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title Track progress with statuses
description Define workflow stages so users can track their feedback.
icon circle-dot

Track progress with statuses

Keep users in the loop. Statuses show what's happening with their feedback, from "Open" all the way to "Complete".

When you change a status, subscribers get notified automatically. It's the easiest way to close the feedback loop without sending individual emails.

Default Statuses

Quackback comes with six statuses organized into three categories:

Active

Statuses for posts that need attention or are being worked on:

Status What it means
Open New feedback (default for new posts)
Under Review Feedback being evaluated
Planned Approved and scheduled
In Progress Currently being worked on

Complete

For posts that have been successfully addressed:

Status What it means
Complete Released to users

Closed

For posts that won't be implemented:

Status What it means
Closed Won't be implemented
Completed and closed posts are deprioritized when suggesting similar posts to new users so old resolved items don't clog up the suggestions.

Create a status

Your workflow isn't one-size-fits-all. Create custom statuses like "In Design", "In Beta", or "Blocked".

  1. Go to Admin → Settings → Statuses
  2. Find the category you want to add a status to
  3. Click "Add new status" at the bottom
  4. Fill in the details:
Field What it does
Name Display name (e.g., "In Beta")
Slug API identifier (auto-generated from name)
Color Status badge color
  1. Click Create status

Show on Roadmap

Use the toggle next to each status to control whether posts with that status appear on the public roadmap.

Most teams show 3 statuses (Planned, In Progress, Complete), but you can enable as many or as few as you want.

Most teams show: Planned → In Progress → Complete

Reorder statuses

The order affects dropdown menus and roadmap columns.

  1. Go to Admin → Settings → Statuses
  2. Drag statuses using the grip handle on the left
  3. Click Save changes

Edit a status

  1. Go to Admin → Settings → Statuses
  2. Click the color dot to change the color
  3. Use the toggle to change roadmap visibility
  4. Click Save changes

All posts with this status will reflect the changes immediately.

Delete a status

  1. Go to Admin → Settings → Statuses
  2. Click the trash icon next to the status
  3. Confirm deletion
You cannot delete the default status for new posts (marked with a lock icon). Each category must have at least one status.

Communicate status changes

When you update a status, add a comment so users know why. Here are templates you can use:

Moving to Planned:

"Great news! We've added this to our roadmap. Thanks for the suggestion. We'll keep you posted as we make progress."

Moving to In Progress:

"We're actively working on this now. Stay tuned for updates!"

Moving to Complete:

"This is now live! Thanks for suggesting it. Let us know how it works for you."

Moving to Closed:

"After reviewing, we've decided to go a different direction. [Brief reason]. We really appreciate you taking the time to share this idea."

Reverting to Open:

"We're putting this back under review. Priorities shifted, but we haven't forgotten about it."

Switching status back and forth? That's fine. Priorities change. Just add a quick comment explaining why so users don't get confused.

Example Workflows

Simple Workflow

Open → Under Review → Planned → In Progress → Complete
                ↓
              Closed

Detailed Workflow (with custom statuses)

Open → Under Review → Planned → In Design → In Development → In Beta → Complete
              ↓
            Closed

With Blocking States

Open → Under Review → Planned → In Progress → Blocked → In Progress → Complete
              ↓
            Closed

Best Practices

Keep It Simple

Start with the default statuses. Add custom ones only when you feel limited.

Too many statuses:

  • Confuse users trying to understand progress
  • Create maintenance overhead for your team
  • Make the roadmap harder to read

Use Clear Names

Use action-oriented names that describe the current state:

  • "In Progress" not "Development"
  • "Complete" not "Done"
  • "Open" not "New"

Roadmap Visibility

Only show meaningful statuses on the roadmap. Users don't need to see:

  • Internal review stages
  • Closed items
  • Duplicates

Notifications

When a post's status changes:

  • Subscribed users receive email notifications (if email is configured)
  • Integrations (Slack, etc.) are triggered if you've set up event mappings

Next Steps

  • Roadmap - Display status-based roadmaps
  • Inbox - Manage feedback and change statuses
  • Integrations - Get notified on status changes