Project Stages
Set dated milestones on a project so your team and your clients can both see what is due, what is close, and what has slipped.
Project stages break a project into dated checkpoints — discovery, design, development, launch, or whatever phases your work actually has. Each one carries a name and a due date, and Atarim shows how close it is at a glance.
The point is not scheduling for its own sake. It is that a client looking at a project can see where it has got to without emailing to ask, and your team can see what is about to slip before it does.
Stages are not statuses
This is the distinction worth getting straight before you start, because the two are easy to confuse and do completely different jobs.
| Tracks | Set on | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task status | One piece of work | Each task | “Fix the header spacing” is In Progress |
| Project stage | The project as a whole | The project | “Design sign-off” is due in nine days |
A project can have every task complete and still be mid-stage, or be approaching a deadline with plenty of tasks open. They answer different questions and neither replaces the other.
Who can set stages
Stages sit behind two gates, so check both if the option is not where you expect.
Opening the stages panel
Stages are set per project, from the project’s own actions menu on the Projects screen.
Instructions:
Adding a stage
The panel opens with a Create a new Milestone form at the top. It takes two pieces of information.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Milestone Title | The name of the stage. The field suggests a working example such as Sprint 1. |
| Due Date | When this stage should be reached. Only future dates can be chosen. |
Due dates can only be set in the future, so a stage is always something still to come rather than a record of what happened.
Instructions:
Reading the badges
Each stage carries a badge that changes colour as its date approaches, so a glance tells you where a project stands without reading any dates.
| Badge | Means | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Green | The stage is complete. | Completed |
| Purple | More than two days away. | How far off, such as in 12 days |
| Orange | Due within the next two days. | in 1 day, in 6 hours |
| Red | The date has passed and it is not complete. | How long ago, such as 3 days ago |
Updating and completing stages
Existing stages are listed under Active Milestones, each with its own controls. Changes apply to that stage only.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mark as complete | Marks the stage done. Its badge turns green and reads Completed. |
| Mark as incomplete | Reopens a completed stage, in case it was closed early. |
| Save changes | Applies an edited title or date. |
| Cancel editing | Discards your edits without saving. |
| More actions | Opens a menu headed Actions with Edit Milestone and Delete Milestone. |
Edits happen in place and nothing changes until you save, so you can back out of a change part-way through.
Instructions:
Where stages show up
Once set, stages are not confined to the panel you created them in. They surface in four places, which is what makes them worth maintaining.
| Where | What is shown |
|---|---|
| Project cards | The nearest active stage, with its name and how far away it is, in its badge colour. |
| The Collaborate bar | A dedicated control on the site itself — see below. |
| Analytics | A Project Stage column on the Projects tab, so every project’s stage reads in one table. |
| Workflows | Milestone events can trigger automations, including creation, completion, and expiry. |
Stages in Collaborate
This is the one that matters for clients. While viewing a site in Collaborate, a control in the bottom bar shows the project’s stages without anyone leaving the page they are reviewing.
Instructions:
Time remaining is written plainly — as remaining while a stage is still ahead, and as overdue once its date has passed — using whichever unit fits, from seconds up to days.
Analytics and workflows are covered separately. Explore Analytics And Metrics, or Learn More About Workflow Automation.
Known limitations
Where stages stop:
FAQs
What is the difference between a stage and a milestone?
Nothing. The menu says Project Stages and the panel says Milestones, but they are the same feature.
How is a stage different from a task status?
A status tracks one task; a stage tracks the whole project. A project can be mid-stage with every task complete, or approaching a deadline with plenty open.
Can I set the same stages across all my projects at once?
No. Stages are set per project, so a standard set has to be recreated on each one.
Can I add a stage with a date in the past?
No. The date picker only allows future dates.
Do clients see project stages?
Yes, if they are signed in. A logged-in client reviewing the site in Collaborate can open the stages control in the bottom bar and see active and completed stages with their dates. Anonymous visitors do not see it.
Do milestones send automatic reminders?
Not on their own. To be told when a stage is due or has passed, build a workflow triggered on the milestone expiring.
Can I delete a stage?
Yes — open More actions on the stage and select Delete Milestone. It is removed immediately with no confirmation, so use Mark as complete if you simply want to close it off.
Can I attach tasks to a stage?
No. Stages track the project’s schedule; they are not containers for tasks, and completing one has no effect on any task.
Does completing a stage close its tasks?
No. Stages and tasks are tracked separately — completing one has no effect on the other.
Can a workflow react to a stage?
Yes. Milestone events including creation, completion, and expiry can be used in workflow automations.
Common issues
- Set Project Stages is missing from the menu. Your role does not carry the permission. An administrator can grant it under Settings → User Permissions.
- Selecting it opens an upgrade panel. Stages are not included on your plan. The panel names the minimum plan required.
- You cannot choose a past date. Expected — the picker only allows future dates. Create the stage with a future date, or leave it out.
- A badge is red. The due date has passed and the stage is not complete. Either mark it complete or move the date.
- A stage badge is not on the project card. Only active stages appear there. A completed stage will not show.
- A client cannot see the stages in Collaborate. The control only appears to signed-in viewers. Ask them to log in.
- Your edit did not stick. Editing needs Save changes to apply. Navigating away or selecting Cancel editing discards it.
Conclusion
Stages work best kept few and honest. Three to five dated checkpoints per project, moved openly when they need moving, tell a client more than any status report — and the colour on the badge means nobody has to ask how it is going.
Stages sit alongside the rest of a project’s configuration, which is covered separately.
Learn More About Setting Up And Customizing Projects
Tips & best practices
- Name stages after outcomes, not phases. “Design sign-off” means something to a client; “Phase 2” does not.
- Act on orange, not red. Two days is enough warning to move a date honestly or push the work through.
- Keep it to three to five stages. More than that and maintaining them costs more than they are worth.
- Move a date openly rather than letting it slip. A moved date reads as management; a red badge reads as neglect.
- Set a workflow on expired milestones so a slip tells you rather than waiting to be noticed.
- Check the Projects tab in Analytics to read every project’s stage in one place.