Creating Projects and Completing Onboarding

Preparing to Create a New Project

Before you click New Project, take a minute to confirm the basic decisions that Atloria will ask for during setup. This makes the onboarding wizard much faster and helps you avoid renaming or reorganizing the project right away.

Start from the area where you manage projects, such as your projects list or organization workspace. Make sure you can see the option to create a project. If you do not see a New Project button, you may need a workspace or organization role that allows project creation. If account access is still being set up, see Accessing and Registering Your Atloria Account or Managing User Access and Administrative Permissions.

Before opening the form, gather the details Atloria uses to create the project:

You should also decide how the project will begin:

• Blank setup if you want to build the documentation structure yourself
• Starter template if you want Atloria to create an initial structure for you
• Imported structure or content path if you already have documentation to bring in

If you are unsure which starting option fits your team, continue with project creation first, then compare setup approaches in Choosing Between Manual and Connected Project Setup.

Creating the Project Record

Once you are ready, open the projects area in Atloria and click New Project. The project creation form is where you define the basic identity of the project before the onboarding wizard starts.

1. Enter the Project Name exactly as your team should see it in project lists, dashboards, and internal navigation.
2. Fill in the Project URL or Slug field if Atloria asks for it during creation. Choose a short, clear value that matches the project name and will still make sense later.
3. Select the workspace or organization that should own the project. This choice matters because it affects who can find the project, who can manage it, and which team context it belongs to.
4. Choose the initial visibility or access mode shown on the form. If Atloria offers a private option, use it when you want setup work to stay limited to a smaller team. If broader team access is available, use that when the project should be visible to a larger internal group from the start.
5. Review the form, then click Create Project or Save.

After saving, Atloria does not take you to the normal project dashboard right away. Instead, the new project opens into the onboarding flow so you can define the initial documentation setup before contributors start working.

This first-load state is important because it is where Atloria creates the project’s starting structure. If you leave the project before finishing onboarding, the project may exist but still need setup choices before it is ready for writing and collaboration.

If you need help finding projects after creation, see Working with Project Lists and Dashboards.

Using the Onboarding Wizard to Define Your Documentation Setup

After the project record is created, Atloria opens the onboarding wizard. This guided flow helps you choose how the project should start and what kind of documentation structure Atloria should create for you.

1. On the first onboarding screen, choose the project’s starting point. Atloria may offer options such as a blank structure, a starter template, or an imported content path. Select the option that best matches how much structure you already have.
2. Move to the next screen and choose the primary documentation use case or documentation type if Atloria asks for it. This choice helps Atloria shape the initial section layout and starter pages.
3. Continue through each screen, making the required selections. If the Continue or Next button is unavailable, look for a required option that has not been selected yet.
4. When you reach the summary or review step, read each setup choice carefully before applying it.
5. Click the final action to apply the onboarding choices and build the project’s initial structure.

The wizard is designed to help you make decisions in order. A blank setup gives you the most control, but it also means you will need to create the structure yourself. A starter template is useful when you want Atloria to generate a ready-to-edit navigation tree. An imported path is best when you already have content or a structure you plan to bring into the project.

Pay close attention to the review screen. This is usually the clearest place to confirm whether you selected the right starting mode, the right documentation type, and the right overall direction for the project.

[SCREENSHOT: Onboarding wizard with setup options and Next button] [SCREENSHOT: Onboarding summary screen before applying setup choices]

The next document, Choosing Between Manual and Connected Project Setup, goes deeper into how to choose between these setup paths.

Making the Initial Decisions That Shape Structure

The choices you make during onboarding directly affect the first version of your project’s navigation, starter pages, and overall writing flow. Even if you plan to refine the structure later, it helps to understand what Atloria creates for you at this stage.

If you choose a starter template, Atloria creates an initial navigation tree for the project. That usually means you begin with top-level sections and starter pages instead of an empty workspace. If you choose a blank structure, the project starts with much less built in, which is useful when your team already knows exactly how it wants to organize content. If you choose an imported path, the first structure is shaped by the content you bring in.

As you review the onboarding choices, pay attention to the names of the first sections, categories, or spaces Atloria creates. These names become the starting points for your documentation hierarchy, so choose labels your team will understand immediately. Clear top-level names make it easier for writers, reviewers, and readers to know where content belongs.

Your selections can also influence future organization:

• Primary language affects how consistently your team writes and labels pages
• Documentation type influences the default structure Atloria creates
• Audience-related choices, if shown during setup, can shape how you separate content for different readers later

Keep the default structure when:

• the template already matches your documentation plan
• you want to start writing quickly
• your team needs a shared starting point before refining details

Adjust the structure before inviting contributors when:

• top-level section names are unclear
• the template creates sections your team will not use
• you already know the project needs a different hierarchy

If you want to revisit structure planning in more detail, continue later with Planning Project Structure Before Document Authoring.

Configuring Access and Team Participation

As soon as onboarding finishes, review who can enter the project and what each person can do. This is easiest to handle before a larger group starts editing pages or reviewing content.

1. Open the project and go to the area for Settings, Team, Members, or project access controls, depending on what is shown in your workspace.
2. Check who currently has access to the project. Confirm that the project owner and any initial administrators are correct.
3. Use the member invite controls to add the first contributors. This may include documentation managers, reviewers, and subject matter experts.
4. Assign each person the permission level that matches their job in the project. Give editing access to people who will create or update content, and use higher-level access only for people who need to manage settings, structure, or publishing decisions.
5. Ask at least one invited user to open the project and confirm they land in the correct project area.

The workspace or organization selected during project creation affects access from the beginning. If the project was created in the wrong place, the wrong people may see it, or the right people may not be able to open it at all. That is why access review should happen immediately after onboarding, not later.

When checking access, make sure invited users can do more than just open the project. They should also be able to see the documentation structure created during onboarding. If someone is expected to edit content, confirm they can reach the navigation tree and open the starter pages that Atloria created.

[SCREENSHOT: Project team or member access screen with invite controls] [SCREENSHOT: Role or permission selection during member invitation]

For broader admin tasks related to users and permissions, see Managing User Access and Administrative Permissions.

Verifying Your Setup

Before your team starts writing, take a few minutes to confirm that the new project looks and behaves the way you expected. This final check helps you catch setup mistakes while they are still easy to fix.

1. Return to the project home area and confirm the project opens to the expected dashboard, home page, or navigation view.
2. Review the navigation tree created during onboarding. Make sure the default sections, starter pages, or imported content appear in the correct order and location.
3. Open a few pages to confirm the structure matches the setup choices you made in the wizard.
4. Test access with a user who does not have full administrative rights. Confirm they can see only the project areas appropriate for their role and can edit content only if they were given editing access.
5. If something is wrong, return to the project’s settings and related setup areas to correct it.

Common issues to check:

• Incorrect project slug: update it in the project settings if Atloria allows editing
• Wrong template or starting structure: review the project structure and adjust sections before content creation begins
• Missing team access: return to the member invite area and confirm the correct people and roles were added
• Unexpected visibility: recheck the project’s access or visibility settings

This verification step is especially important when the project will be shared with reviewers right away. A quick check now prevents confusion later when pages start moving through authoring, review, and publishing.

[SCREENSHOT: Project home or dashboard after onboarding] [SCREENSHOT: Navigation tree with starter sections confirmed]

Once the project is opening correctly and the right people can access it, you are ready to decide how the project should continue from its initial setup path in Choosing Between Manual and Connected Project Setup.

Overview

Creating a project in Atloria is a two-part process: first you create the project record, and then you complete the onboarding wizard that builds the initial documentation setup. These two steps work together. The project record defines the project name, URL, ownership, and starting access, while onboarding defines the first structure your team will use for writing and review.

This stage matters because the first decisions shape how the project appears everywhere else in Atloria. The selected workspace or organization affects ownership and team access. The chosen setup path—such as blank, template-based, or imported—affects the starting navigation tree and the pages your team sees first. The initial visibility choice affects who can find and open the project while it is still being prepared.

You should treat onboarding as part of project creation, not as an optional extra step. If you stop after creating the project but before completing onboarding, the project may exist without a clear documentation structure or ready-to-use starting pages. Finishing the wizard gives your team a usable workspace instead of an empty shell.

This guide focuses on the first setup pass: creating the project, making the key onboarding choices, reviewing the generated structure, and confirming access for the first contributors. It does not go deep into later project administration, publishing, or advanced setup paths. Those topics are covered in related guides such as Managing Project Administration from the Project Home and Managing Project Settings and Website Options.

If you are deciding between a simple manual setup and a more connected setup path, the next step is Choosing Between Manual and Connected Project Setup.

Prerequisites

Before you create a project in Atloria, make sure these basics are in place:

• You can sign in to Atloria and reach the authenticated workspace area after login
• You can access the projects list, project dashboard area, or organization workspace where project creation begins
• You have permission to create a project in the workspace or organization you plan to use
• You know who should be the initial project owner or lead administrator
• You have decided which workspace or organization should contain the project
• You have the Project Name ready
• You have chosen the Project URL or Slug you want to use
• You know the project’s primary documentation language
• You have decided whether to begin with a blank setup, starter template, or imported content path
• You know which team members should be invited immediately after onboarding

It also helps to decide these items before you start:

• whether the project should begin as a more restricted project or be visible to a broader internal team
• whether contributors need editing access right away or only after the structure is reviewed
• whether the default structure created by onboarding should be kept as-is or adjusted before inviting others

If you are still setting up your account or having trouble entering Atloria, review Signing In to Atloria and Solving Access Problems. If your role or workspace access is unclear, check with the people who manage your organization settings in Atloria or review Managing Organization and Admin Settings.

After these prerequisites are covered, move on to Choosing Between Manual and Connected Project Setup to decide which onboarding path best fits your new project.