Workflow Templates

Workflow Templates define the approval process for documents and other records. Each template specifies the states a record passes through, the transitions between those states, and the approval rules that must be satisfied before a transition can occur.

Note

In the Admin panel sidebar, this section is its own Workflow Templates tab under the Templates & Forms group. It is separate from the Document Templates tab, which manages reusable document templates (not approval workflows).

Open Workflow Templates

1. On the left sidebar, select Admin.
2. In the admin sidebar under Templates & Forms, select Workflow Templates.

The template list displays all existing workflow templates with their name, description, document type, default status, active status, and available actions.

Create a workflow template

1. On the Workflow Templates section, select Create Template.
2. Enter a Name and Description for the template.
3. Optionally select a Document Type to restrict the workflow to a specific document type.
4. Check Is Default to use this workflow automatically for new documents.
5. Define states (see below).
6. Define transitions between states (see below).
7. Add approval rules to transitions that require them (see below).
8. Select Save.

Define states

States represent the stages a record passes through. Common examples include Draft, Under Review, Approved, and Rejected.

For each state, configure:

Property	Description
Name	The state identifier (for example, “draft”, “under_review”)
Display Name	Human-readable label shown in the UI
Is Initial	Whether this is the starting state for new records
Is Final	Whether this is a terminal state with no further transitions

Define transitions

Transitions define the allowed movements between states.

For each transition, configure:

Property	Description
From State	The state the record is currently in
To State	The state the record moves to
Name	A label for the transition (for example, “Submit for Review”, “Approve”)
Requires Approval	Whether approval rules must be satisfied before this transition

Define approval rules

Approval rules control who can approve a transition.

For each rule, configure:

Property	Description
Minimum Approvals	The number of approvals needed to satisfy this rule
Required Groups	Groups whose members can approve (group selector)
Require dual approval	Enforces segregation of duties — every required role must be signed off by a different person (see below)

Require dual approval (segregation of duties)

For a role-based rule, tick Require dual approval (segregation of duties) to demand that two or more distinct roles each sign off, and that no single person can satisfy more than one of them. Ticking it configures the rule to require all listed roles with no minimum-count shortcut; you then select the two (or more) roles that must approve — for example QA and Process Owner.

The rule becomes active only once at least two distinct roles are selected. When active, an approval by someone who already approved for another required role does not count twice — a separate qualified approver is required for each role. This is the standard control for GxP dual sign-off (for example dual QA approval of an SOP).

Groups only on templates

Approval rules on workflow templates only support group-based assignment. Individual users cannot be added directly to a template’s approval rules.

This keeps templates stable when personnel changes occur and aligns with GxP principles of role-based assignment. If a specific user needs to approve:

• Add them to the appropriate group so they inherit the template’s approval assignments, or
• Add them on a specific document via the training gate for a per-document override

This follows ADR-0018 (Groups only on approval templates), the architectural decision that keeps template approval assignments group-based.

Edit a workflow template

1. On the template row, select Edit.
2. Modify states, transitions, or approval rules as needed.
3. Select Save.

Caution

Editing a workflow template that is in use may affect in-progress records. Records mid-workflow continue using their current state, but available transitions reflect the updated template.

Clone a workflow template

1. On the template row, select Clone.
2. Enter a name for the cloned template.
3. The clone includes all states, transitions, and approval rules from the original.
4. Modify the clone as needed and select Save.

Set the default workflow template

1. On the template row, select Set as Default.
2. The selected template becomes the default workflow.

Only one workflow template can be the default at a time. The default template is automatically assigned to new documents that do not specify a workflow.

Preview a workflow

1. On the template row, select the Preview icon (eye icon).
2. Review the visual representation of workflow states and transitions.
3. Close the preview to return to the template list.

Upload a workflow template

1. On the Workflow Templates section, select Upload Template.
2. Select a workflow template file to import.
3. Review the imported template and modify as needed.

Example workflow

A typical document approval workflow:

State	Type	Description
Draft	Initial	Document is being authored
Under Review	—	Document is awaiting reviewer feedback
Pending Approval	—	Document is awaiting formal approval
Approved	Final	Document has been approved and is ready to be made effective
Rejected	Final	Document was rejected and requires revision

With transitions:

• Draft -> Under Review (Submit for Review)
• Under Review -> Pending Approval (Submit for Approval, requires 1 reviewer approval)
• Pending Approval -> Approved (Approve, requires 2 QA approvals)
• Pending Approval -> Rejected (Reject)
• Rejected -> Draft (Revise)

Practical example: Create a controlled document approval workflow with dual QA sign-off

Your regulatory team requires that all SOPs go through author review, department head approval, and dual QA approval before becoming effective.

1. Open Workflow Templates and select Create Template.
2. Name it “SOP Dual QA Approval” and set the document type to SOP.
3. Define the following states:

State	Display Name	Type
draft	Draft	Initial
dept_review	Department Review	—
qa_review	QA Review	—
approved	Approved	Final
rejected	Rejected	Final

4. Define transitions:

   • Draft -> Department Review (“Submit for Review”) — no approval required.
   • Department Review -> QA Review (“Submit for QA Approval”) — requires 1 approval from the “Department Heads” group.
   • QA Review -> Approved (“Approve for Effectiveness”) — requires 2 approvals from the “Quality Assurance” group.
   • QA Review -> Rejected (“Reject”) — no minimum approvals, any QA member can reject.
   • Rejected -> Draft (“Revise”) — no approval required.

5. Select Save and then Set as Default to apply this workflow to all new SOPs.

This ensures every SOP is reviewed by the owning department and independently approved by two QA personnel before it becomes effective — meeting regulatory expectations for controlled document management.

Permissions

Action	Required Permission
View workflow templates	Admin role
Create, edit, or delete templates	Admin role
Set default template	Admin role
Clone templates	Admin role