Phase and status, explained
Two simple ideas keep your pipeline readable. A phase is where a deal is in your workflow — the stage it's reached. A status is its current state or outcome. Together they tell you, at a glance, what's happening with every project.
| Concept | Answers | Example feel |
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Where is this deal in my process? | Draft → Sent → Negotiating → Won |
| Status | What state is it in right now? | Active, on hold, closed-won |
Phases that fit your workflow
Phases are the columns you move a project through on the board. They should mirror how your team actually wins and runs work, so the board reads like your real process rather than a generic funnel.
Name the stages you use
Think through how a deal travels from first draft to delivered, and make a phase for each meaningful step.
Keep them few and clear
A handful of phases is easier to read than a dozen. If two stages always move together, merge them.
Move projects as work progresses
On the board, drag a card into the next phase the moment the deal advances.
Status: the outcome
Status captures the standing of a project — whether it's live, paused, or finished and won. It's the answer you give when someone asks "where did that one land?"
- Use status to separate active deals from those parked or closed.
- Mark a deal won when it's been accepted — that's your cue to reuse it.
- A clear status keeps the board uncluttered, because finished work stops competing for attention.
From draft to won
Here's the typical arc, and what you'd do at each step.
- Draft — Waxe writes the proposal; you refine it in the editor.
- Out for review — internal sign-off if you use it; see Approval ladders.
- Sent — delivered from your own domain; track when it's opened and read.
- Won — the client accepts; move the project on and reuse what Waxe knows.
Keep it current
Phases and statuses only earn their keep if they reflect reality. A few seconds of upkeep whenever a deal moves saves you the status meetings that otherwise fill your week.
A pipeline you trust is one you keep honest — update the stage the moment the deal moves, not the day before the review.