Skip to content
English - United States
For further queries email us at: support@olive.app
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

The Quick Start Method (FAQ): How To Start A Project In Olive

This guide answers common questions first-time users have about creating a new project in Olive using the Quick Start method — a guided, AI-powered wizard that builds your project in five steps.


At a Glance: The Five-Step Wizard

The Quick Start wizard builds a complete project for you — requirements, vendor list, and project overview — in five guided steps. Here's what happens at each stage:


Step

What you do

What Olive AI does

1

Describe your project

Uses your description to tailor all subsequent AI suggestions

2

Select topics of interest

Suggests relevant topics; generates more based on your feedback

3

Review and curate requirements

Generates requirements per topic; lets you mark Must-Have vs Standard

4

Select vendors

Recommends vendors based on your topics and requirements

5

Review and generate

Assembles your full project — overview, requirements, and vendors

💡 Tip: The Quick Start method is the fastest way to get a fully structured project up and running in Olive. Step 1 is the most important — the more detail you provide in your project description, the better the AI suggestions will be throughout the rest of the wizard.

Getting Started

Q1: How do I start creating a new project using the Quick Start method?

A:

  1. Click 'My Dashboard' in the left sidebar
  2. On the dashboard, click the 'Start A New Project' card
  3. When the options appear, select 'Quick Start'

The guided project creation wizard will open.


My Dashboard — click 'Start A New Project' to begin

Select 'Quick Start' to launch the guided wizard

Q2: How do I navigate through the wizard steps?

A:

The five steps are listed in the left sidebar of the wizard. Complete each step and click 'Continue' at the bottom right to move to the next. Steps that are complete are marked with a green checkmark. You can click 'Back' at any time to return to the previous step.


Q3: How do I restart the wizard if I want to start over?

A:

Click 'Clear & Restart' at the bottom of the left sidebar. This resets the entire wizard so you can start fresh. If you want to exit without saving, click 'Exit Wizard' instead.


Step 1: Describing Your Project

Q4: How do I fill in my project details in Step 1?

A:

Step 1 asks you to complete four fields:

  • Project Name — give your project a clear, descriptive name (e.g. 'CRM Platform Selection 2025')
  • Who Is This For? — select the relevant account from the dropdown
  • What industry should we tailor our recommendations for? — type or select your industry
  • Provide some information about your project — write a description of what you're trying to achieve

Once complete, click 'Continue' to move to Step 2.


Step 1 — the Describe Your Project form with all four fields and the Show Tips option

Q5: How do I know what to write in the project description field?

A:

Click 'Show Tips' below the description field. A guidance box will appear with prompts to help you think through what to include:

  • What are you trying to accomplish?
  • What kind of solution are you looking for?
  • What are you using currently?
  • How many people need this solution?

💡 Tip: The more detail you write in the project description, the better Olive's AI can tailor its topic suggestions, requirements, and vendor recommendations throughout the rest of the wizard. Don't rush this step — it influences everything that follows.

Step 2: Selecting Topics of Interest

Q6: How do I select topics for my project in Step 2?

A:

Olive AI will suggest a list of topics relevant to your project based on your description. To build your topic list:

  1. Tick the checkbox next to each topic you want to include
  2. Click 'Accept All' to select every suggested topic at once
  3. Click the Thumbs Up (👍) icon next to any topic you particularly like — Olive AI will generate more suggestions in a similar direction
  4. Click the X icon next to any topic you want to remove

Step 2 — AI Generated tab showing suggested topics with checkboxes, Thumbs Up, and X buttons

Q7: How do I add my own topics that aren't in the suggested list?

A:

  1. Click the 'Add More' tab at the top of the topics panel
  2. Type in your own topics — you can enter multiple at once or paste a list
  3. Click 'Parse & Add' — Olive will separate them into individual topics automatically

Step 2 — Add More tab for entering your own topics

💡 Tip: Choose topics that genuinely reflect the focus areas of your evaluation. They directly determine what requirements Olive generates for you in Step 3.

Step 3: Reviewing and Curating Requirements

Q8: How do I review the AI-generated requirements in Step 3?

A:

Olive generates a list of requirements for each topic you selected. They are grouped by topic and each is labelled as either 'Standard' or 'Must'. To curate your requirements:

  1. Scroll through the list to review each requirement
  2. Tick the ones you want to keep
  3. Click the X icon to remove any that aren't relevant
  4. Click directly on the 'Standard' or 'Must' label to toggle a requirement between the two categories

Step 3 — AI Generated tab showing requirements by topic with Must/Standard labels, Thumbs Up, and X buttons

📌 Note: Requirements marked 'Must' become must-have requirements in your project, which affects how vendors are ranked later in your evaluation. Be deliberate about which requirements you mark as Must — reserve this for genuine deal-breakers.

Q9: How do I get more requirements suggested for a particular topic?

A:

Click the Thumbs Up (👍) icon next to a requirement you like. Olive AI will generate additional requirements in a similar direction for that topic.


Q10: How do I add my own requirements that aren't in the suggested list?

A:

  1. Click the 'Add More' tab at the top of the requirements panel
  2. Type in your own requirements — you can enter multiple at once or paste a list
  3. Click 'Parse & Add' — Olive will split them into individual requirements automatically

Step 3 — Add More tab for entering your own requirements

💡 Tip: After generating your project, review all requirements in the Requirements tab and edit or remove any that don't accurately reflect your organisation's needs before inviting vendors.

Step 4: Selecting Vendors

Q11: How do I choose which vendors to include in my evaluation in Step 4?

A:

Olive AI will suggest vendors based on your topics and requirements. To build your vendor list:

  1. Tick the checkbox next to each vendor you want to include
  2. Click 'Accept All' to select all suggested vendors at once
  3. Click the Thumbs Up (👍) icon next to any vendor you like — Olive AI will suggest more vendors with similar characteristics
  4. Click the X icon to remove any vendor you don't want to include

Step 4 — AI Generated tab showing recommended vendors with checkboxes, Accept All, Thumbs Up, and X buttons

Q12: How do I add vendors that aren't in the suggested list?

A:

  1. Click the 'Add More' tab
  2. Type in your vendors using the format: [Solution Company] - [Solution Name]

For example:

  • UKG - UKG Ready
  • Workday - Workday HCM

  1. You can enter multiple at once or paste a list, then click 'Parse & Add'

Step 4 — Add More tab for entering vendors in the [Company] - [Solution Name] format

💡 Tip: Include all the vendors you're seriously considering — you can always remove or add more from the Solutions tab after the project is created.

Step 5: Reviewing and Generating Your Project

Q13: How do I review my project before generating it?

A:

Step 5 shows you a summary of everything you've set up across three sections:

  • Project Overview — your project name, description, and industry
  • Requirements — grouped by topic with counts of how many are included
  • Solutions To Evaluate — all selected vendors

Review each section carefully before proceeding. This is your last opportunity to make changes before the project is built.


Step 5 — Review & Generate showing the Project Overview with the Modify button

Step 5 — Requirements summary showing topics and requirement counts

Step 5 — Solutions To Evaluate summary and the Generate My Project button

Q14: How do I make changes to my project before generating it?

A:

Click the 'Modify' button next to any section in the summary — Project Overview, Requirements, or Solutions To Evaluate. This takes you back to the relevant step so you can make adjustments. Once done, proceed through to Step 5 again.


Q15: How do I generate my project once I'm happy with everything?

A:

Click the 'Generate My Project' button at the bottom right of Step 5. Olive AI will assemble your entire project based on your inputs. When it's ready, you'll be taken directly into your new project.


💡 Tip: Take your time on this Review step — it's the last chance to make changes before the project is built. Once generated, you can still edit everything, but starting with a clean setup saves time.

After Your Project Is Generated

Q16: How do I find my way around the project once it's been generated?

A:

Once generated, you'll land on the Overview tab of your new project. Your project will already contain a structured project overview, organised requirement sections, and vendor cards. Use the table below to navigate the project:


Tab

What you'll find there

Overview

Your project description and live dashboards

Requirements

Review and refine your AI-generated requirements

Solutions

Manage vendors and invite them to respond

Comparison

Evaluate and score vendor responses side by side

Administration

Configure scoring scale, star ratings, and weighting settings

An example generated project — the Overview tab showing the AI-built Project Overview section

Q17: How do I edit the project overview content after the project is generated?

A:

  1. Go to the Overview tab and click the Description sub-tab
  2. Click on the Project Overview section to expand it
  3. Edit the text directly in the text area
  4. Use 'Add New Section' to add any additional sections you need

Q18: How do I add or remove vendors after the project has been generated?

A:

Go to the Solutions tab and click the Solutions sub-tab. From there:

  • To add a vendor — click '+ Add Solution'
  • To remove a vendor — click the ⋮ (3 dots) on their card and select 'Remove'

⚠️ Important: The generated project is a strong starting point — but it's AI-generated from public information. Review all requirements, adjust Must-Have labels, and customise the project overview before inviting vendors to ensure your evaluation accurately reflects your organisation's needs.

What's Next?

Once your project is generated and you've reviewed the content, here's the recommended order for next steps:

  1. Review and refine your requirements in the Requirements tab — edit, remove, or add anything that doesn't fit your needs
  2. Adjust Must-Have labels so they accurately reflect your organisation's genuine deal-breakers
  3. Configure Administration settings — set your Scoring Scale, Star ratings, and Section and Department Weighting before your team starts scoring
  4. Invite vendors to submit their responses through the platform
  5. Use the Comparison tab to evaluate vendor responses and pricing side by side once submissions are in

Still have questions? Contact your Olive project administrator or reach out to Olive support for assistance.