The JDA workflow enforces a clear status progression where signing off from Pending status moves the object to Live status. This is a standard state transition in the JDA object lifecycle.
In this JDA workflow, an object's lifecycle moves from a draft/working state through Pending (awaiting approval) and, once someone signs off on it, the object is promoted to Live status, making it the active/approved version. Sign-off is precisely the approval gate that flips Pending into Live.