---
title: BOQ playground
summary: Set the BOQ items, quantities and rates of each schedule task for the areas you choose, using a template of the project.
order: 2
menu: Planning > BOQ Estimation
route: /projectboq/boqplayground
who: People who have the Add Project BOQs permission.
---

The BOQ playground links the bill of quantities (BOQ) to the schedule. A BOQ is the list of work items with quantity and rate. A template is a set of schedule tasks, for example "Typical Floor". An area is a part of the project that uses the template, for example "Tower A". In the playground you choose a template and its areas, and then give each task its BOQ items with a quantity and a rate.

The page is called **BOQ Configuration** on the screen.

## Before you start

- Choose the project in the project list at the top of the screen.
- The project needs at least one template with tasks.
- You need the Add permission for project BOQs.

## How to set the BOQ of a task

1. Open **Planning > BOQ Estimation**, click **Actions** and choose **BOQ Playground**.
2. In the first list (mark 1), choose a category. The text in the list is **Category..**.
3. In the second list (mark 2), choose a template. The list is off until you choose a category. The text in the list is **Template..**.
4. In the list of areas (mark 3), choose the areas that the change applies to. The tasks of the template appear in a table.
5. In the row of a task, click **Edit BOQs** (mark 4).
6. In the dialog **BOQ Modify**, add or change rows. See the table below.
7. Click **Update BOQ** (mark 1 in the second picture).

The message **Data Updated** shows.

![The BOQ Configuration page with a template chosen. Mark 1 is the category list. Mark 2 is the template list. Mark 3 is the list of areas. Mark 4 is Edit BOQs in a task row.](../media/boq-playground-tasks.png)

![The dialog BOQ Modify. Mark 1 is the Update BOQ button.](../media/boq-playground-dialog.png)

> **Note:** If you click **Edit BOQs** and no area is chosen, the page says **Please select the applicable nodes for the boq configuration**. Choose at least one area first.

## What the columns of the dialog mean

| Name | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **ID** | The system number of the line. You cannot change it. |
| **BOQ ID** | The system number of the work item. You cannot change it. |
| **Category** | The category of the work item. Choose it before you choose the BOQ. |
| **BOQ** | The work item. The list shows the items of the category. |
| **Qty** | The quantity for the task. |
| **Unit** | The unit of the work item. It fills in by itself. |
| **Rate** | The price for one unit. |
| **Provisional?** | Tick it when the quantity is not final. |

To add a note to a quantity, right-click the **Qty** cell and choose the comment command.

## What the buttons on the page do

| Name | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **BOQ Summary** | Opens [BOQ estimation](index.md). |
| **Playground Summary** | Opens the summary of the changes. See [Approve BOQ changes](approve-boq-changes.md). |
| **Edit Template** | Opens the tasks of the chosen template in a new browser tab. |
| **Bulk Add** | Shows after you choose a template. Opens [Add BOQ items to many tasks at once](bulk-add-boqs.md). |
| **Reload** | Clears the category, the template and the areas. |

## Rules to know

- A BOQ item can be in a task only once. The page says **Duplicate BOQ items not allowed for a single activity**.
- The rate and the quantity must be above 0. For both, the page says **Rate cannot be less than or equal to 0 (zero)**.
- You must choose a category before the BOQ. The page says **Please select a Category before choosing a BOQ**.
- If the schedule of the project came from a file, this page sends you to **Bulk Add** for the template.
- The changes are a draft. An approver must accept them. See [Approve BOQ changes](approve-boq-changes.md).

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Could not load BOQ Configuration. Refresh page and try again** | Reload the page. |
| **An error has occurred. Please try again later** | Try again. If it stays, tell your administrator. |
| **Please allow popups for this website** | Allow pop-ups in your browser, then click **Edit Template** again. |

## Related pages

- [BOQ estimation](index.md)
- [Add BOQ items to many tasks at once](bulk-add-boqs.md)
- [Approve BOQ changes](approve-boq-changes.md)
- [Rate analysis](rate-analysis.md)