By default, Shortcut has three workflow states for Epics: To Do, In Progress, and Done. When you create a new Epic, its state defaults to "To Do" unless you have set a custom workflow state as the default. 

The state of an Epic helps communicate the status of the overall work, and associated Stories captured in that Epic. Epics in a To Do state are represented by a white flag icon, In Progress Epics by a blue flag icon, and Done Epics are represented with a checkered flag icon.

On the Milestones page, Epic states can be helpful when scanning unstarted, in progress, or completed work across larger initiatives.

You can change an Epic's state from several places in the UI. First, you can navigate to the specific Epic page and select the state from the dropdown in the sidebar:

You can also navigate to the Epics page, and click on the Table view. You can click the state dropdown and update the state directly from the Epics page.

If you use the Epics page "Column" view, any Epics that seem to be done but are still in a started state, you'll see a yellow notification and button that will move the Epic into a done state.

Changing An Epic's State from the Stories Page

An Epic's state can be changed directly from the Stories Page, as well.

1. Hover over your desired Epic in the Stories side bar menu.
2. Click the "..." menu when it pops up.
3. Select the desired state from the dropdown. This will move the epic to the first state in that type. If you have a custom workflow set up, you can update the Epic to any state by navigating to the Epic page.

You can customize your Epic workflow, just as you might your Workflow.

 Go to:

1. Settings by clicking on your user icon in the lower left-hand corner
2. Click Workflow states
3. Click on the Epics tab
4. Click “Create a New State”