Review project stages with Canvas pins

Use named markers for a clear, manually maintained stage review.

A Canvas pin is a named location you can return to on the diagram. You can also use a movable pin as a manual marker showing where an initiative stands in a stage map. This is useful in a team review when a visual stage tells a clearer story than a long list.

The marker does not calculate progress, follow a project automatically, or update task status. Agree who maintains it and what each stage means.

Create a stage map

1. Open a Design canvas that the review participants can access.
2. Draw and label a few areas, such as Discovery, Preparation, Review, and Complete. Add a short description of what qualifies an initiative for each stage.
3. Add a brief legend: Pins show the stage agreed in the team review; task records hold the current work details.
4. Open the pin menu, choose Add pin…, click the location for the initiative's current stage, and give the pin a useful name such as Northstar — current stage.
5. Add other named pins only when they help the same review. Keep names recognizable and avoid placing so many markers that the stages become unreadable.

Run the review

1. Open the relevant All Tasks or Overview scope and review the actual task states, owners, and blockers.
2. Decide whether the initiative meets the next stage's criteria.
3. Move its pin to the agreed position on the canvas. Update its name if needed using the pin menu's rename control.
4. Record any explanation or next action in the relevant task or note, and update actual task statuses separately.
5. Use the pin list to navigate back to a named location during the next discussion. Pins stay same size can help markers remain recognizable as you zoom.

Result: the team gets an at-a-glance stage map backed by task records. It stays reliable because someone deliberately maintains the markers.

Use pins for orientation too

On a large plan, create pins for Start here, Launch checklist, or Open decisions. Select a named pin to navigate to that area. Rename or delete outdated pins from the pin menu so the list remains useful.

Pins are saved with the canvas; treat their names and positions as shared planning content. They are not private personal reminders and do not appear as tasks in All Tasks or contribute task counts to Overview.

Keep three ideas separate

A Canvas pin does not grant access to an initiative named in its label. If you draw a cross-project review map, give participants the appropriate access to the underlying work and use the existing overview guides when you need task summaries across selected projects.