Lesson 3 of 8 · 10 min

Choices and checks on a stage

Ways out of a stage, and what must be true before it starts.

Lesson 3 of 8

Every stage decides who picks the path out of it, and any stage can hold a matter back until something is true. This lesson covers both so you can model choices and approvals correctly.

Before you start

  • A kind of work open in Settings › Kinds of work (see 'What are stages?')
  • Admin access

Ways out: who picks the path

Open a stage's settings and Ways out asks Who picks the path, with three answers. No choice: the stage has one way out and the matter simply moves on. A person: the matter pauses so the team can choose which path to take (e.g. 'Unconditional' vs 'Terminated'). MatterFirst, using rules: each path has conditions that all must hold, and If no rule matches decides what happens otherwise (Ask a person, for example). There are no 'Parallel' stages in MatterFirst — model concurrent work with tasks and automations instead.

First and last stages

Under Advanced in the stage's settings you mark a stage as the first stage (where matters start) or a last stage (an end state such as Completed or Cancelled). Every kind of work needs one first stage and at least one last stage.

Approval is a check, not a kind of stage

MatterFirst has no dedicated 'Approval gate' stage. Instead, any stage can carry checks under Before it starts — things that must be true before a matter can move into the stage. The checks are 'All its tasks are done', 'A role is on the matter', and 'Someone approves'. Use 'Someone approves' to require a named person to sign off before a matter can enter the stage — that is how partner sign-off and compliance gates are built.

  1. 1

    Choose who picks the path

    In Settings › Kinds of work › a kind of work › Stages & tasks, click a stage's settings (or the stage on the Diagram) to open Stage settings. Under Ways out, choose No choice, A person, or MatterFirst, using rules; the drawer then shows the stage's paths and, for rules, the conditions on each. The first/last stage choices are under Advanced.

  2. 2

    Add a check before it starts

    In the same drawer, Before it starts lists the stage's checks ("Nothing to check. A matter can move in at any time." when there are none). Pick a check to add — 'All its tasks are done', 'A role is on the matter' (then which role), or 'Someone approves' (then who approves) — and add it. Use 'Someone approves' for partner or compliance sign-off.

Tips & pitfalls

  • When a person picks the path, give each way out a clear name (e.g. 'Approve', 'Reject') — that name is exactly what the team clicks to move the matter along.
  • A 'Someone approves' check holds a matter back from the stage; it is not a separate approval stage. If a matter seems stuck, check the next stage's Before it starts.

Key takeaways

  • Each stage has ways out: no choice, a person chooses, or MatterFirst chooses by rules
  • There are no Parallel or Approval-gate stages
  • Approval is a check under Before it starts ('Someone approves'), alongside 'All its tasks are done' and 'A role is on the matter'
Creating your first workflow Connecting actions to stages

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