> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.x.build/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pipeline stages

> Track every project through your sales and production pipeline

## Working with the pipeline

Every [project](/platform/projects-overview) sits in exactly one pipeline stage, from first call to final payment — on the project itself, on the board, and in every list. The stages are yours to shape; XBuild advances projects automatically on two events and never overrides a stage you set yourself.

*This feature is available on select XBuild plans. If you don't see it in your account, contact [support@x.build](mailto:support@x.build).*

### 1. The default stages

New accounts start with **Lead → Inspection → Estimating → Proposal Sent → Won → In Production → Complete**, plus **Lost** for jobs that don't land. Each stage carries optional **sub-statuses**:

| Stage         | Default sub-statuses                          |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Lead          | New · Contact attempted · Qualified           |
| Inspection    | Scheduling · Scheduled · Awaiting docs        |
| Estimating    | Gathering info · Drafting · Internal review   |
| Proposal Sent | Awaiting response · Negotiating · Revising    |
| Won           | Awaiting deposit · Scheduling production      |
| In Production | Materials ordered · Crew on site · Punch list |
| Complete      | Final invoice sent · Paid in full             |
| Lost          | —                                             |

A sub-status clears whenever the project changes stage.

### 2. Customize your pipeline

You must be an XBuild Administrator to change these settings. Open **Settings → Pipeline**:

| Action                   | Behavior                                                           |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Add** a stage          | Pick a name and color; new stages slot in before Complete and Lost |
| **Rename** / **recolor** | Renaming changes the label everywhere, past projects included      |
| **Reorder** by dragging  | Complete and Lost always stay at the end                           |
| **Archive**              | There is no delete; see below                                      |
| Sub-statuses             | Add, rename, reorder, archive the same way                         |

**Archived stages keep history.** Projects already in an archived stage keep it — shown with "(archived)" and still reachable from the project list — but no project can be moved *into* it and the board shows no column for it. Archiving can't be undone, so rename a stage you want to repurpose instead.

Guardrails: the pipeline always keeps at least one regular stage and one end stage (like Complete or Lost), and holds up to 20 stages with up to 30 sub-statuses per stage — archived ones count.

### 3. Use the board

The **Projects** page has a list/board toggle. The board shows one column per active stage, in pipeline order and stage color, with a card per project — name, client, owner, value, and open-task count.

**Drag a card to another column to move the project to that stage** — the same move as the stage control on the project's page, which also sets the sub-status. Card order *within* a column isn't saved.

### 4. What XBuild advances automatically

| Event                                       | Moves the project to |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| First publish of a proposal                 | **Proposal Sent**    |
| Signed, funded, or insurance scope approved | **Won**              |

The rules the automation lives by:

* **It never overrides you.** Once you've set a project's stage by hand, automation leaves it alone unless the move is clearly forward from where you put it.
* **It only moves forward.** A project already at or past the target stage stays put. It never moves backward, and never out of Complete or Lost.
* **It respects your customizations.** Rename or recolor Proposal Sent and Won freely — automation follows the stage, not the name. Archiving either stage permanently turns that automation off (the archive dialog warns you).

Everything else — Lead to Inspection, Won to In Production — stays yours. XBuild may [suggest a task](/platform/tasks) instead, but won't move the stage.

### 5. Troubleshooting common issues

* **I published a proposal but the project didn't move to Proposal Sent.** The project was already at or past that stage, you had set its stage manually, or Proposal Sent was archived — any of those stops the automatic move. Move it by hand.
* **A project shows a stage marked "(archived)".** The stage was archived after the project entered it. Move it to an active stage from its page or leave it as a record.
* **I can't drag a stage where I want it in Settings.** Complete, Lost, and any other end stage must stay after the regular stages — a drag that breaks that snaps back.
* **I want to delete a stage entirely.** Stages archive rather than delete, so past projects keep their history. For a stage created by mistake and never used, archiving has the same practical effect.
* **Two people edited the pipeline at once and one edit didn't stick.** Concurrent edits are detected — the later save is asked to reload and retry rather than overwriting the first. Reload and make the change again.

For further assistance, contact XBuild Support at [support@x.build](mailto:support@x.build).