Connect statuses and add Next status buttons

Before you start

Use clear connection names that describe the action staff take. Vendor confirmed explains why a salesperson moves the order; a destination name alone explains less.

Draw a connection

1. 1

   Step 1: Open the status map

   Go to Settings›Quotes & orders›Statuses and click Status map. Show the groups containing your starting and destination statuses.

   The canvas displays those status cards and their existing connections.

2. 2

   Step 2: Add a missing status

   If the destination does not exist, click Add status. Enter its name and choose the customer group.

   Press Enter or click the map to add it. Esc cancels the addition.

   

   Adding the status creates the card, but you still need to connect it. Choose the group according to what customers should see at that stage.

3. 3

   Step 3: Draw between the cards

   Drag from any of the starting card's 4 dots to the destination card. For this example, connect Sent to Vendor to In Workshop.

   The new connection opens in its editing panel.

   The connection cannot start and end on the same card. Any status can be a starting point, but never a destination.

4. 4

   Step 4: Name the connection

   The name starts as Next status, selected so you can type over it, such as Vendor confirmed. Review When, Unlocked when, Unlocked only if and Then.

   A new connection starts as Staff press Next status, with Whole order, all conditions and the status-email option enabled.

   

   Do not assume those starting choices fit every workflow. In particular, check email behavior before publishing a customer-facing movement.

5. 5

   Step 5: Save the connection details

   Complete When or Unlocked when, review Only if and Then, and click Done.

   Wait for Draft saved. Your connection is recorded in the draft, ready to test.

   For automatic movements or extra actions, use Automate your workflow.

Add a staff-controlled button

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose staff control

   Open the connection and choose Staff press Next status under When.

   The panel presents Unlocked when, which determines when staff can use the button.

2. 2

   Step 2: Choose when it unlocks

   Choose Any time when only the conditions below should decide. Otherwise choose the event that must happen first.

   Set Unlocked only if for additional requirements, such as full payment or a signature. The connection now records what the button waits for.

   An always-available button is suitable for a staff judgment, such as confirming a phone call. Evidence-based steps can wait for the relevant condition.

3. 3

   Step 3: Check destination and order

   Under Then, confirm Move the order to and its destination. Use Priority to place the button among the other choices.

   Click Done. The draft records the button's destination and its position in Next status.

   The supplied Vendor confirmed connection from Sent to Vendor to In Production provides an example of this pattern.

4. 4

   Step 4: Test and publish

   Follow Test and publish the status map before making the button available.

   Once published, the order page can show it under Next status when the order is at the connection's starting stage.

Remove a connection

1. 1

   Step 1: Select the connection

   Click your connection on the map. Its panel opens with Delete connection in the header.

   Only shop-created connections can be deleted. System connections allow changes to their actions and priority, while their movement remains protected.

2. 2

   Step 2: Delete and publish

   Choose Delete connection, or press Delete or Backspace while it is selected. The draft removes the connection.

   Publish the draft when you intend the removal to take effect. Until then, orders continue following the live map.

   Check other routes out of that status before publishing. Removing its only staff button can leave no suggested next move.

What happens next

The top Next status row is the move the map checks first. Other choices appear under Can also move to, with backup staff buttons under More.

A greyed row explains its waiting condition on hover. Examples include the customer's signature, full payment or every PO item arriving.

Clicking an available button confirms Moved to the destination. Staff can follow Change an order's status for day-to-day use.

The manual status picker remains separate from the map's suggestions. A connection defines a supported route, not every status a permitted person can choose.

If something goes wrong