This article discusses the basics of phases and how to create and manage phases. Phases describe key stages in a project’s lifespan. In Filevine, you can track the progress of a project by looking at the phase it’s in. A project will move through its phases until all work on it is completed.

The Basics

Every project’s phase is shown in the top right corner of the project. To change the phase, click the current phase in the top right corner. In the dropdown, select the new phase. Projects can re-enter previous phases at any time.

Every new project type will have an Active and Archived phase by default. The Archived phase behaves slightly differently than other phases. Learn more about the Archived phase. 

Auto-Tasks

Phases can also automatically trigger tasks, known as auto-tasks. For example, a "Settled/Disbursal" phase might include an auto-task to prepare a disbursal sheet. 

When a project re-enters a previous phase, the auto-tasks associated with that phase will be recreated. When a phase is removed, all auto-tasks that are associated with that phase are also deleted.

Although you cannot copy and paste phases and their auto-tasks to another project type, you can duplicate the project type. Doing so will recreate the phases and taskflows in the new project type. Contact a member of the support team to perform this action.

​Creating and Managing Phases

Users with Org Admin privileges can add, edit, reorder, and remove phases in the Customs Editor and the Taskflow tool. Changes made in either tool will apply to all new and existing projects with the chosen project type.

Note: When you remove a phase, projects currently in that phase will move to the previous phase. If the phase you remove is first in the phase list, projects will move to the next phase in the list. Removing a phase is permanent, so proceed carefully.

In the Customs Editor

The Customs Editor allows Org Admins to add, edit, reorder, and remove phases in a project type. This option is the standard way to manage your projects’ phases.

In the main menu dropdown, select Advanced. In the lefthand menu, select Customs Editor. Then, click the Phases tab. From here, you can add, edit, reorder, and remove phases. Learn how to manage phases in the Customs Editor. 

In the Taskflow Tool

Org Admins can also manage phases in the Taskflow Advanced tool. This tool allows users to simultaneously manage phases and their associated auto-tasks. Learn how to create phase-based auto-tasks. 

In the main menu dropdown, select Advanced. In the lefthand menu, select Taskflow. Select your desired Org and project type. Click the Choose Auto-task Trigger field and select Phases.

From here, you can add, edit, reorder, and remove phases: 

• To add a phase, click +Create a new phase above the list of existing phases. Enter the desired phase name and click the blue check mark button to save. 
• To reorder a phase, hover over the far left of the phase and click and drag.
• To edit or remove a phase, click the pencil icon to the right of the phase. Here, you can edit the name or select Remove Phase. Filevine will ask you to confirm the removal of the phase before proceeding.