The problem with generic statuses
"In progress" can mean anything, from "barely started" to "nearly done, just minor revisions". That ambiguity forces everyone to ask for details instead of seeing it at a glance.
How to customize them usefully
- Statuses specific to your real workflow: "Waiting on client feedback", "Internal review", "Ready to deliver".
- Not too many, five or six clear statuses beat fifteen confusing ones.
- The same statuses for the whole team, so everyone speaks the same language.
Where you configure them
Project statuses are customized once for the whole organization, and every new project inherits them automatically after that.
Bottom line
Good statuses reduce the number of "where are we?" questions because the answer is already visible, without having to ask anyone.