Step Assignments
Every step in a workflow template must specify who will be responsible for it. Kazinex offers three assignment approaches: by role, by specific user, and open assignment (where the initiator fills in the participant at workflow start). Each approach has trade-offs for flexibility and repeatability.
Assignment types
By role (recommended for repeatable templates)
Assign the step to a project role — for example, "Reviewer" or "Project Admin". When the workflow runs, any member currently holding that role in the project is an eligible assignee.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Role | Select from: Project Admin, Reviewer, Initiator (any role can be an assignee) |
| Specific member | Optional — narrow to a specific member who holds the role. If left blank, the step is assigned to all members with that role (parallel assignment). |
When to use role-based assignment: Templates used across many instances where the specific person changes but the role is consistent (e.g. "always assigned to the project's designated Reviewer"). If the person in the role changes, the template automatically uses the new person — no template update needed.
Limitation: Role-based assignment only works within the project. If the project has no member with the required role, the step cannot be assigned when the workflow starts.
By specific user (for named-authority workflows)
Assign the step to a specific, named member of the organisation. The step is always assigned to that exact person, regardless of their project role.
When to use specific-user assignment: Steps that require a particular individual's authority (e.g. the CEO must always countersign certain documents, regardless of which project it is). The person must be an active organisation member, but does not need to be explicitly added to the project — they receive access via the workflow assignment.
Consideration: If the specific person leaves the organisation, the template must be updated to assign a replacement. Templates with specific-user steps require more maintenance.
Open assignment
Leave the step unassigned in the template. The initiator fills in the participant when starting the workflow instance.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Prompt text | Optionally add a hint for the initiator (e.g. "Assign to the lead engineer for this zone") |
| Role filter | Optionally restrict which roles can be assigned (e.g. only Reviewer or Project Admin) |
When to use open assignment: Steps where the right person varies by context and cannot be determined at template design time. For example: "Route to the relevant subcontractor's representative" — which representative depends on which package the document belongs to.
Trade-off: Open assignment gives the initiator flexibility but requires them to know who should be assigned. Consider a hint text or role filter to guide them.
Parallel step assignments
For steps running in Parallel mode, you assign multiple participants. Each participant in the parallel group acts independently. The step closes based on the completion rule (all must approve, any one, or majority).
Parallel participants can be a mix of assignment types:
- Three specific users (always these three people)
- Two role-based (current holders of the Reviewer role)
- One open (initiator selects the third member)
Dynamic assignment
Dynamic assignment allows step participants to be adjusted after the workflow has started, within rules set by the template. The template's initiator permissions setting controls this:
| Permission | What the initiator can do post-submission |
|---|---|
| Change participants | Reassign an open or role-based step to a different eligible member |
| Skip optional steps | Mark certain steps as optional so the initiator can skip them if not relevant |
Admin users (Project Admin, Org Admin) can always reassign steps after submission regardless of initiator permissions.
Assignment and notifications
When a step becomes the current active step:
- All assigned participants receive a notification (in-app and email, based on their preferences)
- The step appears in their Pending Tasks widget on the Dashboard
- If the step has an SLA, the system tracks time from the moment the step becomes active
What's next
- SLA & Duration — set time limits and SLA tracking per step
- Routing Modes — sequential, parallel, and conditional step execution
- Template Settings — initiator permissions, outcome modes, rejection handling