Messages & project conversations

Beech chat replaces project WhatsApp groups with work-linked conversations. Messages stay inside your firm, can link drawings and Vault files, and never bypass project permissions.

Where chat lives

• Messages (inbox icon in the header, or /messages) — direct messages, firm-wide groups, and project rooms in one inbox.
• Project conversations — each project includes a General room (every project member) plus optional project groups for subsets of the team.

Unread badges appear on the Messages icon. Opening a conversation marks messages read for you.

Direct messages and firm groups

From Messages, start a DM with any active firm member or create a firm group (name + members). Firm groups are not tied to a project; use them for studio-wide coordination. Leave a group you no longer need; Admins and Managers can manage membership on groups they can see.

Project conversations

Every project has a General room. Create additional project groups when only part of the team should see the thread (e.g. structure coordination). Only project members can open those rooms — if you cannot see the project, you cannot see its conversations.

Work links and Vault

In project chats, attach from Vault, link tasks/drawings/reviews/vendor requests, or use Discuss in chat from a work detail panel to open Chat with that item already attached. Chat file uploads stay private to the conversation until you Save to Vault — then they land in the project Vault like any other upload.

Threads, pins, and promote

• Reply opens a thread drawer — the main stream stays root messages only.
• Pin important decisions; pinned messages appear in the conversation header so people can find them later.
• Promote a message to a task or meeting log entry; Beech keeps a link chip on the message so you can jump back.

Mentions

Type @ to mention someone in the conversation. They get an in-app notification (and a Slack ping if your firm enabled chat mentions on the Slack integration).

Before you start

• Confirm you can open the relevant page and that your role has permission to perform the action.
• Identify the project, drawing, or task context before you start so updates are recorded in the right place.

Workflow checks and quality guardrails

• ✓

  Checklist item 1: Follow the Messages & project conversations process in order and save frequently after each meaningful update.

• ✓

  Checklist item 2: Write enough context in notes or comments so another teammate can understand the change without asking you.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping ownership or due-date details, which makes reporting and follow-up unreliable.
• Updating status without adding context, which creates confusion during reviews and handovers.

Troubleshooting

1. 1
   Troubleshooting step 1

   If an action is unavailable, verify role permission and whether required upstream fields are completed.

2. 2
   Troubleshooting step 2

   If expected results are not visible, check page filters and refresh to confirm synced state.

What to do next

1. Open /docs/home and continue with the next workflow.
2. Open /docs/reports and continue with the next workflow.
3. Open /docs/troubleshooting and continue with the next workflow.