> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Plan readiness — the three tiers
> How RYTZ scores your parenting plan against three quality tiers — Quick draft, Solicitor-review-ready, Filing-ready — and how the readiness ribbon helps you close the gaps.
import { Card, CardGroup } from '@mintlify/components'
The **Plan Readiness Ribbon** at the top of the parenting workspace tells you, at a glance, which tier of completeness your plan has reached.
It's not just a checklist — it's a hierarchy. Each tier corresponds to a real stage of how your plan would be used in the world.
## The three tiers
A plan you can use to start the conversation. Suitable for sharing with the other party as a discussion document. Not for signing.
Every clause complete; both parties' full names captured; children named. Safe to hand to a family lawyer for substantive review.
Every check passed for tier 2, plus the additional fields a court would expect: postal addresses, child DOBs, separation date, existing-orders cross-reference, witness arrangement. Ready to sign as a s63C plan or attach to Consent Orders.
## What each tier requires
### Tier 1 — Quick draft
Just two checks:
* ✅ Plan workspace open (you've started a plan)
* ✅ At least one clause saved with content
The point of tier 1 is that even a half-drafted plan is worth something. You can share it with the other party, get reactions, iterate.
### Tier 2 — Solicitor-review-ready
The tier 1 checks plus:
* ✅ Your full name (first + last)
* ✅ Other party's full name (first + last)
* ✅ Children named
* ✅ Each of the 11 mandatory clauses saved with content
* ✅ Family-violence safety overlay saved (when FV is disclosed in your case file)
* ✅ Cultural Connection clause saved (when ATSI children are flagged)
When this tier is reached, the document is coherent enough that a family lawyer can read it cover to cover and give substantive feedback. They'll mark it up — but not rewrite it.
### Tier 3 — Filing-ready
The tier 2 checks plus:
* ✅ Plan moved beyond `draft` status (you've changed it to `proposed` or `agreed`)
* ✅ Both parties' postal addresses
* ✅ Children's dates of birth
* ✅ Date of separation
* ✅ Existing orders acknowledged (or "None" if no orders exist)
* ✅ Witness arrangement (names + qualifications for both parties)
When this tier is reached, the exported document carries everything a court would expect on a s63C plan or Consent Orders attachment — addresses on the title page, full child identification with DOBs, witness signature lines on the execution page.
## The ribbon UI
The ribbon at the top of the workspace shows three pip-style chips for the tiers, with the achieved tier highlighted forest, the current target tier highlighted gold, and locked tiers muted.
Below the chips, a single line summarises progress:
* *11/11 clauses drafted (100%)* — when you're working through clauses
* *X gaps before solicitor-review-ready* — when you're between tiers
* *Filing-ready — every check satisfied* — when you've completed everything
Click the ribbon to expand it. The expanded view shows a checklist of every check for the next un-satisfied tier, with one-click navigation to fix each gap:
* Click a missing clause check → workspace tab strip selects that clause
* Click a missing party-name check → parties modal opens
* Click a missing filing-ready check → filing-details modal opens
* Click "Mark proposed" on the status check → plan status flips, no modal
## How the gaps actually surface
The platform doesn't just say "you're missing 5 things". It tells you *which* 5 things, *why each matters*, and gives you a one-click route to fix it.
For example, in the expanded ribbon for the Filing-ready tier you might see:
```
○ Plan moved beyond draft
Mark the plan as proposed or agreed once both parties have reviewed it.
[Mark proposed]
○ Both parties' postal addresses
Required on the title page + for service of any later application.
[Open]
○ Children's dates of birth
Filing-ready documents identify each child by full name + DOB, not just age.
[Open]
```
Each `[Open]` button takes you straight to the input field that needs filling in.
## When does each tier actually matter?
*"I want to start the conversation with the other party."* The structured first draft gets concrete proposals on the table without the back-and-forth ambiguity of "let's just have lunch and talk".
*"I want a family lawyer to review this before I sign it."* This is the level most users target before any formal commitment. A lawyer reviewing a tier-2 plan can substantively engage with it — they're not redrafting it from scratch.
*"I want to sign this as a s63C plan or convert it into Consent Orders."* This is the operational level. Anything below tier 3 either lacks the identification a court would expect or the witness arrangement that strengthens the document's evidentiary weight.
Tier 3 is where the platform's structured workflow ends. Beyond it, you're either signing the plan as a s63C document, or filing it as the substantive content of a Consent Orders application. Both are court-recognised — see [Section 63C explained](/parenting-planner/section-63c-explained).
## How to think about pacing the tiers
Most users move through the tiers across multiple sessions:
* **Session 1** (\~30 minutes) — get to tier 1 (Quick draft). Names + 5 of the 11 clauses.
* **Session 2–4** — progress to tier 2 (Solicitor-review-ready). Finish the remaining clauses; refine the ones drafted in session 1.
* **Pause** — share with the other party (or an FDR practitioner) as a discussion document. Iterate.
* **Session 5+** — once both parties broadly agree on the substance, move to tier 3 (Filing-ready) by adding addresses, child DOBs, witness arrangement, and changing the plan status.
* **Sign or file** — decide whether to sign as a s63C plan, file as Consent Orders, or both (sign first, file later if the arrangement holds).
Don't try to jump straight to tier 3 in your first session. The ribbon is designed to let progress compound — each session builds on the last.
## Next
PDF, DOCX, Markdown — and what to do with the exported document.
What a parenting plan is in legal terms, and how it sits alongside Consent Orders.