Stages & files

Stages#

A stage is a phase of a project's work — "Schematic Design", "Permit Submission", "Construction Documentation". A project starts with the stages from its project type (if one was picked) and you can add, reorder, or remove them.

Each stage has its own files, its own expected duration, and is the unit of review.

Where files live#

Vellum supports two storage backends for the files attached to stages, configured per company:

• DigitalOcean Spaces — the default, S3-compatible object storage. Files are uploaded via presigned URLs and metadata is tracked in a `StageFileDigitalOcean` record.
• Autodesk Revit Cloud — an alternative that stores files inside an Autodesk hub/project/folder structure your firm already uses. Metadata sits in a `StageFileAutodesk` record.

Both backends are equivalent from the user's point of view — you upload, your team sees them, and you mark them for review the same way.

Review states#

Every file on a stage has a `review_status`:

• Pending — uploaded, awaiting review.
• Approved — accepted by the reviewer.
• Changes Requested — the reviewer has asked for changes; treat as the new "to-do".

Reviewers are configured per stage. They can be internal employees or, when the stage is marked as a client review step on the project type, the project's client.

Review audit log#

Every approval or change-request creates a `FileReviewLog` entry. The log records who reviewed, when, what they decided, and any attached comment. The most recent entry wins; older entries stay on file as history.