> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://katalyz.crisp.help/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Steps widget

The **Steps** widget is where your **action plan** lives. A Step is the top level of the hierarchy — it contains **tasks**, which in turn contain **subtasks**. Each is an **action** with its own status, assignees, dates, and dedicated sidepanel.

Use Steps to structure deal execution: onboarding, implementation plans, QBR follow-ups, mutual action plans.

Utilisez les Étapes pour structurer l'exécution d'un deal : onboarding, plans de mise en œuvre, suivis de QBR, plans d'action communs.
![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/5/5/4/8/554891f22af0b400/screenshot-2026-06-17-at-18281_mh3cni.png =819xauto)

## How to add

1. On the **floating build bar** at the bottom of the editor, locate the widget — in the primary widgets row, or under the **⌄ All widgets** popover if it's not there.
2. Drag the **Steps** widget onto the target section.
3. Add your first step (title). Add tasks and subtasks as needed.

## The selection pill — Steps controls

Click the Steps widget to select it. The pill is minimal — most editing happens inside each step's details sidepanel (see below):

1. **🌙 Dark mode** — flips the widget's surface to a dark treatment for contrast against light sections.
2. **Design** (paintbrush icon) — opens the contextual Design panel (Layout & corners / Spacing / Background / Border / Effects).
3. **⋮ More** — **Duplicate** · **Delete**.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/5/5/4/8/554891f22af0b400/screenshot-2026-06-17-at-18285_mqlvr8.png =1036xauto)

## Step-level attributes

Each step exposes the following attributes (edited in the **step details sidepanel**, opened by clicking the step):

- **Icon** — emoji or a **custom number** (replaces the auto-index)
- **Title** — the step's name
- **Status** — one of five values (see below)
- **Assignees** — one or more **room participants** (internal org members or external buyers), shown as avatars
- **Start date** — when the step begins
- **Due date** — when it's expected to be completed
- **Reminder** — preset or custom offset from the due date (e.g. 2 days before) — *coming soon, not yet in production*
- **Visibility** — Everyone / Private / Custom (per team or per participant) — see [Controlling visibility](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/controlling-visibility-pages-sections-actions-messages-guidelines-vc7vb1/)

### Absolute or relative dates

Start and Due dates can be set as **absolute** (e.g. Mar 15) or **relative** to another action's date (e.g. "2 business days after Step 3's completion"). Useful for re-using a template where moving the kickoff shifts everything else.

For the full breakdown — references, offsets, units, propagation — see [Relative dates for steps, phases & milestones](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/relative-dates-for-steps-phases-milestones-196bhjc/).

## The 5 statuses

Each step, task, and subtask can be in one of **5 statuses**, each with its own icon:

| Status | Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| **Not started** | ○ (empty circle) | Default when created — nothing has happened yet |
| **In progress** | 🕐 (clock) | Actively being worked on |
| **At risk** | ⚠️ (warning triangle) | Blocked, delayed, or unlikely to hit the due date |
| **On hold** | ⏸ (pause) | Deliberately paused — waiting on a dependency or external input |
| **Completed** | ✓ (checkmark) | Done |

The status appears on the step itself and rolls up visually in the widget.

### Status rolls up and down the hierarchy

- **Child → parent (automatic):** when **every** child action of a parent is marked **Completed**, the parent is automatically marked Completed too. A fully-completed set of tasks rolls the parent step to Completed without you touching it.
- **Parent → children (on confirm):** when you mark a parent as Completed, a popup asks whether you want to mark **all of its children** as Completed too. Click to confirm, or keep the children as-is.

## Tasks and subtasks

**Steps**, **tasks**, and **subtasks** all share the **exact same set of attributes** (icon, title, status, assignees, start/due dates, reminder, visibility) and all open the same **action details sidepanel**. They're functionally identical — the only difference is nesting:

- A **Step** **may** contain tasks (it doesn't have to — a step can stand alone)
- A **Task** **may** contain subtasks (again, optional)
- A **Subtask** is the leaf level — it **cannot** contain further sub-subtasks

So you get up to three nesting levels: Step → Task → Subtask, but you only go as deep as you need.

## Action details sidepanel (for steps, tasks, and subtasks)

Clicking any step, task, or subtask opens its **details sidepanel**. This is the workhorse surface where everything about that action lives. You can:

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/5/5/4/8/554891f22af0b400/katalyz-action-details_1sxqef1.png =426xauto)

### Edit the action's attributes
- Change status, title, icon, assignees, dates, reminder, visibility
- Toggle the **completed** state directly

### Add widgets inside the action
A floating **+ button** in the sidepanel lets you drop supporting content **inside the action** — not in a section, but inside the step/task/subtask itself. Supported widgets include **Text**, **Document**, **Image**, **Video**, **Link**, **Contact**, **Field**, and nested **Task**. Use this for briefings, supporting materials, or embedded references tied to the action.

### Internal guidelines (org-only)
Click the **bulb icon** in the sidepanel header to add **Guidelines** — internal-only notes that are never visible to buyers. See [Controlling visibility](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/controlling-visibility-pages-sections-actions-messages-guidelines-vc7vb1/).

### Comments & mentions
- Full threaded comments on the action (shown in a right-column panel when comments exist)
- **@mention** any room participant (internal or external)
- Check **"Visible only to mentioned people"** to restrict a comment to just the @mentioned set — see [Controlling visibility](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/controlling-visibility-pages-sections-actions-messages-guidelines-vc7vb1/)
- Edit or delete your own comments

### Attach an email to the thread
Next to the **guidelines (bulb)** button in the sidepanel header, there's an **Attach email** button. Clicking it copies a unique **technical email address** for this action. Forward any email to that address and the forwarded message (subject + body + sender) is **attached to the action's message thread as a Katalyz comment** — visible alongside native comments.

Use it to pull an external email conversation into the action plan without copy-pasting — reply chains from buyers, internal handoff notes, vendor confirmations.

### Navigate down
- Click a task inside a step to open the task's sidepanel (with a breadcrumb back to the parent step)
- Click a subtask inside a task to open its sidepanel

## Steps vs. Timeline

- **Steps** — ordered/sequential flow; no fixed time anchor required (though dates are optional)
- **Timeline** — time-anchored visualization of the same underlying steps/tasks; specific dates are the organizing axis

Many teams use Steps for the source-of-truth action plan and Timeline for a buyer-friendly visual. See [Timeline widget](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/timeline-widget-1kesvz0/).

## Best practices

- **3–6 steps** is the sweet spot for a top-level plan — fewer feels incomplete, more overwhelms
- **Parallel phrasing** — keep each step's title in the same grammatical shape (all verbs, or all noun phrases)
- **Use tasks for the "how", steps for the "what"** — the step is the milestone, the tasks are the work to get there
- **Restrict internal-only actions** — mark internal prep tasks as restricted instead of adding them to a hidden page; they stay inline with the plan for you while staying invisible to buyers

## Related articles
- [Timeline widget](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/timeline-widget-1kesvz0/)
- [Controlling visibility — pages, sections, actions, messages & guidelines](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/controlling-visibility-pages-sections-actions-messages-guidelines-vc7vb1/)
- [Introduction to widgets](https://katalyz.crisp.help/en/article/introduction-to-widgets-skwh2f/)