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Introduction to Soko

Statuses & states

Example use of statuses

States vs. Statuses

The administrator can create an unlimited number of statuses, but each status can belong to just one state. States help to organize statuses so Soko knows in which view to display what tasks or versions.
In Soko we have multiple views. For example in User view tasks are organized in 4 groups, Active, Upcoming, Review and All. With knowledge of the state of each status, Soko is able to organize versions with different statuses to correct tab.
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States are also used for generating charts and reports and lastly states are used in notifications so different project roles can receive different notifications (e.g. Assignee when task state change to Ready to start, or Reviewer when version change to Review states).

Status types

There are two main status types in Soko Tasks statuses and Version statuses. Task statuses are used for tasks and folder objects. Version statuses are used for published versions. This helps us to track statuses for the task and versions separately.

Task states

Awaiting Input External
This state is used for tasks we are not able to start working on because of missing input (information or data) from the external sources most of the time from the client. These inputs are needed before we can start working on this task. Unless the inputs are delivered, we are not able to perform any further action.
Awaiting Input
This state is used for tasks we are not able to start working on because of missing input (information or data). These inputs are needed before we can start working on this task. Unless the inputs are delivered, we are not able to perform any further action.
Ready to Start
This state is used for tasks we are able to start working on right away. The only reason why we haven't started working on these tasks yet is that we are working on higher priority tasks.
In Progress
This state is used for tasks we are working on at this moment. We should use this state for task statuses describing ongoing activities related to this task.
Completed
This state is used for completed tasks when the output from the task has been approved and no other work is required on this task.
Pending Review
This state is used when the output from the task is awaiting review (e.g., by lead or supervisor) or is currently being reviewed.
Pending Delivery
This state is used when the output from the task is awaiting delivery to the client or is currently being delivered (e. g. uploading) to the client.
Pending review external
This state is used when the output from the task is awaiting external review (e.g. by the client, agency, or director) or is currently being externally reviewed.
Discarded
This state is used for tasks that were discarded or canceled and no other action on this task is required.
Rejected External
This state is used when the output from the task has been rejected by an external reviewer (e.g. by the client, agency, or director) and needs to be reviewed one more time by an "internal" reviewer (Leader or a Supervisor) to decides the next steps. When the reason for rejection is valid and clear the reviewer can ask the assignee for a fix. When the reason for rejection is not valid or not clear further discussion with an external reviewer is needed.
Rejected
When the version has been rejected by the Reviewer (e.g., by lead or supervisor) task can be change to rejected status. It will remain rejected till assignee will not start the work on this task again.

Version states

Pending Review
The version is waiting for the Reviewer (e.g., by lead or supervisor) to be reviewed or is currently being reviewed.
​In Progress
The version is changed to "In Progress" state by Reviewer (e.g., by lead or supervisor) when it’s not finally Approved but can be temporarily used in the linked outgoing tasks. In case a review process is not required a user may publish their work as an “In Progress” when a temporary version is required for the linked outgoing tasks.
​Rejected
The version has been rejected by the Reviewer (e.g., by lead or supervisor) when it’s not suitable to be used in the linked outgoing tasks as a temporary output or isn’t ready to be delivered for external review.
Pending delivery
The version has been reviewed internally and is ready to be delivered to a client or is currently being delivered (e. g. uploading) to the client.
Pending External Review ​The version is awaiting external review (e.g. by the client, agency, or director) or is currently being externally reviewed.
Rejected External
The version has been rejected by an external reviewer (e.g. by the client, agency, or director) and needs to be reviewed one more time by an "internal" reviewer (Leader or a Supervisor) to decides the next steps. When the reason for rejection is valid and clear the reviewer can ask the assignee for a fix. When the reason for rejection is not valid and not clear further discussion with an external reviewer (e.g. the client, agency, or director) is needed.
Completed
The version is changed to "Completed" state when is approved by the Reviewer (Leader, or Supervisor) or External Reviewer (client .agency,..), and no new version of this output is required.
Discarded
The version is changed to "Discarded" state by the Reviewer (Leader, or Supervisor) or External Reviewer ( client, agency,..), when a new version of this output is no longer required. This state we usually use only when we asked artist to publish multiple output variations within one task. For example, the artist made 3 different color variations of the same output, the client choose one, we change the status of the two remaining outputs to discarded because no new version from these two outputs is needed.

Default soko statuses

Task statuses

Task statuses are used for tasks and folder object (e.g shots, assets, and other Soko objects).
Awaiting Ext. Input
Awaiting Ext. Input can be used when an Assignee is unable to start working on the task because they are waiting for a piece of external data or information from a client to be delivered. Or sometimes data or information from a client can be incomplete and the Assignee is waiting for further clarification.
Awaiting Input
Awaiting Input means the task is waiting for an internal input, such as another task being completed or anything else related to internal factors.
Ready to start
When inputs as well as everything else is ready for an assignee to start working on the task, it is Ready to start.
In Progress
Assignees change the task status to In Progress when they start working on the task. In the best case, only one task should have an “In progress’ status.
On Hold
When a task is in progress, but meanwhile another task gains a higher priority we should put this task “On Hold '' until we don’t finish the task with the higher priority. Once the task with higher priority is done we can go back to the current task and change its status from “On Hold” back to “In Progress”.
Rendering
“Rendering” status can be used when an artist finishes the task but the output has not been created yet, because it's currently being rendered on a render farm. This status can be also used when the inputs for an already approved task change. Soko has an in-built script that allows for example the coordinator to render a new version of an Output. For example the animation changes. Since the lighting task of the affected shot has already been approved, the coordinator or another reviewer can run the action which will re-render the shot with the new animation without the need to contact the lighting artist.
Review
When an assignee publishes an output and is waiting for feedback they should change the status to “Review”. That means the assignee has finished the work on the task and is waiting for a version approval.
QC done
If someone else performs the first pass quality check before the VFX supervisor, they can change the status to "QC Done" to indicate to the VFX supervisor that the task has been checked.
Needs Fix
When a reviewer has not approved a new version and additional work is needed, he will change the status to Needs Fix.
Completed
The task is completed when the output from the task has been approved and no other work is required on this task.
Discarded
When a task has been canceled and is no longer needed, we can discard it by labeling it as discarded.
Delivery
This status is used when the output from the task is awaiting delivery to the client or is currently being delivered (e. g. uploading) to the client.
Client review
This status is used when the output from the task is awaiting external review (e.g. by the client or agency) or is currently being externally reviewed.
Client Review Dependent
This status is used when the output from the task is awaiting external review (e.g., by the client or agency) or is currently being externally reviewed. The actual version is not sent directly to the client because the output is used in another task that is sent to the client. The client reviews the work from both tasks in a single version. For example, a lighting artist lights the scene, but the render from lighting is not sent directly to the client. Instead, it is sent to the compositing department. Once the compositing department completes their work and creates a new version using the lighting render, this version is sent to the client. The client's task is to review both the lighting and the compositing in one version.
Client rejected
This status is used when the output from the task has been rejected by an external reviewer (e.g. by the client, agency, or director) and needs to be reviewed one more time by an "internal" reviewer (Leader or a Supervisor) to decides the next steps. When the reason for rejection is valid and clear the reviewer can ask the assignee for a fix. When the reason for rejection is not valid or not clear further discussion with an client is needed.

2. Version statuses

These are used to indicate a status of a version
Review
A current version of the output is waiting for the Reviewer (Leader/Supervisor) to be reviewed
In Progress
A Leader or a Supervisor may label the output as In Progress when it’s not finally Approved but can be temporarily used in the linked outgoing tasks. A user may publish their work as an “In Progress output” on the assigned task when it doesn’t require any Leader/Supervisor review.
Rejected
A Current version of the output has been rejected by a Leader or a Supervisor as it’s not suitable to be used in the linked outgoing tasks or isn’t ready for client review.
Delivery
A current version of the output has been reviewed internally and is ready to be delivered to a client
Client Review
A current version of output is waiting for feedback from a client
Client Reject
A current version of the output has been rejected by a Client and needs to be reviewed by a Leader or a Supervisor.
Approved
A current version of the output has been approved by a Client, Leader or a Supervisor
Discarded
A current version of the output is no longer needed as it has been discarded
Rejected Ext.
The version has been rejected by an external reviewer (e.g. by the client, agency, or director) and needs to be reviewed one more time by an "internal" reviewer (Leader or a Supervisor) to decides the next steps. When the reason for rejection is valid and clear the reviewer can ask the assignee for a fix. When the reason for rejection is not valid and not clear further discussion with an external reviewer (e.g. the client, agency, or director) is needed.
Client Review Dependent
A version isn't sent directly to the client. Instead, it is used in another task that goes to the client for approval. Both tasks are reviewed by the client at the same time, and the approval of this version may depend on the client's feedback from the other task. This status helps distinguish between versions that have actually been sent to the client and versions awaiting client feedback that have not been sent.
For example, we have a 3D Lighting Task whose output is used in a Compositing Task. The Compositing Output goes directly to the client for their feedback, while the Lighting Version's status is 'Client Review Dependent.' The status of the Lighting Version depends on the client's feedback on the Compositing Version. Both version statuses can then be updated based on the client's feedback

We can create different project templates which contain different statuses depending on the project type. Please check
Example use of statuses
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so you better understand what kind of project needs what kind of statues.

Best practices for Manager/Coordinator

coming soon..

Best practices for Reviewer

coming soon..

Best practices for Assignee

When there are many statuses, it can be confusing for assignees to know which status to use for what. Make sure that artists are aware of the different status meanings.
When the Assignee finds out that input for the task is missing or has some issues he/she changes the status from Active state ( Ready to start, In progress, On Hold) to Waiting for input, or Waiting for external input. The Manager is notified so he/she can resolve missing or wrong internal or ext. input for this task.
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