This guide explains how project status works inside Productized Services for WooCommerce (PSFW), and how agency owners and freelancers should use it for consistent, low-risk delivery.

Why status management matters #

In PSFW, project status is not just a label. It drives:

• team visibility on the Projects list and dashboards
• workflow clarity (what should happen next)
• reporting quality (analytics, workload snapshots, and operational decisions)
• client experience (faster, more predictable updates)

When statuses are used consistently, operations scale. When they are stale or inconsistent, projects drift.

Where status appears in the plugin #

You will see project status in these key places:

• Projects list page (/wp-admin/admin.php?page=psfw-projects)
• Project Details sidebar (/wp-admin/admin.php?page=psfw-projects&project_id=<id>)
• Dashboard analytics widgets (My Projects / All Projects summaries)
• status-based list views and filters

This means one status change can immediately improve triage accuracy across multiple screens.

How to change status (correct workflow) #

1. Open the project details page.
2. In the right Details sidebar, find Project Status.
3. Select the appropriate status.
4. Click Save changes.
5. Confirm the success notice (Project updated. / status updated message).

Important:

• selecting a status alone does not finalize anything until Save changes is clicked
• status changes are permission-protected by PSFW capabilities

Actual PSFW status set in your plugin #

In your current plugin build, the project status list is:

1. Onboarding 
2. Processing 
3. Needs Attention
4. Completed 
5. Canceled

Alias behavior (important) #

PSFW normalizes several common terms to these five statuses. For example:

• “in progress”, “working”, “active” → Processing
• “review”, “blocked”, “on hold”, “waiting” → Needs Attention
• “done”, “finished” → Completed
• “cancelled”, “closed” → Canceled

This is why teams may use different words in conversation but still end up with one of the five canonical statuses in the UI.

What each stage should mean (operational definition) #

1) Onboarding #

Use when project is waiting for required client inputs/questionnaire.

Entry criteria:

• onboarding form required and sent/expected

Exit criteria:

• required onboarding submission is complete and usable

Plugin behavior note:

• PSFW can coordinate onboarding-related task behavior when this status is used, so this stage should be applied deliberately.

2) Processing #

Use when active production work is happening.

Entry criteria:

• onboarding complete enough to execute
• assigned owner and active tasks exist

Exit criteria:

• work is blocked, waiting on client, or needs escalation (move to Needs Attention)
• all contractual work is complete and accepted (move to Completed)

3) Needs Attention #

Use when the project needs intervention, is blocked, or cannot continue normally.

Entry criteria:

• blocked by missing input or dependency
• quality/revision issue requiring explicit follow-up
• project is waiting on client decision and cannot progress

Exit criteria:

• blocker is resolved (move back to Processing)
• project is ended (move to Canceled)

4) Completed #

Use when all contractual work is delivered and accepted.

Entry criteria:

• remaining tasks closed or intentionally archived
• deliverables handed off
• no active blockers or pending required actions

Exit criteria:

• normally terminal (do not reopen casually)

5) Canceled #

Use when project is terminated and should no longer progress.

Entry criteria:

• confirmed cancellation decision
• internal notes and client communication completed

Exit criteria:

• terminal state in normal operations

Status transition rules (recommended for this plugin) #

Define and enforce simple rules like:

• Onboarding → Processing
• Processing → Needs Attention (when blocked or waiting)
• Needs Attention → Processing (once unblocked)
• Processing/Needs Attention → Completed (after true delivery closure)
• Onboarding/Processing/Needs Attention → Canceled (with approval)

Avoid skipping directly to Completed unless closure criteria are clearly met.

Role-based status responsibilities #

Agency owner #

• define official status dictionary and transition policy
• audit stale statuses weekly
• approve exceptions (reopen/cancel decisions)

Freelancer / project owner #

• update status immediately at milestone changes
• keep status aligned with actual task/message reality
• use client-wait states to surface external blockers quickly

Team lead / ops manager (if applicable) #

• monitor status distribution for bottlenecks
• enforce SLA for status freshness
• coach team on transition discipline

Status + tasks alignment checklist #

Before saving a status change, verify:

• assignee is correct for current phase
• key tasks reflect the same phase
• due date is realistic for new phase
• latest client message matches status narrative

Example:

If status is Needs Attention, there should be a clear note or message describing the blocker and the next owner/action.

Status hygiene standards for growing teams #

Set these minimum standards:

• every active project has a non-stale status
• every status has written entry/exit criteria
• every status change has clear business reason
• no project remains in ambiguous state beyond your SLA window

Suggested SLA examples:

• processing projects must have at least one meaningful update every 2–3 business days
• needs-attention projects get follow-up communication or escalation on a fixed cadence

Common status mistakes in PSFW (and fixes) #

Mistake: status updated late #

Impact:

• dashboard and list views become unreliable

Fix:

• update status during the same session as milestone completion

Mistake: statuses used as personal labels #

Impact:

• each team member interprets status differently

Fix:

• maintain a shared status dictionary document and train all users

Mistake: “Completed” set before true closure #

Impact:

• reopen churn, confused client communication, inaccurate reporting

Fix:

• require closure checklist before setting Completed

Mistake: project sits in Onboarding too long #

Impact:

• silent delays and poor client experience

Fix:

• pair onboarding status with reminder cadence and escalation rules

High-confidence daily workflow #

1. Start from Projects list filtered by active statuses.
2. Open each priority project and confirm sidebar status accuracy.
3. Align tasks/messages with current status.
4. Save any status corrections immediately.
5. End day with status audit for at-risk projects.

Troubleshooting status issues #

I cannot change status #

Likely cause:

• missing project-edit capability for current user

Action:

• have an admin verify role and PSFW capability mapping.

I changed status but it reverted #

Likely causes:

• Save changes was not clicked
• concurrent edit conflict from another user session

Action:

• refresh the project, re-apply status, and save again.

Statuses look inconsistent across projects #

Likely cause:

• no standardized lifecycle policy

Action:

• publish one status policy and enforce it in weekly operations review.

Summary #

PSFW status management works best when it is treated as a controlled lifecycle, not a casual note field.

If your team defines clear stage meanings, enforces transition rules, and updates status in real time, you get cleaner dashboards, faster triage, and more predictable project delivery.