diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8f07c855..b03df195 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 **THIS BRANCH IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT**
 **IT CURRENTLY HAS MANY SUBMODULES**
-**PLEASE RUN ./build.sh TO UPDATE SUBMODULES, UNLESS YOU WANT TO SPEND A LONG TIME WAITING FOR SUBMODULE TO CLONE** 
+**PLEASE RUN ./scripts/init-submodules-no-riscv-tools.sh TO UPDATE SUBMODULES, UNLESS YOU WANT TO SPEND A LONG TIME WAITING FOR SUBMODULE TO CLONE**
 
 This is a starter template for your custom RISC-V project. It will allow you
 to leverage the Chisel HDL and RocketChip SoC generator to produce a
@@ -62,6 +62,26 @@ follows.
  * bootrom - sources for the first-stage bootloader included in the Boot ROM
  * src/main/scala - scala source files for your project go here
 
+## For submodule developers
+
+Depending on the submodule that you develop in, you might want to run things out of the submodule.
+For example, `boom` has its own Generator, package, top module, and configurations separate from
+the `example` package in `src/main/scala`. Thus, to build a `boom` project you do something like
+the following:
+
+    make SBT_PROJECT=boom PROJECT=boom.system CONFIG=<BOOM Config to use> TOP=ExampleBoomSystem
+
+However, that is very long to write everytime there is a compile. Thus, a shorthand way to build
+the subproject is the following:
+
+    make SUB_PROJECT=boom CONFIG=<BOOM Config to use>
+
+This sets the proper configuration flags for make to work correctly.
+
+Currently, the supported `SUB_PROJECT` flags are:
+
+ * boom - to build and run `boom` subproject configurations
+
 ## Using the block device
 
 The default example project just provides the Rocket coreplex, memory, and
diff --git a/variables.mk b/variables.mk
index 4fa2ff48..df0bba10 100644
--- a/variables.mk
+++ b/variables.mk
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
 #   SBT_PROJECT = the SBT project that you should find the Generator class in
 #   TB = wrapper over the TestHarness needed to simulate in VCS
 #   TOP = top level module of the project (normally the module instantiated by the harness)
+#
+# project specific:
+# 	SUB_PROJECT = use the specific subproject default variables
 #########################################################################################
 PROJECT     ?= example
 MODEL       ?= TestHarness
@@ -21,6 +24,13 @@ SBT_PROJECT ?= $(PROJECT)
 TB          ?= TestDriver
 TOP         ?= ExampleTop
 
+SUB_PROJECT ?= example
+ifeq ($(SUB_PROJECT),boom) # make it so that you only change 1 param to change them all!
+	SBT_PROJECT=boom
+	PROJECT=boom.system
+	TOP=ExampleBoomSystem
+endif
+
 #########################################################################################
 # path to rocket-chip and testchipip
 #########################################################################################