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Create Your First Workflow Template

Workflow template builder

A workflow template is the reusable blueprint for every review or approval route in your project. Once built, any document controller can start a workflow from it in two clicks. This guide walks through building a standard multi-step document review template from scratch.

Before you begin​

Answer these questions before opening the template builder:

  • What is the purpose of this workflow? (Technical review, approval, acknowledgement, sign-off, or a combination)
  • How many distinct steps are needed and what happens at each one?
  • Who is responsible for each step — a named user, a role, or an access group?
  • Should steps run one after another (sequential) or simultaneously (parallel)?
  • Is there a conditional branch — for example, if Step 1 rejects, skip to a Return step?
  • Are any steps assigned to external (guest) reviewers?
  • What are the acceptable due-date windows per step?

Step 1 — Open the template builder​

  1. Go to Settings → Workflow Templates (org-level) or open the Templates panel from the Workflows area.
  2. Click Create Template.
  3. Enter a clear template name (e.g., Standard Drawing Review) and a short description.
  4. Set the template category if your organisation uses categories for governance filtering.
  5. Leave the status as Draft — you will activate it after testing.

Step 2 — Understand step types​

Each step has a type that controls what response actions are available:

Step typePurposeAvailable response actions
ReviewTechnical or discipline review; comments expectedApprove, Approve with Comments, Reject, Return for Revision
ApproveFormal sign-off by an authorityApprove, Reject
AcknowledgeConfirm receipt without a review decisionAcknowledge
SignDigital signature captureSign, Decline

Use Review for discipline reviewers who may have comments. Use Approve for the project manager or client representative who makes the final decision. Use Acknowledge for distribution-only steps where receipt confirmation is required.

Step 3 — Understand routing modes​

The routing mode controls the relationship between steps:

Routing modeBehaviour
SequentialSteps run one at a time in order. Step 2 does not begin until Step 1 is completed.
ParallelSelected steps run simultaneously. The workflow moves forward only when all parallel steps are complete.
ConditionalThe next step depends on the decision made in the previous step. For example: if Step 1 returns Rejected → go to Step 3 (Return route), otherwise proceed to Step 2.

Most standard review templates use sequential routing. Use parallel for discipline reviews where multiple teams review the same document at the same time.

Step 4 — Add your steps​

  1. In the template builder, click Add Step.
  2. Give the step a clear operational name (e.g., Technical Review, Discipline Check, Project Manager Approval, Closeout).
  3. Select the step type (Review, Approve, Acknowledge, or Sign).
  4. Set the assignee: choose a named user, a project role, an access group, or Review Matrix (let the matrix auto-assign based on document attributes).
  5. Set the due-date rule: the number of business days after the step becomes active (e.g., 5 days for review, 2 days for approval).
  6. Optionally add instructions — freetext notes shown to the assignee when the step is active.
  7. Repeat for each step in your route.

Example four-step route:

StepNameTypeAssigneeDue (days)
1Technical ReviewReviewCivil Lead5
2Discipline CheckReviewReview Matrix3
3PM ApprovalApproveProject Manager2
4CloseoutAcknowledgeDocument Controller1

Step 5 — Configure conditional routing (optional)​

If you need a branch:

  1. On the step that may trigger a branch, enable Conditional next step.
  2. Set the condition: e.g., if response is Rejected → route to Revision Return step.
  3. Add the Revision Return step as an additional step in the template.
  4. Set the else path: if response is Approved → continue to the next step in the main route.

Step 6 — Set escalation rules (optional)​

For each step, you can configure escalation:

  • Overdue notification — sends a reminder to the assignee when the due date passes.
  • Escalation recipient — sends a notification to a supervisor or project admin after a configurable number of overdue days.
  • Auto-close — after a configurable number of overdue days, the step auto-completes with a recorded No Response action. Use with caution.

Step 7 — Configure reviewer groups​

If your organisation has teams that always review documents in a certain category, use an Access Control Group rather than named users as step assignees. This means the template stays valid when team membership changes — you only need to update the group, not every template.

Step 8 — Save and test​

  1. Click Save Template (status remains Draft).
  2. Open the Documents register and find a test document (or upload a sample).
  3. Start a workflow and select your new template.
  4. Confirm the steps, assignees, and due dates look correct.
  5. Step through the workflow as each reviewer role and verify all actions work.
  6. Check the audit trail to confirm all decisions are recorded.

Step 9 — Activate the template​

Once testing is complete:

  1. Open Settings → Workflow Templates.
  2. Find your template in Draft status.
  3. Click Activate. The template is now available to all document controllers.

Step 10 — Maintain the template​

  • When your process changes, create a new version (minor or major) rather than editing the live template. In-flight workflows continue to use the version they were started on.
  • Archive templates that are no longer used so they do not appear in the template picker.
  • Review template performance quarterly using the Workflows report — look for steps with high overdue rates.

Template design tips​

  • Keep step names short and operational — reviewers see step names in their notification emails.
  • Use Review Matrix assignment for discipline-specific steps rather than named users, so routing stays correct as teams change.
  • Avoid creating a template per document type; build one standard route and use conditional routing for variations.
  • Test every conditional branch with a real document before activating.
  • Document the template purpose in the description field so future admins understand when to use it.