---
id: KB-TL-002
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/trackline/phases-putting-requests-in-order
idioma: en
categoria: trackline
subcategoria: procesos
modulo: trackline
audiencia: usuario
actualizado: 2026-08-12
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-TL-001, KB-TL-003, KB-TL-004]
citadoPor: [KB-TL-001, KB-TL-003, KB-TL-007, KB-TL-011, KB-TL-030]
enLaApp: https://app.codecontract.io/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._

**Responde a:** 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

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.

**En corto**

- Within a phase, everything goes out at once and is chased in parallel.
- Between phases there is order: the next one does not open until the previous is complete.
- "Complete" means every mandatory request is closed, not every request.
- If two things can be asked for at the same time, they belong in the same phase. Splitting them only makes the process longer.

## 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 |

> [!WARNING]
> 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.

## Ejemplos

**A law firm sets up a due diligence and wants the review not to start until all the corporate paperwork is in.**

- 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

→ The internal team gets no notice until phase 1 is complete, so nobody starts reviewing a half-finished file.

**Twelve documents are requested at once and none arrives.**

- Splits into phases and opens the essentials first

→ The first phase completes and the rest follows.

**A phase depends on the previous one being approved.**

- Sets it to open automatically when the previous closes

→ Nobody has to remember to open the next one.

**The supplier receives requests they cannot yet meet.**

- Orders phases by what actually depends on what

→ Each moment asks only for what is already possible.

**A three-document process is split into phases.**

- Leaves it as a single phase

→ Phases are used where they help rather than by habit.

**A phase has been open for weeks and nobody notices.**

- Reviews which phases have been open too long

→ The blockage surfaces without being hunted.