What are Workflows and Stages and how do they work?
Workflow can be used to manage a process and set up with a number of Stages and Approvals.
Stages are a means of separating steps in a process. This section outlines how to integrate different stages and associated approval requirements as a foundation for the workflow of the form.
Step-By-Step Guide
- Click on the Gearwheel at the top right of your Assurance Screen and select Registers & Forms Templates.
- Your Registers & Forms Templates will list all your templates.
Note: if a template is not showing check your filters are clear or that the Template Status filter isn't set to show only Active templates. - Click on the name of your Template, this will show your Template set up over several tabs.
- To create a new stage, click on the Workflow tab and click +New Stage.
Stage names can be customised. Clicking Edit, enter your preferred stage name and click Update. - To reorder stages up or down, click and drag on the Ellipsis next to the stage name.
- To delete a stage, click the Ellipsis next to the Edit button and select Delete Permanently.
- To update the approval rules (e.g. Stage Approvers) and users, click Edit. Then choose the relevant approval rule, select the relevant user by clicking into the white space in the ‘Approvers’ section and typing the user’s name. Click the Update button when all users have been added.
Delete a user from a stage by clicking the x next to their name.
Video Guide
Stages
Management is the default stage. For forms, it is recommended to add an additional first stage which we usually call ‘Form’.
| Stage | Suggested Stage Name | Stage Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Form or Public | Triage - accept or reject initial details |
| 2 | Management | Manage - higher level of review or investigation |
Approval
Approval is required to progress the form to the next stage or close the form.
There are many different approval rules and patterns:
- Stage Approvers
- Approval based on Business Units
- Approval based on $ Brackets
- Approval based on Field
Where there is more than one approver, approval patterns can be customised to allow for one user to approve, all users to approve or a custom approval pattern to be set.
All approvers must be full user/s who will become the person responsible for approving, managing and/or closing the form.
Other Workflow Notes
- You can have two stages and no new workflow in the second stage. This second stage can simply be used to house further fields that are more sensitive. A no workflow stage has the approval rule, ‘No approval required’.
- If you want to have new users assisting in the second stage of form ‘management’, please be aware that if you select a ‘Stage Approvers’ type of second stage, a notification will not go to the second user until the person responsible (stage 1) hits ‘Close’ after they have initially approved the form.
- By selecting ‘Close’ you are requesting that the next user in the workflow approves the closure of the form.
- When the person responsible in the first stage hits ‘Close’ a message will appear advising who the approval will be sent to.
- Once you select ‘confirm’ the second user will be able to access the form on their home page ‘ToDo’ list, to manage the form.
- The second stage user will have an ‘approve’ button which closes the form as this is the final stage.
There are many different options for workflow. Adding a third stage changes the behaviour of the form and this may work better for you. There is also conditional workflow available based on details submitted in the form.
- Please contact your CompliSpace Consultant for further information about workflow.
Note: To use this feature you will need to have Administrator access to the Register and Form Templates.