Trackline
Phases: putting what you ask for in order
When to split a process into phases, when not to, and what makes a phase open by itself.
A phase is a group of things asked for at the same time. They exist for one very specific reason: some requests make no sense until another has been resolved. You cannot ask someone to sign the contract before you know whether their paperwork checked out.
When you actually need a new phase
The practical rule is to ask: does what I am about to request depend on something I do not have yet? If yes, it belongs in a later phase. If no, it belongs in the same one.
| Situation | New phase? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Asking for the tax ID and the social security certificate | No | They are independent: the person can send both together |
| Reviewing the paperwork and then signing the contract | Yes | Nothing gets signed until the review has come back clean |
| Asking the supplier for something, then having your team approve it | Yes | Your team cannot approve what has not arrived yet |
| Asking three documents from three different people | No | They run in parallel; each moves at its own pace within the same phase |
Watch out
Every extra phase is an extra wait. Split into five phases what could have been two and the case takes weeks longer to close even if nobody is late.
What it means for a phase to be complete
A phase counts as complete when every request marked mandatory is closed. The ones that are not mandatory can stay pending without blocking anything: they remain visible and can be delivered later.
As soon as the phase completes, the next one opens by itself and its notices go out. Nothing to click — though you can also launch it manually if you want to get ahead.
Changing phases mid-case
You can. If halfway through an onboarding you discover you need a document nobody planned for, you add it to the current phase or create a new one, and that person gets the notice without starting over. The change affects only that case; the template stays as it was.
Frequently asked questions
›How many phases can a process have?
There is no technical limit. In practice, more than four or five usually means the model is too fine-grained and things should be merged.
›Can I skip a phase?
You can launch the next one manually without waiting for the previous to close, if the situation calls for it. The record shows it was brought forward and by whom.
›What if someone in phase 1 never delivers?
The case waits in that phase and you see it in the list of what is stuck. You can reassign the request to somebody else, make it non-mandatory, or cancel it.
›Does everyone in a phase find out at the same time?
Yes. When the phase opens, all of its notices go out at once, each to its recipient on their own channel.
A real case
The situation
A law firm sets up a due diligence and wants the review not to start until all the corporate paperwork is in.
What you do
- Phase 1: deeds, powers of attorney and annual accounts, all at once to the client
- Phase 2: risk report, assigned to the internal team
- Phase 3: signing the agreement
What you get
The internal team gets no notice until phase 1 is complete, so nobody starts reviewing a half-finished file.
The situation
Twelve documents are requested at once and none arrives.
What you do
- Splits into phases and opens the essentials first
What you get
The first phase completes and the rest follows.
The situation
A phase depends on the previous one being approved.
What you do
- Sets it to open automatically when the previous closes
What you get
Nobody has to remember to open the next one.
The situation
The supplier receives requests they cannot yet meet.
What you do
- Orders phases by what actually depends on what
What you get
Each moment asks only for what is already possible.
The situation
A three-document process is split into phases.
What you do
- Leaves it as a single phase
What you get
Phases are used where they help rather than by habit.
The situation
A phase has been open for weeks and nobody notices.
What you do
- Reviews which phases have been open too long
What you get
The blockage surfaces without being hunted.
This article answers
- how do I order requests into phases
- when to create a new phase in Trackline
- why is the next phase not opening
- staged document process