Everyday Run State (Pro Edition)

Let me guess:
You’ve got techs sitting around waiting to start.
Inventory sitting on shelves waiting to move.
And everyone seems to be asking, “Why can’t we just get this job out the door?”

It’s frustrating - but it’s not random.
Jobs don’t stall because your team isn’t working hard.
They stall because your project plan isn’t built to handle the wait.

This isn’t just a procurement problem.

(Well, it is a procurement problem because they are going to take a lot of blame for it)

BUT

It’s actually a project management problem in disguise.

Every time a job stalls waiting on:

• A signed SOW

• A PO from the client

• A part that was never ordered

• A technician who’s still waiting for site access

...you’re not just burning time.
You’re tying up cash and team capacity.

And when every job feels like an emergency, you end up:

• Rushing procurement (and paying for it)

• Buying inventory just to be safe

• Scheduling techs before you’re truly ready

Then the techs sit idle.
The gear collects dust.
And you still miss your timeline.

Projects Need Stopper Statuses

In ConnectWise, one of the most underrated tools in your project toolbox is the stopper status.

It tells your team:
⛔ “This job cannot move forward until X happens.”
✅ “Now that it’s resolved, let’s go.”

It’s simple, but powerful — and it prevents you from pushing jobs into scheduling before the pieces are in place.

🔴 Stopper Statuses

These signal that something critical is blocking progress. Think of them as your red lights — they pause the job until a key dependency is met.

Examples:

• Waiting on SOW Approval – can’t begin until the client signs off

• Pending Internal Approval – requires leadership or finance review

• Awaiting Downpament – can’t begin without upfront payment

• Site Access Pending – waiting on client to confirm access or readiness

🤝 Handshake (or Confirmation) Statuses

These are your green lights — they indicate that the blocker has been cleared, and it’s safe to proceed.

Examples:

• SOW Approved – client has signed off, ready for kickoff

• Project Reviewed (Internal) - leadership or finance have signed off

• Downpayment Received – Finance has the downpayment, Procurement can start purchasing

• Client Confirmed Site Access - site access has been confirmed by the client

They often mirror your stopper statuses, so it’s always clear when a phase has transitioned from paused to in motion.

Using this stopper-handshake pairing ensures that nothing quietly slips through the cracks - and your techs, schedulers, and project managers all know when a job is truly ready to move forward.

If your ConnectWise projects keep hitting dead ends, unclear statuses are often just the symptom - not the root cause. My 8-week Project Management Accelerator is designed to fix the foundation.

We’ll clean up your project workflows, train your team, and build a clear status path that actually reflects how your business runs, from kickoff to billing.

👉 Click here to learn more and book a call

See you next week!

Monica