Document Workflows

This how-to article will help users to set up a project document workflow using the Project application admin interface and Work Management. The user must have administrator-level access to the specific Project application to create document workflows, and also to Work Management.

Overview

Your organization can define workflows for document approval steps or sign-offs. Document workflows allow content to be reviewed, modified, and updated according to your organization’s processes, adding structure and restricting who can mark a document ready for general use in a project. This allows a document to be approved before project resources interact with it or rely on it, regardless of the project's needs. In TeamDynamix, workflows can contain as many steps as needed, but must include at least one step before they can be activated.

Once the workflow is set up in the Admin UI, it can be applied to files in the project briefcase. Project managers can choose workflows to make available to project members.

Note that although workflows can be edited, changes to a workflow's steps will not affect any documents that already use it. The changes will apply the next time the workflow is applied to a document or file.

A list of all document workflows for an organization can be viewed in the Admin interface under Applications > Project application > Document Workflows.

Please note that this workflow type is only relevant to documents. For information about Project Request and Approval Workflows, see Project Request Workflows.

Creating a Document Workflow

To create a workflow:

1. Open the Project app admin interface:
   • Project Application Admins: In Work Management, click View Applications, select the Project application, click the gear icon in the top-right corner, then select Admin from the menu
   • Global Admins: In TDAdmin, go to Applications, then select the Project application
2. Click Workflows, then Document Workflows in the left navigation.
3. Click the + New button.
4. In the New Document Workflow window, enter a value in the Name field.
5. Click Save.

To add a step to a workflow:

1. In the Project application admin interface, click Workflows, then Document Workflows in the left navigation.
2. Click the name of the desired workflow.
3. On the Test Document Workflow page, click the +New Step button.
4. In the Add Workflow Step popup, enter a step Name.
5. If you want to allow the person marked as Author or Editor of the file to edit it, click the appropriate checkbox for Allow Author Edit and/or Allow Approver Edit.
6. Click Save.

The workflow must be activated before it can be used in Work Management:

1. On the Document Workflows page, click the name of the workflow.
2. Click the Activate button at the top of the page.

To configure the steps:

1. In the workflow steps list, click the Edit link at the end of the edit row.
2. From here, you can make changes to the Step Name, Step Description, Author Edit, and Approver Edit fields.
3. When finished, click the Save link near the end of the row to save changes or Cancel to cancel them.
4. If needed, repeat for each step in the workflow until you reach the last step.

After a workflow has been configured and activated, it can be used from a project briefcase.

To add a workflow to a project:

1. In Work Management, navigate to View Applications, and select the Project application.
2. Click the project Name in the left navigation under Projects.
3. Click Workflows in the left navigation.
4. Click the +Add button.
5. Select the workflow to add from the Workflows dropdown list.
6. Click Save to add the workflow.

Activating or Deactivating a Document Workflow in a Project

To activate a document workflow:

1. In Work Management, navigate to View Applications, and select the Project application.
2. Click the project Name in the left navigation under Projects.
3. Click Workflows in the left navigation.
4. Select the workflow that the project manager would like to activate/deactivate.
5. Do the following for each step in the workflow:
   1. Click Edit at the right end of the step row.
   2. Select who the step should be Assigned To.
   3. Select the Approve Condition.
   4. Click Save.
6. Click Activate or Deactivate in the toolbar as necessary.

Once a document workflow is configured and active, it can be applied to a project briefcase file.

Deleting a File Approval Workflow from a Project

When a document workflow is no longer relevant or needed for the project, project managers can delete it.

To delete a document workflow from a project, the project manager must:

1. In Work Management, navigate to View Applications, and select the Project application.
2. Click the project Name in the left navigation under Projects.
3. Click Workflows in the left navigation.
4. Click on the Delete trashcan button next to the workflow you want to delete from the project.

Add a Document Workflow to a Document

Once a document workflow has been added to a project, you must apply the workflow to the documents you wish it to affect.

To add the workflow to a document:

1. In Work Management, navigate to View Applications, and select the Project application.
2. Click the project Name in the left navigation under Projects.
3. Click Briefcase in the left navigation, then click the document name in the Briefcase page.
4. Click Actions > Assign to Workflow.
5. Select the Workflow you want to apply from the dropdown, then click Assign.