KaiNexus Fundamentals
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      Item Statuses

      There are 8 Statuses that represent different stages of work on an Item. Move Items between Statuses to indicate where an Item is in its lifecycle.

      KaiNexus uses Statuses to track improvement work through its lifecycle. Each Status marks a key stage of an Item’s progress from the initial submission to close out.

      Labeling Items with Statuses allows you to:

      • Communicate with teammates and interested parties about what stage your improvement work is in, and
      • Sort Items based on their progression through the Item lifecycle.

      You can easily see what Status an Item is in by viewing the Status drop-down beneath the Item's title. 

      Example of an Item in New Status. 

      The Statuses  

      Item Statuses indicate what phase of work is occurring on an Item. There are 8 Item Statuses, each representing a unique phase in an Item's lifecycle. 

      DRAFT When you initiate the creation of an Item but haven't submitted it, the Item assumes Draft Status. Drafted Items are exclusively visible to their authors. NEW New Status indicates an Item has been recently submitted, and the team still needs to decide whether to work on the Item or close it. If an Item is New for too long, there could be a Bottleneck. PLANNED Planned Status indicates the team intends to work on an Item in the future but is not actively working on it. ACTIVE Active Status indicates the team is actively working on an Item. Active Items have a defined Due Date. OVERDUE Active Items with a Due Date in the past automatically transition into Overdue Status, indicating the work is behind schedule. RESOLUTION SUBMITTED Items will move into Resolution Submitted Status when you fill out the Resolution and submit it for approval. COMPLETE Complete Status indicates an Item has been closed, either because the work concluded or the team decided not to work on it. DEFERRED Deferred Status indicates the team has no formal plans to work on an Item but may want to reconsider in the future.

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: Organizations with the Branding Module can customize the color representing each Status. KaiNexus Champions should reach out to their Customer Success Manager to enable this feature. 

      Changing an Item's Status

      As you work on an Item, you will move it through various Statuses until the work is Complete. An Item's current Status should always reflect what stage of work is currently being done.

      In general, Items begin in New Status, move to Planned Status as the team prepares, and then Activate when everyone is ready to work on it. Assuming Resolution is enabled, a team member will submit the Resolution for approval and then the Item will be Completed.

      Example of one path an Item can take through its lifecycle. 

      However, not every Item needs to follow this exact order. Depending on your organization's workflows, Items might begin in Active Status instead of New. Similarly, Items might not need their Resolution to be submitted for approval or they might be Deferred for a period of time before their Completion. 

      Example of two alternative paths an Item can take through its lifecycle. 

      In summary, Items don't need to follow the typical order of Statuses. You can skip over Statuses, revert Items to prior Statuses, and more. 

      This section will discuss information on changing Statuses, including automatic and manual Status changes. 

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: The ability to pick which Status an Item enters after it is created can be turned on and off. If you want to allow Users to pick a Status on the Create Screen or have Items default to a Status other than New, reach out to your Customer Success Manager. 

      Automatic Status Changes

      Some Status changes occur automatically, meaning you don't need to manually update the Item for it to change Status. There are two scenarios where automatic Status changes can occur. 

      • Items always enter Overdue Status automatically. When an Active Item has a Due Date in the past, it becomes Overdue. 
      • Planned Items can activate automatically based on setting Start Dates and dependencies when you are planning an Item. 

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: You can set Due Dates for Items in Planned Status; however Planned Items will not automatically transition to Overdue Status. Only Active Items can show as Overdue. 

      Who can change an Item's Status? 

      All other Status changes (besides Active Items turning Overdue and Planned Items activating automatically) must be initiated manually. 

      Who can change an Item's Status depends on which Status they are moving the Item to. We recommend reading our articles about each type of Status change to learn who can initiate each one:

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: If your organization utilizes Milestones, a Template might have a Milestone blocking certain Statuses until the Milestone is Completed. 

      How to manually change an Item's Status

      There are a few different ways you can change an Item's Status: 

      • You can change the Status using the Status drop-down on the Item.
         
        • The Status drop-down is located beneath the Item's title. Select it, and choose an available Status. 
        • If needed, an additional window will appear where you can enter the information necessary to change the Item's Status. 
        • Resolution Submitted will not appear in the Status drop-down. Instead, select Complete. If Resolution is enabled on the Item and you have the necessary permissions, you can submit the Resolution. 
      • If your Item has a Dates Panel, you can use it to initiate Status changes.
        • New and Planned Items with a defined Start Date will have an Activate Button in the Dates Panel. 
        • Active and Overdue Items will have a Complete Button in the Dates Panel. 
      • When you are viewing an Item List, you can quickly change the Status without needing to open the Item first. Visit our Editing Items within a List support article to learn more. 
      • When you are viewing a List in Kanban View, you can click and drag Items from one column to another to change their Status. 

      Ofie Profile PicPro Tip: You can also move an Item to Resolution Submitted Status using the Submit Resolution button in an Item's Resolution Panel. 

      No Status Items

      Organizations have the option to create Templates without Statuses. Items created from these Templates are called No Status Items. They do not move through any Statuses and typically represent work that has no end date or doesn't fall beneath any of the existing Statuses. 

      For example, some organizations choose to make their Meeting Notes Templates No Status. 

      Example of a No Status Item. You cannot move a No Status Item to any of the 8 Item Statuses. 

      Recommended Reading

      Learn more about each Status by checking out the following support articles: 

      Do you want to view data on how long your Items remain in each Status? Check out our Cycle Time Reports to learn how: