To effectively track progress and manage tasks, adding new statuses to your workflow system is a fundamental step. This process typically involves accessing your system's administration settings to define new states for your issues or tasks, making them available for use in various workflows.
Statuses are critical components of any workflow management system, representing the current state of a task, issue, or project item. Whether you're tracking development tasks, support tickets, or content creation, clearly defined statuses provide visibility and ensure smooth transitions through various stages. Adding a new status allows for more granular tracking or adapts your system to new operational needs, enhancing your team's ability to manage projects.
Adding a New Status to Your System
The general procedure for adding a new status involves accessing the administrative settings of your project management platform. Follow these steps to create a new status that can then be integrated into your workflows:
- Navigate to System Administration: You typically need administrative permissions to access these settings. Look for a "Settings" or "Administration" gear icon, usually found in the top navigation bar of your application.
- Access Issue Settings: Within the administration menu, locate and select 'Issues' or a similar category that deals with the core items (tasks, tickets, stories) managed by your system.
- Manage Statuses: Under the "Issues" section, you will find an option related to statuses. Click on 'Statuses', then look for an action like 'Add status' or 'Create new status'.
- Define the New Status:
- Name: Provide a clear and descriptive name for your new status (e.g., Awaiting Review, In Testing, Blocked).
- Description (Optional): Add a brief description to clarify its meaning and purpose for future reference.
- Status Category: Assign the status to an appropriate category. Common status categories include:
- To Do (Grey): For items that haven't started yet.
- In Progress (Blue/Yellow): For items actively being worked on.
- Done (Green): For completed items.
Choosing the correct category is crucial as it influences how reports and dashboards display the overall progress and health of your work.
Integrating the New Status into Your Workflow
Once a new status has been created, it exists as an available state within your system. To effectively use it for tracking tasks, you must integrate it into one or more specific workflows. This process typically involves:
- Editing a Workflow: Go to your workflow scheme and select the workflow you wish to modify. This is where you map statuses to the actual steps of your team's process.
- Adding Transitions: Define new transitions that allow tasks to move into and out of your newly created status. For example, a task might transition from "In Progress" to "Awaiting Review," and then from "Awaiting Review" to "Done."
- Configuring Properties: Associate any specific properties, permissions, or automation rules with transitions to or from this new status, if applicable.
Understanding Workflow Statuses and Their Importance
Statuses are the backbone of effective workflow management, providing a clear visual representation of where a task stands in its lifecycle. They help teams to:
- Gain Visibility: Quickly understand the workload and progress across projects, enabling better resource allocation.
- Streamline Communication: Everyone on the team knows what "In Review" or "Blocked" means, reducing ambiguity.
- Identify Bottlenecks: See where tasks are getting stuck, allowing for proactive intervention.
- Automate Processes: Trigger actions or notifications based on status changes, improving efficiency.
Common Statuses and Their Categories
Understanding common statuses and their categories can help you design clear and effective workflows.
| Status Name | Status Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open | To Do | The task has been created but not yet started. |
| Selected for Dev | To Do | The task has been prioritized and is ready for development. |
| In Progress | In Progress | Work is actively being done on the task. |
| Awaiting Review | In Progress | The task is functionally complete and waiting for peer review or approval. |
| Blocked | In Progress | Work is paused due to an external dependency or unforeseen issue. |
| Done | Done | The task has been completed and verified against requirements. |
| Closed | Done | The task is finished, archived, and no further action is needed. |
Best Practices for Workflow Status Management
To maintain efficient and understandable workflows, consider these best practices:
- Keep it Simple: Avoid an excessive number of statuses that might confuse users or create unnecessary complexity. Strive for clarity over hyper-granularity.
- Define Clearly: Ensure each status has a distinct purpose and is well-understood by every team member. Document status definitions if necessary.
- Use Status Categories Wisely: Leverage the predefined categories (To Do, In Progress, Done) for high-level reporting and consistency across projects.
- Review and Refine: Periodically assess your statuses and workflows to ensure they still meet your team's evolving needs and accurately reflect your processes.
- Train Your Team: Ensure all users understand how and when to use each status appropriately to maintain data integrity and workflow efficiency.
Practical Insights:
- If your team frequently encounters delays due to external dependencies, creating a specific Blocked status with an associated custom field for recording the blocker can significantly improve tracking and resolution times.
- For content creation, statuses like Drafting, Editing, Awaiting Approval, and Published provide a tailored flow that a generic "In Progress" status might not adequately cover, offering better insights into content lifecycle.
