Skip to main content

Custom statuses for a space (admin)

This article shows you how to give a space its own set of statuses, so tasks there follow your team's real workflow (for example "Drafting", "In Review", "Published").

Owners, admins and managers can change statuses. Every space starts with the default statuses until you customize it.

Open the status settings​

  1. In the sidebar, click Spaces.
  2. Click the Statuses tab.
  3. Click the space you want to change.

You see the space's current statuses, grouped into four categories.

Screenshot

The Statuses tab of Space Management, with a space selected and its statuses grouped under Not Started, Active, Done and Closed.

The four categories​

Every status belongs to a category. The category tells TaskFlow what the status means:

  • Not Started: the work hasn't begun.
  • Active: the work is under way.
  • Done: the work is finished.
  • Closed: the task was stopped without finishing.

A space needs at least one Not Started, one Active and one Done status.

Add a status​

  1. Click Add Status.
  2. Type a name in Status name....
  3. Click the color square to pick a color.
  4. Choose its category.
  5. Optional: tick Reason if people must explain why when they move a task into this status. On the Kanban Board they're asked for the reason before the move is saved.
  6. Click Save Changes.

A space can have up to 20 statuses. Names must be different from each other and 50 characters or fewer.

Rename, reorder or remove​

  • Rename: click the name and type a new one. Tasks already in that status keep it, with the new name.
  • Reorder: drag a status by its handle on the left. The order sets the column order on the Kanban Board.
  • Remove: hover over the status, click the bin icon, then click Remove.

Click Save Changes when you're done, or Cancel to undo your edits.

Move tasks between your statuses​

Open the space in the sidebar, then open the Kanban Board. Each status is a column. Drag a task from one column to another to change its status.

What people can do:

  • Members can move a task into an Active or Done status.
  • Owners, admins and managers can move a task into any status.

If a task has a status that's no longer in the set, it shows in an Unmapped column on the board.

Keep the approval statuses​

When you first customize a space, the list starts with the default statuses. Keep Pending, Changes Requested, Approved and Rejected. New requests and approvals still use them, even in a customized space. You can rename and recolor them.

Reuse a set of statuses with templates​

Above the status list you'll find two buttons:

  • Save as Template: saves this space's current statuses under a name you choose, so you can reuse them. Save your edits first; unsaved changes aren't included.
  • Apply Template: opens Apply Status Template. Find a template (you can type in Search templates...) and click Apply. The space's statuses are replaced by the template's. Tasks whose status is also in the template keep it; the rest show in the Unmapped column on the board.

To delete a template you saved, hover over it in Apply Status Template and click the bin icon, then Confirm.

Go back to the defaults​

Click Revert to Defaults at the top of the panel. The space goes back to the standard statuses.

Tips​

  • Rename before you remove. Renaming keeps tasks where they are, while removing a status leaves its tasks unmapped.
  • Keep the list short. A handful of clear statuses is easier to use than many similar ones.