Starting a Workflow

Starting a workflow creates a live instance based on an active template. You select the template, provide context (the document or subject), assign participants to any open-assignment steps, set a due date, and submit. The system then notifies the first step's assignees and begins tracking progress.

Prerequisites

• You have the create_workflow permission on the project (Initiator role or higher).
• At least one active workflow template exists in the project.
• The document or record you want to route is already in the Document Register (if applicable).

Launching an instance

1. Open Workflows in the left navigation and go to the Workflows tab (the instances list).
2. Click New Workflow in the top-right corner.
3. The Start Workflow wizard opens. Work through its three steps:

Step 1: Select template

Choose the template that matches the routing process you need (for example, "Document For Approval" or "NCR Review"). Only Active templates appear in this list.

Field	Description
Template	The routing template to run. Shows the template description and step count.
Category	Filters the template list by category (Approval, Review, Inspection, etc.)

Click Next to continue.

Step 2: Workflow details

Provide the context and metadata for this run.

Field	Required	Description
Title	Yes	A short, descriptive name for this run (e.g. "DRG-001 Rev A Approval")
Reference	Auto	Auto-generated reference number based on the project's numbering scheme. Can be overridden if the scheme allows.
Document(s)	Depends	One or more documents from the register to route through this workflow. Required if the template is configured for document routing.
Priority	Yes	Low, Medium, High, or Urgent. Affects visual flagging and filter sorting.
Due Date	Optional	The target completion date for the entire workflow. Individual steps use template-defined SLA durations.
Notes	Optional	Any context, background, or instructions for reviewers. Displayed at the top of the workflow detail page.
Metadata fields	Varies	Custom fields defined in the template's metadata schema (e.g. contract number, zone).

Step 3: Assign participants

For any step in the template that is configured as open assignment (rather than fixed by role or user), you must assign a specific participant here before submitting.

• Steps with fixed role or user assignments show read-only participant names.
• Steps with open assignment show a participant picker — search for and select the member.
• For parallel step groups, you may need to assign multiple participants simultaneously.

tip

If a step has a default assignee set in the template, it is pre-filled. You can change it here without affecting the template.

Click Submit to start the workflow.

What happens after submission

1. The workflow instance is created with status Active.
2. The first step (or all first-step participants in a parallel route) receives an in-app and email notification.
3. The instance appears in the Workflows list with its current step highlighted.
4. The initiator can view the instance detail at any time but cannot modify step assignments once the workflow is active (unless they have Admin permissions or the template permits initiator changes).

Initiator permissions

Templates can be configured to allow initiators to:

• Change step durations after submission
• Change step participants after submission
• Skip optional steps

If these permissions are not enabled in the template, only Project Admins and Org Admins can make post-submission changes.

Common mistakes

Mistake	How to avoid
Starting the wrong template	Read the template description in Step 1. The description and step count help distinguish similar templates.
Leaving notes blank	Reviewers have no context for the routing. Always summarise the purpose in the Notes field.
Not setting a due date	Without a due date, overdue detection relies only on step-level SLA durations. Set a top-level due date for any time-sensitive review.
Submitting before assigning participants	The wizard will block submission if any open-assignment step is unassigned.

What's next

• Managing Active Workflows — monitor progress after submission
• Workflow Actions — how to respond when a step is assigned to you
• Workflow Outcomes — how workflows complete and what happens at closure