Template Governance
Workflow templates are the blueprint for every review and approval process in your project. Without governance, teams create duplicate templates, edit live templates mid-workflow, and accumulate unused routes that confuse document controllers. This page defines a practical governance approach covering lifecycle states, ownership, versioning, naming, and quarterly maintenance.
Template lifecycle states
Every template in Kazinex Workflows has one of three states:
| State | Description | Who can set it |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Template is being configured or tested. Not available for document controllers to use. | Project Admin, Org Admin |
| Active | Template is available in the template picker when starting a workflow. | Project Admin, Org Admin |
| Archived | Template is retired. Not available for new workflows. Historical workflows that used it retain a snapshot of the template at the time they were started. | Project Admin, Org Admin |
Transitions:
- Draft → Active: Admin clicks Activate after testing is complete.
- Active → Archived: Admin clicks Archive when the template is no longer needed. Requires confirmation that no active workflows are using it.
- Archived → Active: Admin can re-activate an archived template (e.g., if it was archived prematurely).
Who can create and edit templates
| Action | Who can perform it |
|---|---|
| Create a new template (Draft) | Project Admin, Org Admin |
| Edit a Draft template | Project Admin, Org Admin |
| Edit an Active template | Project Admin, Org Admin (creates a new version; existing workflows are not affected) |
| Activate a Draft template | Project Admin, Org Admin |
| Archive an Active template | Project Admin, Org Admin |
| View all templates | All project members |
| Use a template (start a workflow) | Document Controller, Project Admin, Org Admin |
Policy recommendation: Restrict Active template editing to Org Admins only. Project Admins should clone and create new versions rather than editing shared templates directly.
Versioning a template
When a review process changes (new step added, SLA changed, assignee group restructured), follow this versioning process:
- Open the Active template in Settings → Workflow Templates.
- Click Clone Template. A copy is created in Draft state with the name
[Original Name] - Copy. - Rename the clone to reflect the version increment (e.g.,
Standard Drawing Review v2). - Edit the clone: add, modify, or remove steps as required.
- Test the new version with a sample document.
- Activate the new version.
- Archive the old version (confirm no active workflows are running on it).
- Document the change in the template description field:
v2 - Added HS Review step. Date: YYYY-MM-DD. Approved by: [Admin Name].
Naming conventions
Use a consistent naming pattern across all templates so document controllers can find the right route quickly.
Recommended pattern: [Process Type] – [Scope] [Version]
Examples:
| Template name | Used for |
|---|---|
Technical Review – Standard v2 | Routine drawing and specification reviews |
Client Approval – External v1 | Documents requiring client sign-off via guest portal |
Fast-Track Approval – 2 Step v1 | Urgent approvals; simplified route |
Method Statement – H&S Review v1 | Method statements requiring H&S sign-off |
Transmittal Acknowledgement – Internal v1 | Internal distribution acknowledgement |
NCR Closeout – 3 Step v1 | Non-conformance report closeout route |
Avoid: Generic names like Review 1, New Template, or Copy of Review.
Testing before activation
Before activating any template, test it end-to-end:
- Start a workflow using the template on a test document in a development or staging project.
- Complete every step through all role types (reviewer, approver, document controller).
- Test all conditional branches (if applicable).
- Verify the final document status after workflow completion.
- Export and check the audit trail.
- Have a second admin or document controller review the test results.
- Record the test completion in the template description before activating.
Quarterly review process
Schedule a quarterly template review with the project admin and lead document controller:
- Report on template usage — run the Workflow Status Summary report for the past quarter, grouped by template. Identify templates with zero uses — candidates for archiving.
- Review overdue step patterns — templates where >20% of steps are regularly overdue may need SLA adjustments.
- Check for duplicate templates — consolidate templates that cover the same process.
- Verify step assignees are still valid — ensure named users and access groups in templates still reflect current team structure.
- Archive unused templates — any template not used in the past quarter with no active workflows should be archived.
- Document decisions — record template changes in the template description field.
Template governance checklist for project launch
Before a project goes live:
- All templates in use are Active (no Draft templates being used in workflows)
- Each template has a named owner (recorded in the description)
- All template step assignees resolve to current team members
- Conditional routing branches have been tested
- Review Matrix rules are aligned with template step assignments
- Template names follow the project naming convention
- A fallback template exists for documents that do not match a specific route