# Experiment Lifecycle

## Experiment Lifecycle

Every experiment in Elevate moves through a series of statuses as it progresses from creation to completion. This page explains each status, what happens in it, and what actions are available.

***

### Status Flow

```
Draft → Preview → Running → Done
                     ↓        ↑
                   Paused ────┘
```

An experiment can also be **deleted** from any status.

***

### Statuses

#### Draft

The experiment has been saved but isn't fully configured yet. You can come back to it later to finish setup.

**What's happening:**

* The experiment is saved in your dashboard but not active
* No traffic is being split, no visitors are affected
* You can edit any aspect of the experiment freely

**Available actions:**

* Edit the experiment
* Submit for review (moves to Preview)
* Delete

#### Preview

The experiment is fully configured and ready to be reviewed before launching. Some experiment types require additional setup steps in this status.

**What's happening:**

* The experiment is complete but not yet live
* No traffic is being split
* For price tests (duplicate products): this is where you complete the review checklist — copy reviews, sync integrations, and submit for Elevate review
* For other test types: you can QA and verify everything looks correct

**Available actions:**

* Launch the experiment (moves to Running)
* Mark as Complete (if you decide not to launch)
* Sync experiment data
* Duplicate
* Delete

#### Running

The experiment is live and actively collecting data. Visitors are being split between variations.

**What's happening:**

* Traffic is being split according to your allocation settings
* The web pixel is tracking page views, add to carts, checkouts, and purchases
* Statistical significance is being calculated as data comes in
* Results are updating in real time on the Results and Advanced Analytics tabs

**Available actions:**

* Pause the experiment (moves to Paused)
* Mark as Complete (moves to Done) — available unless the experiment has already reached statistical significance
* Sync experiment data — refreshes metafields and analytics
* Duplicate
* Delete

> **Note:** Once an experiment reaches statistical significance, the "Mark as Complete" option is replaced with guidance to either apply the winner or end the test. This prevents accidentally ending a successful experiment without acting on the results.

#### Paused

The experiment has been temporarily stopped. Traffic splitting is halted, and all visitors see the original experience.

**What's happening:**

* No new visitors are entering the experiment
* Existing data is preserved — nothing is lost
* The experiment can be resumed at any time

**Available actions:**

* Resume the experiment (moves back to Running)
* Mark as Complete (moves to Done)
* Sync experiment data
* Duplicate
* Delete

**When to pause:**

* You noticed an issue with the variation and need to investigate
* You're running a promotion or sale that could skew results
* You need to make changes to your store that would affect the experiment
* You want to temporarily stop the test without losing data

> **Tip:** Pausing and resuming is fine for short periods. Long pauses (weeks) can affect data quality since visitor behavior may change over time.

#### Done

The experiment is complete. Traffic splitting has stopped, and all visitors see the original experience.

**What's happening:**

* The experiment is no longer active
* All data and reports remain fully accessible
* For price tests with duplicate products: duplicates are automatically archived in Shopify
* You can review results, export data, and reference the experiment at any time

**Available actions:**

* Resume the experiment (moves back to Running) — if you want to collect more data
* Apply Winner — implement the winning variation's changes (available for applicable test types)
* Duplicate — create a new experiment based on this one's configuration
* Delete

#### Deleted

The experiment has been permanently removed.

**What happens:**

* The experiment is removed from your dashboard
* Test data is cleaned up
* Metafields are updated to remove the experiment configuration
* For price tests with duplicates: duplicate products are archived

***

### How Pausing Affects Data

When you pause an experiment, Elevate stops the data collection window. The time your experiment was paused is excluded when calculating:

* **Experiment duration** — Paused time doesn't count toward the displayed duration
* **Projected revenue** — Visitor velocity calculations account for paused periods
* **Statistical significance** — Only data from running periods is included

This means pausing doesn't corrupt your data — it just extends the calendar time needed to reach significance.

***

### Resuming from Done

You can resume an experiment even after marking it as complete. This is useful if:

* You ended the test too early and want to collect more data
* Results were inconclusive and you want to let it run longer
* You want to re-run the same experiment after making store changes

When resumed, the experiment goes back to Running status and continues from where it left off — existing variation assignments are preserved.

***

### Where You See Status

The experiment status is displayed:

* On the **experiment card** in your dashboard (with a color-coded badge)
* At the top of the **experiment detail page**
* In the **Experiment History** timeline (Raw Data tab), which logs every status change with timestamps