounts/gst — sidebar GST reports. Filter by month or FY (Apr–Mar).
  2. GSTR-1 style (/accounts/gst/gstr1 or /accounts/gstr-1): outward B2B (with GSTIN), B2C (unregistered), and export / zero-rated stubs.
  3. GSTR-3B style (/accounts/gst/gstr3b or /accounts/gstr-3b): outward taxable, eligible ITC, net tax payable (CGST / SGST / IGST) laid out like tables 3.1 / 4 / 6.1.
  4. Registers: /accounts/gst/registers (alias /accounts/gst-registers) — output tax and input tax (ITC) invoice lists.
  5. Tax % masters remain under Configuration → Tax rules. Company / branch / client GSTIN prints on letterheads.

B BOQ desk — list, grid & item editor

Bill of quantities is the commercial spine: chapters → items → rates → estimate / contract.

  1. Open BOQ (/boq). Stats show total BOQs, draft vs approved, value, and linked tenders/projects.
  2. Use Grid (default) or List. Search and status chips filter cards. Toolbar: Copy / CSV / Print.
  3. Shortcuts on each card: View, Edit header, Items, Rate analysis, Estimate, Tender, Project, Print/PDF, Delete.
  4. Open a BOQ for the item editor: KPIs (qty, amount, contingencies), chapter subtotals, qty × rate lines.
  5. Save all lines, add a row, or import CSV. Create rate analysis from a line, then apply the unit rate back.
  6. Print / PDF for a letterhead take-off. New revision copies the whole BOQ and keeps the previous one.
  7. Desk cards show plan / structure thumbs (demo SVGs). Empty desk has an illustration + Create BOQ.

P Record payment from a client

Do not dump receipts on the generic receivables list. Open the customer’s Payment desk — invoices, due, a full Pay form, and recent receipts in one place.

  1. Open a client profile, e.g. Airports Authority of India (/m/clients/4). Demo client 4 already has open invoices.
  2. Click Add payment (header) or the cash-coin shortcut on the card. That opens /m/clients/{id}/pay — not /billing/receivables.
  3. Header KPIs show balance due, contract value, paid to date, and phone.
  4. Fill Record payment: amount, mode (NEFT / UPI / Cash / Cheque / RTGS), date, reference/UTR, against an open invoice or On account, plus notes. Icons come from the advanced field helper.
  5. Right-hand list: open invoices with due amounts. Quick pay prefills amount and invoice, then scroll to the form.
  6. Submit. The receipt is numbered, the invoice status becomes partial/paid, KPIs and the timeline update. Use Back to client profile or All receivables for the company-wide grid.

Receivables (/billing/receivables) remains the aging register — cards now show the client name and a Pay button into that customer’s desk.

After login: /m/clients/4 → Add payment → desk.

V Free Vastu planning → CRM lead

Concept floor plans from plot size, rooms and facing. Two doors: public (enquiry clients, no login) and staff (after login).

  1. Website (sales funnel): open /free-vastu (alias /vastu). Anyone can generate preview plans. Name + phone are required only to Email my plans, Request site visit or Talk to sales.
  2. That submit creates a CRM lead with source website_vastu. Plot summary (sq.ft, facing, variant) is stored in notes / activity. Staff open the Call Desk chip Free Vastu or /crm?source=vastu (covers website + staff planner sources).
  3. Staff planner: Dashboard Free Planning card or /planning/vastu. Same generator. “Use this plan” can attach to Quick home, a project, or a staff CRM enquiry. Share the public URL with walk-in clients.
  4. Sketches are advisory — not CAD or a sanctioned drawing. Page guides apply to staff pages only; the public page has its own help blurb.

Public Free Vastu

6 AI Copilot & reports

  • Open AI Copilot from the shortcut icon, sidebar, or floating chat.
  • Ask about losses, delays, cement wastage, tender deadlines, critical path, cash next 60 days.
  • Run AI Reports for portfolio / tender / cost / schedule / QHSE packs.
  • Treat forecasts as advisory; confirm with site measurement and accounts before decisions.

7 Tips & training

  • Confirm project context before posting DPR, MB or PO.
  • Record client cash on the Payment desk from the customer profile — see Record payment from a client.
  • Clear Approvals promptly — PO and RA often wait there.
  • Use CDE / Documents for controlled drawings; QR routes for print packs.
  • Change theme colour (palette icon) if amber is hard to read on a projector — it does not change data.
  • Full markdown guide: repository file HOW_TO_USE.md · after login open /help.
  • Team training / pricing: call +91 99522 92120 or WhatsApp via the website Contact page.

Need training for QS / PM / store teams? Call +91 99522 92120.

Try Free Vastu Plan Staff login Book demo
WhatsApp +91 99522 92120