Project statuses
All about leads and jobs and how you should be using them.
Sam Gioia avatar
Written by Sam Gioia
Updated over a week ago

Project statuses organize your projects by phases or milestones of working together. The general idea is to move each project from one status to the next as certain milestones are reached, like sending out a proposal or receiving a deposit.

Project statuses are shown across the top of the Projects page. Click on a status to see a filtered list of the projects with that particular status only.


In this article


Leads and jobs

Statuses are categorized into Leads, Jobs, Combined, and Archived:

  • Leads: Projects that are still in the initial stages of inquiring and booking with you.

  • Jobs: Projects that you considered to be booked.

  • Combined: See all projects with any status.

  • Archived: Cold leads or past jobs that you no longer want in one of the other categories. Learn more about archiving projects.

It's up to you to decide when a lead becomes a job. For many businesses, this after there is a signed contract and paid invoice or deposit.

πŸ‘‹ Here's a tip... all new accounts start with the status categories of Leads and Jobs, which is why you'll see Lead: No Status and Job: No Status as your only two options for project statuses until you create custom statuses.


Custom statuses

Your project statuses should reflect the steps of the process you follow for working with clients. Custom statuses can be created under the Lead and Job categories by clicking on the Customize button on the Projects page.

Click Add Status to add new statuses. Statuses can be dragged and dropped between Leads and Jobs and arranged in the order you prefer. Check the box for any status to make it the default view whenever you open the Projects page.


What should my statuses be?

Project statuses will vary from business to business, even within the same industry. It helps to write out all the steps in your process of working with a client to identify which milestones you want to watch out for.

Here are some common examples of project statuses to get you started:

Leads (any industry)

  • New Inquiries

  • Consultation Invite Sent

  • Consultation Scheduled

  • Needs Proposal

  • Proposal + Contract Sent

  • Needs Follow Up

Jobs (event-based)

  • Contract Signed

  • Deposit Paid

  • Onboarding Email Sent

  • 6 Months Out

  • 3 Months Out

  • 1 Month Out

  • Pre-Event Meeting Scheduled

  • This Week

  • Post-Event

Jobs (coaching/consulting)

  • Onboarding

  • Active Clients

  • Up for Renewal

Jobs (design)

  • Welcome Pack Sent

  • Draft Needed

  • Awaiting Feedback

  • Design Approved

  • Awaiting Final Payment

  • Delivered

πŸ‘‹ Here's a tip... you don't need a status for every single step in your process. Focus on which steps will need your attention most or involve waiting for the client.


Change a project status

By default, project statuses do not change automatically. Manually change a project status on the Projects page using the dropdown under the Status column.

Changing a project status will not trigger any automation to occur. It will only move the project into the selected status.

πŸ‘‹ Here's a tip... project statuses can be set up to automatically change as part of an automated workflow. Building a workflow requires preparation and a thorough knowledge of Dubsado's features, so it's one of the last things you'll want to set up.


FAQ

Can I use my statuses as categories instead? For example, weddings, seniors, and families for photography?

The best practice is to choose project statuses that reflect the steps of your process and to use project tags for categories instead. If you use project statuses as categories, it will be difficult to incorporate them into an automated workflow, since the project would not move from one category to another.

Can changing a project status automate another event, like sending an email?

No. Changing a project status will not trigger any automation to occur. It will only move the project into that new status. If you'd like to automate project status changes, you'll need to incorporate them into an automated workflow.

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