What the stages mean
When you look at one of your reports you will see one of six words. This page says what each of them means, and who is holding your report at that moment.
The six words
These are all of them. A report is always in exactly one.
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Received | We have it. Nobody has looked at it yet. |
| Being looked at | Someone is reading it and working out what happens next. |
| Being worked on | A fix is being written, or is waiting to be approved. |
| Ready for you to check over to you | We think it's sorted. Tell us whether it is. |
| Done | This one is finished. The reply explains what happened. |
| Follow-up opened | A new report carries this on, linked to the original. |
Why there is no progress bar
Because it would not be true. A report does not walk a straight line: a decision can send it back for another attempt, and if you tell us a fix did not work, that opens a new report rather than rewinding the old one. A bar that slides backwards, or a "step 3 of 8" where the 8 quietly changes, tells you less than a plain word does.
So instead you get the word, the list of all the words above, and a dated history on your own report showing every time it changed.
Only one of them needs anything from you
Ready for you to check — that one means we think it is sorted and we are waiting to hear whether you agree. Everything else is us.
Behind the scenes
You do not need this part. It is here because people ask, and because we would rather show it than have it be a mystery. Internally a report moves through eight stages, and the six words above are a simpler summary of them.
| Stage | Called | Waiting on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Received | a reviewer |
| 2 | Triaged | a reviewer |
| 3 | Filed | a shepherd |
| 4 | Assigned | the agent, or a coder |
| 5 | In review | the operator |
| 6 | Merged | the operator |
| 7 | Live | a reviewer |
| 8 | Confirmed | the reporter |
And two side-steps, which are lettered rather than numbered because a report on one of them has not travelled further along — it has stepped aside, and may step back on.
| Side-step | Called | Waiting on |
|---|---|---|
| D | Declined — with a person | a steward |
| C | Closed without a change | nobody — terminal |
More: what happens to your report · the full journey · your reports