Solar pros search for things like "project management software for solar companies," "solar installation project management," "how to manage solar projects," and "software to track solar installations." This post answers all of those directly.
Solar installation isn't like most construction projects. You're running a pipeline with dozens or hundreds of jobs at different stages simultaneously — some still in proposal, some in permitting, some scheduled for install, some waiting on equipment, some in the inspection phase. Each job touches multiple teams: sales, design, operations, install crews, finance.
Generic project management tools like Asana, Monday.com, or Trello don't understand this workflow. You're always fighting the tool instead of running your business. And project management software that doesn't connect to your CRM, design tool, scheduler, and inventory system is just a fancy checklist — you still need people to manually update statuses and re-enter data across platforms that don't talk to each other.
Lead & Sales — Where did the lead come from? Who's the rep? What's the pipeline status?
Site Survey & Design — Has the site survey been completed? Is the design approved? What system was designed?
Permitting — Has the permit application been submitted? What's the permit number? When was it approved?
Equipment & Materials — Has a PO been generated? Has equipment been ordered and received?
Scheduling — When is the install scheduled? Who is the crew? Have they been notified?
Installation — Is the install in progress? Have progress photos been uploaded? Are there any issues?
Inspection & Interconnection — Has the inspection been scheduled? Passed? Has utility interconnection been approved?
Close — Is the job complete? Has the final invoice been processed?
Every one of those stages requires coordination between different teams, and every handoff is an opportunity for something to fall through the cracks.
Monday.com / Asana / Trello — Generic tools that require heavy customization to work for solar. Don't connect to your design tool, CRM, or inventory. You'll be updating them manually.
JobNimbus — One of the more popular solar/roofing PM tools. Better than generic tools but still requires integrations with design software, scheduling tools, and others.
Buildertrend — More construction-focused. Has project tracking and scheduling features. Not solar-specific.
Spreadsheets and Google Sheets — Still in use at a shocking number of solar companies. The install tracker lives in a shared Google Sheet that seven people are updating simultaneously and nobody trusts.
SolarDesk.
Here's what makes SolarDesk different from every other project management tool: it doesn't need to be told when a project moves from one stage to the next, because it already knows. When the customer signs the contract in the design tool, the project advances. When the equipment is ordered in the inventory system, the project advances. When the install is scheduled, the crew is notified. When install photos are uploaded from the field, they appear in the customer record automatically.
Every department — sales, design, operations, install — is working inside the same system. There are no handoffs. There's no "did you update the tracker?" conversation. The project status is always current because the platform tracks it automatically as work gets done.
SolarDesk has a dedicated installation scheduling module. Installers get mobile app access where they can view the design, see the equipment list, log progress, flag issues, and upload photos — all from the job site. Those photos and updates flow back into the project record in real time. If a crew member needs a change to the design, they can request it through the app. No phone tag. No "I'll let the office know." The system handles the communication.
When a designer completes a system design, SolarDesk can automatically calculate the required materials — panels, inverters, racking, wiring — and generate a purchase order. That PO goes to your linked supplier. When the equipment is confirmed and received, the inventory system updates and the project moves forward. No one has to manually figure out what a job needs and then go order it separately.
If you're running separate tools — a Project management tool, a CRM, a design tool, a scheduler, and an inventory system — you're likely paying $6,000–$8,800/month, plus the cost of integrations and the staff time to maintain them. SolarDesk replaces the entire stack. One price. One platform. One login for your whole team.
Solar project management isn't a generic problem, and it doesn't have a generic solution. You need software that was built for the full solar lifecycle — from first knock to final inspection — and connects every team in your company without manual handoffs. SolarDesk is that platform.
See how SolarDesk manages solar projects →