Workflow designer

A workflow in Document360 is a structured process for creating, editing, reviewing, and publishing articles or category pages. It enables teams to establish clear stages in the documentation cycle and ensures that content moves through a consistent, accountable process before it is published.

The Workflow designer is where admins and project owners define the stages in this process, adding custom statuses, configuring assignees, setting read-only restrictions, and reordering the workflow to match their team's requirements.

When to use the Workflow designer

Use the Workflow designer when:

• Your team needs a multi-stage review process before articles are published, for example Draft > Peer Review > SME Review > Published.
• You want to automatically assign articles to specific users or user groups when they enter a particular workflow stage.
• You need to restrict editing on articles at certain stages to maintain content integrity during review.
• You are setting up a new project and want to define a documentation workflow that fits your team's structure.

Access the Workflow designer

1. Navigate to Settings () in the left navigation bar.
2. Select Knowledge base portal > Workflow designer in the left navigation pane.

The Workflow designer page displays the existing workflow, including the built-in system statuses Draft and Published, and any custom statuses you have created.

Workflow status types

Add a workflow status

1. On the Workflow designer page, click Create workflow status in the top-right corner. Alternatively, click the (+) button between existing statuses to insert a status at a specific position.

2. Enter a Name (required) and Description (optional) for the status.
3. Optionally, use Auto assign to to automatically assign users or user groups when an article enters this status. You can configure up to 20 assignees per status, as a combined total of individual users and user groups.

4. Turn on the Read-only toggle if you want to prevent team members from editing or publishing articles while they are in this status.

5. Click Add.

Manage workflow statuses

Once a custom status is created, you can edit, reorder, or delete it from the Workflow designer page.

• Edit: Hover over the status and click the Edit () icon. Update the Name, Description, Auto assign to, or Read-only setting as needed, then click Update.
• Reorder: Drag a status to a new position using the Reorder () handle on the left. System statuses (Draft and Published) cannot be reordered.
• Delete: Hover over the status and click the Delete () icon, then click Yes to confirm.

Troubleshooting

Cannot edit article — read-only workflow status

Error: You can't edit this article as the current workflow status is marked as read-only.

This error appears when an article is in a custom workflow status with the Read-only toggle enabled.

To resolve:

1. Navigate to Settings () > Knowledge base portal > Workflow designer.
2. Locate the status with the lock icon. This indicates Read-only is enabled.
3. Click the Edit () icon and turn off the Read-only toggle.
4. Click Update.

If you do not have the appropriate permissions, contact your project admin.

Best practices

• Design your workflow before you start publishing. Map out your team's review stages before creating custom statuses. Changing the workflow mid-project can disrupt articles already in progress.
• Use Auto assign for predictable review stages. If the same person always handles SME review, configure them as the auto assignee for that status. This reduces manual handoff steps and ensures no article gets stuck.
• Keep the workflow lean. A shorter workflow with fewer stages is easier for the team to follow. Add stages only when they represent a meaningful checkpoint with a distinct owner or action.
• Use Read-only for approval stages. Enable Read-only on statuses such as "SME Review" or "Final Approval" to prevent accidental edits while the article is being reviewed.
• Communicate status changes to your team. When you add, rename, or delete a workflow status, inform your team so they understand what each stage means and what action is expected from them.

FAQ