Job statuses: Overview

Job statuses help you make your work transparent and handle any blockers you might have. In each pipeline, you can set up custom job statuses to seamlessly manage job exceptions within the pipeline without the need of additional stages. In this article, we'll tell you how job statuses can simplify your workflow and how they differ from stages.

Job statuses, explained

By default, each job can be Active or Archived:

• If the job is Active, it can keep moving within the pipeline. It has no blockers, and you can work with it.
• If the job is Archived, it has either been finished or canceled. Once you no longer need a job, you can manually archive it. You can still access jobs after you archive them. 

You can also set up custom job statuses in each pipeline. Depending on the pipeline, you may sometimes want to put jobs on hold. For example, using custom job statuses is useful for:

• Additional requests. Handle changes in client requirements or service levels.
• Deadline extension. Manage jobs requiring additional time, such as for IRS filings.
• Missing information. Address jobs stuck due to lack of necessary client data.

Additionally, custom job statuses are good for project monitoring and visibility: You can use them to provide transparent status updates to all team members.

In general, the process of using custom job statuses is the following:

1. Create custom status either from the job card or in pipeline settings. Add automations if needed.
2. Once there is a blocker, change the job’s status to a custom one. This will not change the stage the job is in. The automations for custom status (if any) will be triggered.
3. When all blockers are resolved, move the job back to Active status. This can be done manually or by completing linked items related to custom status automations.
4. Once the job returns to Active status, it moves through the pipeline within the common flow.

Custom job statuses vs. Pipeline stages

While both job status and pipeline stages indicate different job states in one pipeline, it is important to understand the differences between them:

• Stages are ordered steps in the process. They follow a specific sequence, so you always know what comes next. Statuses are not ordered. A job might stay in the same status until the very end. When a status is changed to a custom one, the job remains in the same stage and doesn't move forward.
• Stages can include automations to move jobs forward when specific conditions are met, guiding the job toward its final stage. Custom job statuses can also include automations, but they can trigger status change only to Active, indicating the job is no longer blocked and can continue moving.

For a clear and efficient pipeline, use stages for mandatory steps and custom statuses for exceptions, like waiting for documents or handling special requests. This keeps your pipeline view simple and easy to follow.

Custom job statuses vs. Client-facing job statuses

While both job statuses and client-facing job statuses are indicating the job state, it is essential to understand the differences between them:

• Custom job statuses indicate blockers and additional actions needed and are not related to any particular stage, while client-facing job statuses are associated with particular pipeline stages. 
• Job statuses are not visible to clients and serve your team's convenience, while client-facing job statuses aim to eliminate extra communication and make job progress transparent to clients.

Custom job statuses and client-facing job statuses can be used together and complement each other. For example, when the custom status is changed to Needs Extension, you can also change the client-facing status to On hold.

Status automations

With custom job statuses, you can set up automations that will be triggered when you move jobs to a particular status. You can use all the automations you use in pipelines. This way, you can, for example:

• Automatically create a task for your team members to adjust the service scope when handling additional requests.

• Send a client request or message to a client with a pre-filled inquiry for the missing items.

• Generate an organizer to collect any required documents and information.

After all actions required by this status transition are completed (for example, tasks are marked as done or invoices are paid), the job status automatically changes back to Active. However, if there are no automations or you just need to reactivate the job, you can always change the status to Active manually.

Custom job statuses on job cards

Custom job status is clearly visible on job cards inside the pipeline. You can change it right from the job card. If needed, you can even add a new custom status right from the job card and set up its automations right from there.