Using the workflow on a document
Using the workflow on a page
When a workflow is added and applied to a page or blog post, the workflow automatically defines the page or blog post in the initial workflow state.
The workflow status breadcrumb is added to the page and is used by editors to open the workflow state dialog box to interact with the workflow.
Editors can view the workflow and progress, including any expiry due dates for the current state. The workflow state dialog box tis used to make approval decisions and manage reviewers.
Workflow status
The workflow state status byline is added to the page, indicating the current workflow state.
Workflow state dialog box
The page editor(s) and the reviewer(s) interact through the workflow state dialog box accessed using this breadcrumb.
Viewing the workflow
The workflow app icon breadcrumb is also added to the page with an applied workflow.
Select this workflow icon to open a dialog box displaying details of the currently applied workflow.
Viewing expiry due date
The workflow state dialog box also displays details of the decision required for the approval to be completed. Reviewer decisions are displayed in the state dialog box if more than one reviewer is required to complete the approval.
Workflow transitions and document process milestones
Each milestone in your process is set as a workflow state in an applied workflow. Each state can be configured for specific document process steps, such as team approvals, final sign-off, triage tasks, or the final published document. Content is moved from the current workflow state to a destination state using the workflow state dialog box - a transition.
The transition available from the current state is displayed in the workflow state dialog box.
Not all possible transitions are displayed in the workflow state dialog box. Some transitions can be set to occur in the background when a specific event occurs, such as when a page is updated.
The transition can be based on one or more user approval decisions (approve/reject) in a content review. This lets your reviewer(s) focus on the approval decision itself, as the state change is controlled by the applied workflow based on the reviewer's decision.
You can create a workflow that includes a state transition requiring the user to manually select the destination state using the workflow state dialog box.
Other types of transition from one state to another state can be actioned automatically by the workflow, for example, state content changes:
on updating the page or blog post
on the expiry of the set due date for the page or blog post, whilst in a specific workflow state
Transitions can also occur automatically based on the occurrence of a specific workflow event. This automation in your document workflow is achieved by the customization of the applied workflow with the addition of a workflow trigger to listen for a workflow event and automatically actions a change of workflow state.
Workflow final state
A single state in a workflow can be set as the final state for the content. The page or blog post in this state is usually your final approved content for wider audience consumption.
If a page has been previously approved (transitioned to the final workflow state), but the current state is another state in the workflow (a state for draft content), the workflow displays a link to the last approved version of the page.
Workflow integration with some third-party apps uses the final workflow state, for example, different state publishing using Comala Publishing.
Tracking activity
In the workflow state dialog, page editors can view the workflow changes for each page using the ellipsis menu Activity report option.
This displays the Document Activity Report for the current page.
The report is accessible by using the Activity report option in the page tools menu when a workflow is active on the page.
In addition to the document activity report for the page, a space administrator can track the workflow activity on pages and blog posts across the space using the Document Report option in the Confluence sidebar menu.
A space administrator can use the settings dropdown menu to configure the workflow information displayed in the report.
Next
Tracking workflow activity and reporting
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