The snag lifecycle

Every snag in Rectify has a status, and there are four of them. A snag starts at Open and is finished when it’s Closed:

Open → In Progress → Resolved → Closed

The status shows as a bar across the top of the snag, with the current one highlighted. This page covers what each status means, how to change it, who’s allowed to make each move, and what to do when work marked as done isn’t.

What each status means

Open. The snag has been logged and nobody has started on it. Every new snag starts here.

In Progress. Someone is working on it. This is where a snag spends most of its life.

Resolved. The work is done, as far as the person who did it is concerned. The snag stops showing as overdue from this point, even if it’s past its due date, but it isn’t finished yet: it stays on the Outstanding report until someone closes it.

Closed. Your organisation has checked the work and agrees it’s done. A closed snag shows a Completed date: the day it was resolved, or the day it was closed if it went straight there.

Who can change a status

Move	Owner	Member	Assignee
Move it forward, as far as Resolved	✓	✓	✓ ¹ ²
Close it	✓	✓	✕
Send it back to an earlier status, or reopen it	✓ ³	✓ ³	✕

✓ can do this. ✕ cannot. ¹ Only on snags assigned to them. ² With a note saying what they’ve done. ³ With a reason.

The owner and any member can move any snag in the organisation to any status, forwards or backwards, and needn’t go one step at a time: a snag can be closed straight from Open if the work was checked on the spot. An assignee can move a snag that’s assigned to them forward, as far as Resolved and no further, and always says what they’ve done when they do.

Why an assignee can’t close a snag

Finishing a snag takes two people, on purpose. Resolved means “I’ve done it”. Closed means “we agree it’s done”. The person who did the work marks it resolved, and someone in your organisation checks it against what was logged before closing it. An assignee can’t close a snag, including one they fixed themselves.

That way, nothing leaves your list on the strength of one person’s word. Roles and permissions covers the rest of what each role can do.

Changing the status

There are two ways.

From the menu. Open the snag, tap the ⋯ menu, and choose Change Status. It lists all four statuses, with a tick against the current one. Pick a later status and the snag moves straight away. Pick an earlier one and Rectify asks why first: see Sending a snag back. This is for the owner and members only; assignees don’t see it.

With a response. Tap Add Response on the snag, choose the new status under Status, add a note or photos, and tap Save. The note, the photos and the status change are saved together, which is the best way to mark something resolved: whoever closes it can see what was done.

An assignee always changes status this way, and the note isn’t optional. When they pick a new status, the note asks What’s the update?, and Save stays greyed out until they’ve written something. A status on its own doesn’t tell anyone what was done, and the note is what the person closing the snag checks the work against.

If an assignee doesn’t see Status in Add Response, the snag is already resolved or closed, and the next move isn’t theirs to make.

Replying to a snag email adds a comment and nothing else. To change the status, use the app. See Replying to a snag by email.

Sending a snag back

If a snag has been marked resolved but the work isn’t right, don’t close it. Send it back instead. The owner or a member opens the ⋯ menu, chooses Change Status, and picks In Progress, or Open if it needs starting again. The same works on a closed snag that turns out not to be finished, which reopens it.

Because “not fixed” on its own gives the assignee nothing to act on, sending a snag back always comes with a reason. Picking an earlier status opens the response with that status already chosen, the note asks Why is it going back?, and Save stays greyed out until it’s answered. The reason and the status change are saved together, so the assignee sees both on the snag’s updates.

A snag sent back is outstanding again. It no longer counts as resolved, and if it’s past its due date it shows as overdue until it’s resolved again.