How to Use Project Statuses in Uku
TL;DR: Project statuses let you track each project's stage from start to completion. Define custom statuses in workflow templates, then filter your project list, group dashboard tasks, and generate reports by status to quickly identify bottlenecks and prioritize work.
Who can do this
Admins can create and edit project statuses in workflow templates
All team members can view projects by status and use status filters on the Dashboard
Report access depends on your role permissions
What are project statuses?
Project statuses represent the stages a project moves through from start to completion. Each project can have one status at a time, showing whether it is waiting to begin, actively in progress, under review, or completed.
Common status examples
Not yet in
To be assigned
In progress
Client review
Ready for filing
Completed
On hold
Statuses help your team quickly identify bottlenecks, prioritize work, and communicate project progress without constant status meetings.
Set up project statuses in workflow templates
When creating workflow templates, you define which project status is required for each task to appear on the dashboard.
Go to Settings & Apps > Projects > Templates.
Create or edit a workflow template.
For each task in the template, set the Wait until project status field.
Choose which status the project must have for this task to be visible.
Example workflow for tax return projects
Data collection tasks — Require status: "Not yet in"
Preparation tasks — Require status: "In Office"
Review tasks — Require status: "In for Checking"
Filing tasks — Require status: "Ready for E-Filing"
This ensures team members only see relevant tasks for the project's current stage.
View projects by status
Project list view
The project list automatically organizes all projects by their current status.
Go to Projects from the main menu.
View the status tabs showing all your statuses with project counts.
Select any status tab to filter the project list.
The Status column shows each project's current status.
Status filtering
Use the Status filter dropdown to:
View projects in specific statuses
Select multiple statuses at once
Combine with other filters (client, manager, date range)
Group dashboard tasks by project status
View all tasks organized by their project's status directly on your dashboard.
Go to your Dashboard.
Open the grouping options.
Select Group by: Process Status.
Tasks now appear under their project status headers.
This view helps you prioritize work based on project urgency and stage.
Filter dashboard tasks by status
Focus your dashboard on specific project stages:
Open the Dashboard filters.
Find the Status filter.
Select one or more project statuses.
The dashboard shows only tasks from projects in the selected statuses.
Save this filtered view as your default if needed.
Use cases
Show only "In Office" projects to focus on active work
Filter "Ready for Filing" to prioritize urgent completions
View "Client Review" projects to follow up on pending responses
Filter projects by status in reports
Generate status-based reports to analyze project progress and workload.
Go to Reports.
Open the Filters section.
Select the Project Status filter.
Choose the statuses you want to analyze.
Select additional filters (date range, members, clients).
View results in the Tasks or Summary tab.
Reporting use cases
Track how many projects are in each status stage
Identify projects stuck in specific statuses too long
Measure time spent per project status
Generate client-facing status reports
Save frequently used status reports as default views for quick access.
Troubleshooting
Tasks not appearing on the dashboard for a project: Check the Wait until project status setting in the workflow template. If the project's current status does not match the required status for that task, the task will remain hidden.
Status tabs missing from the project list: Statuses must be defined in your workflow templates. If no templates use statuses, the status tabs will not appear. Create or update a workflow template in Settings & Apps > Projects > Templates.
Cannot change a project's status: Verify you have the correct permissions to edit the project. Open the project and update the status field directly from the project details.
Status filter not showing expected results in reports: Ensure you have selected the correct statuses and that additional filters (date range, members) are not excluding the projects you expect to see.