Using Object Workflows

This article explains how to start a workflow, manage an in-progress workflow, and complete tasks as a workflow participant. This article refers to workflow tasks. Vault also includes a User Task object class to track ad hoc work. For information on user tasks, see Working with User Tasks.

Starting a Workflow for a Single Object Record

To start a workflow for a single object record:

From the object record Actions menu, select the workflow start action.
Vault presents the workflow start dialog with all of the information and fields required to start the workflow.
Provide the required information and click Start. See details below for assigning users.

Starting a Workflow for Multiple Object Records

You can start an object workflow from Object Tabs, Related Lists, Favorites, Saved Views, Reports, or any other object record list page.

To start a workflow for multiple object records:

From the Actions menu, select Start Workflow. You can include up to 100 object records of the same object in the workflow.
Conditional: If there are no workflows that are active and valid for all of the selected object records, Vault redirects you to the Advanced Start Workflow page.
In the start dialog, select a specific workflow from the Workflow drop-down. Vault only displays workflows that are active and valid for the selected object records.
Optional: Click Advanced Start Workflow for additional multi-record workflow options.
Click Continue.
If prompted, provide a Description. Vault uses this value as the Name for the Envelope record. If the value is not editable, an Admin has configured the workflow to use auto-naming for Envelope records.
Assign users and groups to roles.
Fill in any required field values or variables.
Click Start.

Note: Admins can configure certain workflows to start automatically through an entry action for a specific object lifecycle state or an event action. See Configuring Auto-Start Object Workflows.

Starting Advanced Workflows

The Advanced Start Workflow option allows you to select object records to include in a workflow based on the workflows available in the record’s lifecycle state. You can use this option to break up large amounts of records into smaller subsets to send on their own workflows. Or, you can bulk move records through state changes and action steps when no tasks exist on a workflow. A Finish + Start Next Workflow is available in this scenario to help you cycle through each workflow for the subset of records.

Advanced Start Workflow is also available in the Start Next Workflow dialog for workflows configured with Display start next workflow dialog when workflow ends on the End step. This action initiates a new multi-record workflow that includes all documents, remaining and removed, from the original workflow that just ended.

To use the Advanced Start Workflow options:

Click Advanced Start Workflow in the Start Workflow dialog. All records on the object record list are included.
Optional: Unselect records to exclude from the workflow on the Refine Selection page.
Click Next.
On the Choose Workflow page, select the workflow to apply to your selected records. This page displays the object’s lifecycle and groups each workflow under lifecycle states. Each state displays the number of your selected records in the state and available for inclusion in the workflow.
Click Next.
On the Edit Details page, edit workflow Start step details, such as the description, roles, and due date. If no Start step is configured on the workflow, skip this step.
Click Next.
A confirmation summary displays the workflow details and records included in the workflow. Review and click Finish to start the multi-record workflow.
Optional: If changes are needed, click Back to return to a previous step and make edits. Vault saves your previous selections.
Optional: Click Finish + Start New Workflow to return to the Refine Selection page. Repeat the process for any records not included in the original workflow.

Vault returns you to the initial view where the workflow was started and displays a green banner at the top of the page with a success notification.

Note: If the view contains over 1,000 records, Vault adds the first 1,000 to the Refine Selection page. To ensure the records you want are included in the Refine Selection page, use a filter to refine your view and include other records.

Object Workflow Limitations

You cannot start an object workflow in the following situations:

If any of the selected records is already in an active workflow or merge process
If there are more than 100 records selected
If a record workflow is associated with a specific lifecycle, the workflow may only allow documents in a certain state or with certain fields configured. You will not be able to start the workflow if one or more records don’t meet the specified conditions

How to Assign Users to Workflows

When assigning users as workflow participants, keep in mind that Vault does not check whether the object uses Dynamic Access Control or whether the users you select have the necessary access to the object record. It is possible to assign tasks to users who cannot complete them.

To assign users:

Select the checkbox next to each participant group to whom you would like to assign the task. Participant groups with asterisks are required. The task may have been configured to restrict workflow owners from receiving it.
Choose users or user groups for each participant group by entering the names/email addresses or clicking the down arrow to select from a list. Only the first 100 users/groups appear in the list. To see more options, start typing the user name/email address or group name. Groups appear in the list with a special icon. If an Admin configures a limit on the number of users that can be assigned to a workflow participant control, you will encounter an error if this limit is exceeded. This limit applies when assigning users at the start of a workflow and when the workflow is active.
Optional: If you’ve selected a group, hover over the group name to see a list of users (up to 30) in that group.
Optional: To expand the group to its individual members, click the plus (+) icon. When you do this, Vault treats the group members as individual users and allows you to remove some members.

Adding Participants to Active Workflows

On active workflows which do not use the Use custom action to define participants control on the Start step, you can add participants where a role has current tasks, future tasks, or future notifications directly from the workflow’s Actions menu.

If a workflow uses the Use custom action to define participants control on the Start step, you may see a read-only list of participants when you start the workflow, but you will not be able to add participants.

If a workflow uses the Allow workflow initiator to select assign to all or make available control in the Start step, you cannot change the assignment type when adding participants. Vault assigns required and optional tasks to new participants, unless the task is available to any user and has already been accepted.

If a workflow uses the Allow workflow task owners to select participants control in the Start step, only task owners can add workflow participants during task completion.

To add users:

Navigate to the Workflow Timeline section of the object record details page, Home > Active Workflows, or an object workflow report.
From the workflow Actions menu, select Add Participants.
In the dialog, add the users or groups to the appropriate participant groups. You can add participants to optional participant groups that were not selected when the workflow started. You cannot remove any users already in a participant group, or add users to groups assigned to workflow steps that have already been completed.
Click Submit. Vault sends a notification and adds active tasks to the new users’ Tasks view.

Adding Participants through Role-Based Assignment

On workflows with the Use roles as participants control on the start step, you can also add users to active workflows via Sharing Settings:

Navigate to the object record details page, and then to Sharing Settings.
In the Access via Manual Assignment panel, click + Add.
Select the Role to which you want to add a user.
Select one or more Users and Groups.
Click Save. Vault adds the selected users and groups as participants in the active workflow. If there is an active task, Vault creates tasks and assigns them to the new users.

Admins can also configure workflows so that certain workflow participant groups only allow users who are already in specific roles on the object record. In this configuration, you are only able to select allowed users.

Understanding Workflow Segregation of Duties

Your Admin may configure Segregation of Duties policies on the workflow. If so, you must be aware of some considerations when completing the workflow, such as when starting the workflow, adding workflow participants, and completing tasks.

Starting the Workflow

The workflow will fail to start if Segregation of Duties policies are in place and the following scenarios occur:

A single user is added to multiple participant groups with assigned tasks in the start step dialog
A single user or user group is added to a participant group with assigned tasks and the user’s role is restricted from completing tasks in the workflow
A participant group in the start step is missing users due to the workflow not assigning tasks to users because of the Segregation of Duties policies

Completing Tasks

Vault will apply restrictions to workflow tasks depending on the Segregation of Duties policies in place. See below for considerations when Segregation of Duties are in place:

Task Assignment: The workflow will not assign multiple tasks to each user or user group or users with a restricted role upon activation.
Task Reassignment: You cannot reassign a task to a user who is already assigned or completed a task or configured with a restricted role. However, you can reassign a user continuing iterations of the same task if Users in this workflow can only complete one task is enabled.
Task Acceptance: Vault will prevent a user from accepting a task if they’ve already accepted, assigned, or completed another task or configured with a restricted role.
Task Completion: If Users in this workflow can only complete one task is enabled, users cannot move on to another task after completing the one they’re assigned. However, they can complete the same task again in situations where a verdict rejects the task completion.

You will encounter an error dialog if you complete a task and the next task in the workflow is missing users from its participant group. However, the error dialog will allow you to add valid users to the participant group if your permissions allow you to add users to the workflow.

Workflow Segregation of Duties

Assigning & License Type Restrictions

You cannot select users with the license type Read-Only User for roles on a workflow. Vault hides these users in workflow participant fields. If you assign tasks to a group, Vault skips assignment for these users, but assigns the task normally to other users in the group.

How to Complete Assigned Tasks

Workflows can include various workflow tasks. Depending on the workflow configuration, tasks you complete may be assigned directly to you or available for you to accept.

If you complete two or more of the same tasks within the workflow, for example, if another user reassigns a duplicate task to you, Vault overwrites your comments from the original task with the comments you provide when you complete the duplicate task.

Assigned Tasks

Any tasks assigned to you appear in Home/Tasks > My Tasks and in the details page for the specific object record. Click the Complete button. In the task dialog, fill in any required fields or other information and click Complete.

If you enter information in a task completion dialog, but an error occurs that prevents task completion, Vault retains that information for the next time you try to complete the task. However, if you then edit and save any object record fields in the meantime, Vault no longer retains your updates in the task completion dialog. This functionality prevents accidental overwriting of any purposeful changes made to your document fields with the information retained in the task completion dialog. This functionality applies only to tasks with field prompts for single verdicts that apply to all items in the workflow.

Note: The Timeline View may show tasks as assigned after the workflow ends. This situation can occur in specific configurations where the workflow reaches the End step while some tasks remain outstanding. However, in this instance, the Timeline View only represents the state the task was in when the workflow ended and not its current state.

Accepting Tasks

Workflow owners can also assign a task to multiple users and request that any one of the assigned users accept and complete the task. These tasks appear in Home/Tasks > Available Tasks. Click the Accept button. The task now appears in Home/Tasks > My Tasks and in the details page for the specific object record.

Once you have accepted a task, you can click undo acceptance to release it. Once released, the task is again available to any of the assigned users.

Reassign Tasks

To reassign a task:

Navigate to the Workflow Timeline section of the object record detail page.
From the task’s Actions menu, select Reassign.
In the dialog, select the new user from the New task owner picklist.
Click Continue.
Vault notifies the new task owner of the reassignment and adds the task to the My Tasks view for the new owner. The previous task owner also receives a notification of the reassignment.

This notification occurs for reassigned workflow tasks. Different notifications occur for reassigned user tasks.

Note: If your Admin has enabled Segregation of Duties policies, you cannot reassign a task to a user who has accepted, been assigned, or completed a previous task. The same rule applies if the user is configured with a role restricted from completing tasks in the workflow.

How to Provide eSignatures

On some workflows, completing a task or selecting a specific verdict requires you to electronically sign. You do this by entering your login credentials (username and password) for the Vault.

Note that Vault prevents you from using saved passwords for compliance reasons. Even if you’ve saved your password in your browser or a password manager, you’ll have to type the password to provide an eSignature.

How to Provide Capacities

Sometimes, you’ll also need to select a “capacity” when completing a task, which indicates why or in what context you are completing it. For example, a reviewer from an organization’s regulatory compliance department might select Regulatory as their capacity.

Task Dates

If a task has a due date, Vault displays the date alongside the task. Some views (Home > My Tasks and Workflow Timeline in the object record details) also display a status icon that indicates if a due date is within the next week or has already passed.

Updating Task Due Dates

To update a task due date:

Navigate to the Workflow Timeline section of the object record detail page.
From the task Details Actions menu, select Update Task Due Date.
In the dialog, select a new date in the Task Due Date field.
Click Update.

Vault notifies the task owner of the updated due date.

Note: If the Task Due Date uses the workflow due date, any updates to the workflow due date will update the task due date. Updates to individual task due dates will not affect the overall workflow due date.

Workflow Due Dates

You can update a workflow due date in the Timeline View or Active Workflows View by using the Actions menu. The Active Workflows home page also displays a status icon that indicates if a due date is coming soon or overdue.

Workflow Due Date

Updating Workflow Due Dates

To update the workflow due date:

Navigate to the workflow’s Timeline View or Active Workflows View.
Select Update Workflow Due Date from the workflow’s Actions menu.
In the Update Workflow Due Date dialog, enter the new date.
Click Update.

Vault updates the workflow and notifies the workflow owner. If any tasks in the workflow are configured with the workflow due date, Vault updates those due dates and notifies the task owners.

Note: Users with the permission Update Workflow Dates and Atomic Security Active Workflow Actions: Update Workflow Due Dates can also update due dates on workflows even if they are not the Workflow Owner.

Canceling Tasks

You may sometimes need to cancel a workflow task, for example, if one of the assigned reviewers is on vacation and cannot complete a review. Canceling a task prevents the workflow from becoming stuck by allowing you to complete the workflow or move on to the next task.

How to Cancel Tasks

To cancel an open workflow task:

Navigate to the Workflow Timeline section of the object record details page.
Use the Actions menu on an individual task to select Cancel Task.
In the dialog, click Continue.

Canceling Workflows

Sometimes it is necessary to stop an active workflow and remove all outstanding tasks from participants’ lists.

How to Cancel Workflows

To cancel an in-progress workflow:

Navigate to Home > Active Workflows or to the Workflow Timeline section of the object record details page.
Click on the Actions menu and select Cancel Workflow.
If prompted, provide a comment for the cancelation.
In the dialog, click Continue.

Workflow Cancel State

By default, the object record returns to the state it was in when the workflow started. However, an Admin can change this setting to either any available lifecycle state or prompt the workflow to remain in the state it was canceled in.

If a canceled workflow moves a record to a state with a Start Workflow entry action, Vault does not start the workflow. Start Workflow entry actions will not execute if the previous workflow was canceled.

Your Admin may also configure the workflow to skip any entry actions upon cancelation. In this case, Start Workflow will not initiate.

Replacing the Workflow Owner

If you have the Replace Workflow Owner permission, you can replace the owner of an active workflow:

From the workflow’s Actions > menu, choose Replace Workflow Owner.
In the dialog, select a user to replace the current workflow owner. All users with the Start Workflow permission are available as replacement owners.
Click Submit.

Vault reassigns current tasks that were assigned to the workflow initiator participant group to the new owner, and all future tasks will be assigned to the new owner. Vault notifies the previous and new workflow owners of the replacement.

Emailing Workflow Participants

This action allows you to send an email to one or many workflow participants to remind them of approaching or past due task due dates or to notify them of workflow changes.

To email workflow participants after the workflow has started:

Navigate to Home > Active Workflows or to the Workflow Timeline section of the object record details page.
From the workflow’s Actions menu, choose Email Participants.
In the dialog box, choose the Recipients of the email. You can choose individual workflow participants or an available participant group.
In the Message field, enter a message.
To include yourself as a recipient, select the Send a copy to myself checkbox.
Click Send.

Participant Groups

When emailing workflow participants, you may see the following recipient groups available for selection:

Available Task Owners: Users who have a task available to accept.
Completed Task Owners: Users who have completed the current or previous task.
Incomplete Task Owners: Users who have not yet completed an assigned task. Future tasks are not included.

The following permissions control various workflow actions:

Type	Permission Label	Controls
Security Profile	Object: Read	Ability to view an object record; you must have this permission and an object role with View permission to initiate a workflow on a specific object record or to view an assigned task on that record. If you have an assigned task on a record you cannot access, you won’t see the task in Home > My Tasks, but will receive notifications and reminders for it.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow: Start	Ability to initiate a workflow.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow Administration: Reassign	Ability to reassign a workflow task to a different user without canceling the workflow. If your vault uses Atomic Security for Active Workflow Actions, users must have both this permission and access through Atomic Security.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow Administration: Update Participants	Ability to add participants to active workflow and assign them a workflow task without canceling the workflow. If your vault uses Atomic Security for Active Workflow Actions, users must have both this permission and access through Atomic Security.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow Administration: Cancel	Ability to cancel an open workflow task or stop an active workflow and remove all outstanding tasks from participants’ lists. If your vault uses Atomic Security for Active Workflow Actions, users must have both this permission and access through Atomic Security.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow Administration: Update Workflow Dates	Ability to update all workflow dates or specific task due dates, even if you are not the workflow owner. If your vault uses Atomic Security for Active Workflow Actions, users must have both this permission and access through Atomic Security.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow Administration: Email Participants	Ability to email workflow participants. If your vault uses Atomic Security for Active Workflow Actions, users must have both this permission and access through Atomic Security.
Security Profile	Application: Workflow Administration: Replace Workflow Owner	Ability to replace the workflow owner.
Security Profile	Application: User: View User Information	Ability to see user information to assign workflow tasks.