Projects
Projects are the central operational hub of dronelist.io. Every drone operation — from site survey to final deliverable — lives inside a project. Projects connect your CRM accounts, proposals, fleet equipment, invoicing, and team members into one coordinated workflow.Creating a project
Navigate to Projects and click New Project. Projects can be created manually or generated automatically from an accepted proposal.Project statuses
Projects move through a defined lifecycle. Each status represents a phase of the operation.1
Draft
Initial setup. Define scope, add sites, and assign team members. The project is editable and not yet committed.
2
Confirmed
Client has approved the scope. You can begin scheduling missions and assigning crew.
3
Scheduled
Missions have dates and pilots assigned. Equipment is reserved. Ready to fly.
4
In Progress
Active flight operations. Missions are being executed in the field.
5
Delivered
All deliverables have been sent to the client. Awaiting invoicing.
6
Invoiced
An invoice has been generated and sent. Awaiting payment.
7
Completed
Payment received, project closed. Terminal status.
Status transitions
Not every status can move to every other. Here are the allowed transitions:Project types
Set the project type to categorize the operation. This drives which mission specification fields are shown.Sites
Each project can have one or more sites — the physical locations where you’ll fly. Sites are plotted on a map using GPS coordinates.Site information
Sites display nearby airspace classifications and airport proximity information to help with flight planning and LAANC authorization awareness.
Airspace reference
Missions
Missions are individual flight operations within a project. A site survey project might have one mission; a large mapping project could have dozens across multiple sites.Creating a mission
From a project’s detail page, go to the Execution section and click Add Mission. Each mission is assigned to a site and has its own crew, schedule, and specifications.Mission statuses
Missions follow their own lifecycle:1
Pending
Mission created but not yet scheduled. No pilot or date assigned.
2
Scheduled
Date set and pilot assigned. Ready to fly. Requires a pilot and scheduled date before transitioning.
3
In Progress
Actively flying. Check-in timestamp is recorded automatically.
4
Completed
Flight finished. Check-out timestamp is recorded. Terminal status.
Mission types
Each mission has its own type, which determines the specification fields shown in the mission form:Crew & team assignment
Projects support two levels of team assignment: project-level crew and mission-level crew. Team members come from your organization’s roster — manage your full team in Team Management.Project crew roles
Assign team members to the project with a role that reflects their responsibility:Mission crew roles
When assigning crew to a specific mission, roles shift to FAA-aligned operational positions:
When a mission is created, project team members can be copied to the mission. Roles are mapped automatically (e.g., Observer becomes VO), though PIC must always be assigned manually.
Deliverables
Deliverables are the outputs you produce and hand off to the client — maps, models, reports, and raw data. Track each deliverable’s progress from processing through client acceptance.Deliverable types
Deliverable statuses
Each deliverable progresses through its own lifecycle:1
Pending
Expected deliverable — processing hasn’t started yet.
2
In Progress
Data processing or report writing is underway.
3
Ready
Processing complete. File is ready for delivery.
4
Delivered
Sent to the client. Awaiting their review.
5
Accepted
Client has approved the deliverable. Terminal status.
6
Rejected
Client requested changes. Returns to In Progress for rework.
File formats
Deliverables support industry-standard formats:Storage options
Files can be stored on the platform or linked from external services:- Platform Upload — Upload directly to dronelist.io
- Google Drive — Link to a Google Drive file
- Dropbox — Link to a Dropbox file
- External URL — Link to any external location
Project files
Attach supporting documents to any project — contracts, LAANC authorizations, flight logs, insurance certificates, and more.
Accepted formats include PDF, Word documents, plain text, CSV, and images (PNG, JPG). Maximum file size is 25 MB per file.
Financial tracking
Each project tracks revenue, costs, and profitability in the Financial section.
Financial data feeds into the Profitability dashboard for cross-project analysis. Generate invoices directly from a project’s financial data using Invoicing, and track line-item costs in Expenses.
Client portal
Each project has a Client Portal toggle. When enabled, your client gets a read-only view of project status, deliverables, and key milestones — without needing a dronelist.io account. This is a per-project setting, not organization-wide. Learn more in the Client Portal guide.Client approval
When deliverables are shared via the client portal, clients can set an approval status:Tips
Start with Draft, refine before Confirming
Start with Draft, refine before Confirming
Use Draft status to build out your project — add sites, plan missions, estimate costs. Only move to Confirmed once the client has signed off on scope. This keeps your active pipeline clean.
Use project types to standardize workflows
Use project types to standardize workflows
Setting the right project type ensures mission specification fields match the operation. A LiDAR project shows point density fields; an Inspection project shows structure type and method.
Assign crew at both project and mission level
Assign crew at both project and mission level
Project crew gives you a roster view across the whole engagement. Mission crew locks in the specific people flying each sortie — with FAA-aligned roles like PIC and VO.
Track deliverables through the full lifecycle
Track deliverables through the full lifecycle
Move deliverables from Pending through Accepted to create a clear audit trail. If a client rejects a deliverable, it goes back to In Progress so nothing falls through the cracks.
Link projects to CRM accounts
Link projects to CRM accounts
Connecting a project to a CRM account keeps your sales and operations data in sync. You can trace the full journey from lead to completed project.
Enable the client portal for transparency
Enable the client portal for transparency
Turning on the client portal for a project lets your client see progress without back-and-forth emails. It builds trust and reduces status update requests.
Use On Hold for weather and regulatory delays
Use On Hold for weather and regulatory delays
When a project stalls due to weather, permits, or client availability, move it to On Hold rather than leaving it In Progress. This keeps your active workload accurate and makes it easy to resume later.