Task Statuses & Workflow

Every task in Baulit moves through a clear lifecycle from creation to completion. Understanding the five statuses and how they connect gives you real-time visibility into what is happening on your job site, what needs your attention, and what is done.

The Five Statuses

Each task carries exactly one status at any time. Here is what each status means and when to use it.

Not Started

The default status for every new task. The work has not begun. The task sits in the schedule waiting for its crew, materials, or predecessor tasks to finish. On the Gantt chart, Not Started tasks appear in gray.

In Progress

Work is actively happening. Your framing crew is on site, the electrician is pulling wire, or the inspector is scheduled for today. Switch a task to In Progress as soon as the first crew member starts working on it. This status drives your dashboard progress bars and helps you see at a glance how many tasks are actively being worked.

Pending Approval

The work is done, but it needs someone to sign off before it counts as complete. This is the handoff point between the field and the office. A contractor marks a task Pending Approval to signal that their scope is finished and they are waiting for the admin or manager to verify the work.

Complete

The task is finished and approved. No further action is needed. Complete tasks are counted toward your project progress percentage and appear with a green checkmark throughout the app.

Blocked

Something external is preventing this task from moving forward. Maybe you are waiting on a permit, a material delivery is delayed, or an inspection failed. Blocked tasks stand out in red on the task list and Gantt chart so you can spot bottlenecks immediately.

Status Flow Diagram

The diagram below shows how tasks move between statuses. Most tasks follow the main path from left to right, but rejected tasks loop back for rework, and any task can be flagged as Blocked at any point.

Changing a Task's Status

You can change status from two places in the app.

From the task row. Click the colored status badge on any task. A dropdown appears with all five statuses. Select the new status and the change saves instantly.

From the task edit panel. Open a task for editing by clicking its name. The status dropdown is at the top of the edit panel. Change it and press Save (or hit Cmd+S).

When you change a task's status, any assigned team member receives an email notification so they know the work moved forward (or backward).

The Approval Workflow

The approval workflow is designed for the way residential construction actually works: a subcontractor finishes their scope, signals that the work is ready for review, and the general contractor or project manager inspects and signs off.

How it works

Contractor marks "Pending Approval." When your plumber finishes the rough-in or your roofer completes the shingles, they change the task status to Pending Approval. They can optionally attach photos showing the finished work.

Admin sees the notification. The task appears in your dashboard notifications with a yellow Pending Approval badge. You can also filter the task list by status to see all tasks awaiting your review.

Approve or reject. Open the task, review the work (and any attached photos), then either approve it (moves to Complete) or reject it with a note explaining what needs to be fixed (moves back to In Progress).

Contractor sees the result. The contractor gets an email notification with your decision. If rejected, the note tells them exactly what to address before resubmitting.

Photo Approval

When contractors change a task to Pending Approval, the app prompts them to attach photos. This is optional but highly recommended. Site photos give you the evidence you need to approve work without a physical visit, which is especially valuable when you are managing multiple projects across town.

Tip: Encourage your subcontractors to photograph their work before requesting approval. It speeds up your review process and creates a visual record that is invaluable during warranty claims or disputes.

Using the Blocked Status

Blocked is not part of the normal forward flow. It is a flag you set on any task that cannot move forward due to something outside your direct control.

Common reasons to block a task:

Waiting on a building permit or inspection approval
Material delivery is delayed (the windows are three weeks out)
A previous trade left deficient work that must be corrected first
Weather has shut down exterior work
The homeowner has not made a selection (tile, fixtures, paint color)

Blocked tasks appear with a red indicator on the task list, the Gantt chart, and the dashboard. The Overdue & Blocked report (in the Reports Hub) collects every blocked task across all your projects so you can address bottlenecks systematically.

Important: Blocked is a temporary flag. When the obstacle clears, change the task back to Not Started or In Progress so it re-enters the normal workflow. Leaving tasks blocked after the issue is resolved skews your project health metrics.

Status Colors at a Glance

Status	Color	Meaning
Not Started	Gray	Work has not begun
In Progress	Blue	Crew is actively working
Pending Approval	Amber / Yellow	Waiting for admin sign-off
Complete	Green	Done and approved
Blocked	Red	Cannot proceed; external dependency

Statuses and Your Dashboard

The dashboard uses task statuses to calculate key metrics for each project:

Progress percentage counts Complete tasks divided by total tasks.
Active tasks counts everything marked In Progress.
Needs attention counts Pending Approval and Blocked tasks combined.

Keeping statuses accurate is the single most important habit in Baulit. When your statuses reflect reality, every report, chart, and dashboard tile gives you trustworthy information. When they drift, you are flying blind.

Batch updates: Need to change the status of many tasks at once? Use Batch Operations to select multiple tasks and update their status in a single action.