Card games that I create generally go through a few stages, in roughly the same order. This isn't always the case, as some games (like the Pikmin Card Game) had cards created before rules were written, but will generally hold true. As such, you can usually tell how far along a card game is by which stage it is in.
Rules - Usually the first stage of a game. This is where I generally consider what the game is about, what the goals should be, and what card typesshould exist. I usually have some idea of what specific cards I want to exist at this point.
Design - Usually the second stage of a game, where I start creating cards and playing around in Photoshop. A couple older failed games (Pikmin and Evolution) actually started here and had rules started after a card or two had already been created. In some cases, the Design phase will happen in Word where I create text cards for testing with the intent of creating graphical cards for the game later.
Ready for Playtest - When enough cards have been created, a game is ready for playtesting.
Playtested - After a game has been played at least once, it is Playtested. This usually results in revisions to the rules or cards.
Revised - After a game has been played a few times and has had most of the kinks ironed out, it is considered Revised. Most Revised games are games I am (or was) dedicated to, and therefore they are under active development (or have been completed and retired).
Failed - A card game that never made it past the Design stage. These are games that I am not interested in working on again, although I may pull portions of or adapt their rules for other games.
Abandoned - A card game that was created and is ready for play (maybe even playtested a couple times), but that I am no longer interested in. These are games that will not be developed further, even though they are likely playable (for some definition of playable). Basically, this is a game that I intended to develop further, released in an unfinished state for testing/interest, and stopped working on.
Complete - A card game that is playable and "finished", and that I am no longer interested in. This is very similar to Abandoned, although with a more positive connotation. This is basically a game that I released as a final version, and therefore will no longer work on.
Hiatus - A card game that was created and ready for play, that I am no longer interested in, but that I see myself being interested in again in the future. Basically, this is a game that isn't done being developed, but that I see myself returning to (as opposed to Abandoned).
Active - A card game I am currently working on, off and on.