Start a workflow

Required permissions

To create, view, update, and delete workflows you must either be an Administrator, the project Owner, or have the following permissions:

• Create, read, update, and delete permissions to the Projects module.
• For the Projects module, your user account must be listed under the following Property: can_initiate_assignment.
  • If you are an administrator, refer to Allow users to create project assignments and workflows.

Permissions for workflows that create translation jobs

In a workflow template, you can include an action that tells Inspire to open the Translate component screen with any known details and associated components. This allows a translation coordinator to quickly send workflow content to translation and advance the workflow to the translation stage.

In an active workflow, you also need:

• When a user advances a project workflow task and the Transition has an Action of InspireCreateTranslation, Inspire opens the Translate Component screen for the current user.
• The user in the Workgroup assigned to the Activity that triggers this automated action must be a Translation Coordinator.

Permissions for workflows that automate Reviews

To automate some of the process, you can add an Action to have Inspire open a new Create Review screen. Inspire also populates any known details so that the workflow user can quickly create the review and advance the workflow to the next stage

In an active workflow, you also need:

If you try to assign work to a participant who doesn't have access to the component, you see the following error.

This workflow has one or more permission problems. It is recommended to cancel the workflow, correct the permissions, and then restart it. The assigned user "Jane.Doe@MyCompany.com" does not have permission to access the following components: PrivateConcept.

• The error tells you the name of a user included in the workflow. It may not be user who needs the permissions, so you have to check each participant's permissions to the restricted component.
• The warning tells you the name of the restricted component.
• The Workflow is still started. You can change the permission, participant, or the component to resolve the conflict.
• For details on how to set permissions, refer to: Set permissions.

When a workflow template is configured, an Activity can be set up to change a basic workflow task in the following ways:

• Initial / Final. These options, if selected, tell Inspire where the workflow starts and stops. When a user starts an active workflow:
  • The Initial assignment will always be the Activity with the Initial option selected.
  • The workflow cannot be marked as completed until the Activity with the Final option is completed.
• Duration. This option, if used, sets a deadline for the activity to be completed (in minutes from 0 to 525600 which is 1 year).
• Update Metadata on Completion. This option, if used, tells Inspire to populate or clear an XML element or attribute value across components participating in the workflow.
• Claimable. This option, if used, specifies that this activity can be set to a State of Ready to Claim. In this case, the activity is not assigned to one user but to a list of users who are notified that an activity can be claimed. The first user to claim the assignment completes the work.

  Claimable cannot be used in the same activity as Create Multiple Assignments.

• Create Multiple Assignments. When an active workflow advances to an activity where this option is used, Inspire creates an assignment for each user in the Workgroup instead of a single assignment for the selected user. All users MUST complete the assignment (or all assignments must be cancelled) before the Activity can be marked complete, and the workflow can be advanced.

  Create Multiple Assignments cannot be used in the same activity as Claimable.

Inspire provides a template that automates the review process when there are two reviewers who need to complete their work in a specific order.

To change the workflow, you customize this template or save a copy and edit it.

Automate reviews with a workflow template

Understand the reviews workflow

The reviews in this template don't occur at the same time. Instead, one or more reviewers are assigned to the first phase, and when they complete their review, Inspire assigns a review to the second set of reviewers.

Inspire also provides a template to automate the process of developing, reviewing, approving, translating, and publishing content.

To change the workflow, you customize this template or save a copy and edit it.

Automate content development with a workflow template

The workflow moves through the rest of the activities and transitions until the process is complete. To learn more about what occurs at each stage, read Understand the topic workflow.

After you click Start, Inspire uses the process that you configured in the selected template.

A sample topic workflow template uses the following process:

Inspire sends a notification to the Workgroup (Writer).

• The workflow starts with an initial Activity: Develop Topic(s)
• The workflow has a Status of Writing.
• By default, the user is given a Duration of 0 minutes to complete the activity, so you will need to set your own duration. After the Duration passes, if the activity is not complete, it is marked as Overdue and notifications may be sent depending on a user's notification preferences.

  You set the time in minutes from 0 to 525600 which is 1 year.

• Inspire checks if the Claimable option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire assigns the activity not to one user but to a list of users in the Activity's workgroup.
  • The first user to claim the assignment completes the work.

  Claimable is not available if you selected Create Multiple Assignments in the template.

• Inspire checks if the Create Multiple Assignments option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire creates an assignment for each user in the Workgroup instead of a single assignment for the selected user.
  • All users MUST complete the assignment (or all assignments must be cancelled) before the Activity can be marked complete, and the workflow can be advanced.

  Create Multiple Assignments is not available if you selected Claimable in the template.

• If neither the Claimable nor the Create Multiple Assignments options are selected for the template in use, Inspire checks out any attached components to users in the Workgroups: Writer and the coordinator.
• The notification contains a link to edit the components.
  • You can see the notification on the Notification tab.
  • You can also see the notification by going to your email Inbox.
• The Activity ends when users in the Workgroup Writer or the coordinator completes their task.
• Inspire checks if the option to Update Metadata on Completion was selected in the template in use. If so, Inspire populates or clears an XML element or attribute value in the components participating in the workflow.

Inspire moves the workflow to the Transition: Send for Review.

• Transitions connect activities and tell Inspire what to do next. They are shown in small rectangular boxes.
• When users in the Workgroup Writer or the coordinator marks their task as Complete, then Inspire moves the workflow to the next Activity: Send for Review.
• Inspire checks in the changes to the components or adds the new components to the workflow.
• Inspire notifies the coordinator about the workflow's progress.
• Inspire checks to see if there is an Action assigned to the Transition. By default, there are no actions defined.

  By default, the user in the Writer Workgroup must manually create the review.

  • To automate the process, you can add an Action to have Inspire open a new Create Review screen automatically.
  • The Create Review activity must be assigned to a workgroup of users that are review coordinators.
  • If you want to automate the process of creating a review, you need to add one Activity and two Transitions to your topic workflow.
  • To learn more about this automated workflow, read: Add a Create Review Action to a topic workflow template.

Users work on the Review Activity.

After the Review activity is completed, Inspire evaluates the first transition.

Inspire evaluates the second transition.

• If the users in the Workgroups: Reviewer or the coordinator select the next step to be Send for approval, Inspire moves the workflow to the next Activity: Approve.
• Inspire checks to see if there is an Action assigned to the Transition. By default, there are no actions defined.

  If there are no Actions defined, the user approving the review must manually open the Review Approval screen and specify the appropriate components to be included in the approval.

  • To automate the process, you can add an Action to have Inspire perform part or all of the approval process.
  • Use the approval notification action (InspireCreateApproval). Inspire sends an email notification to each user in the Review workgroup (or the workgroup assigned to the previous user activity). The Review workgroup users can confirm if they want to include component references in the approval process.

    Add a Create Approval Action to a topic workflow template

  • Use the automatic approval action (InspireApprove). When the workflow advances to the Send for Approve Transition, Inspire automatically approves the components in the review. No referenced components are included in the approval and no user confirmation is required.

    Add an Inspire Approve Action to a topic workflow template

Inspire sends a notification to the Workgroup (Content Owner).

• The workflow moves to the next Activity: Approve.
• The workflow has a Status of Approving.
• Inspire notifies the coordinator about the workflow's progress.
• By default, the user is given a Duration of 0 minutes to complete the activity, so you will need to set your own duration. After the Duration passes, if the activity is not complete, it is marked as Overdue and notifications may be sent depending on a user's notification preferences.

  You set the time in minutes from 0 to 525600 which is 1 year.

• Inspire checks if the Claimable option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire assigns the activity not to one user but to a list of users in the Activity's workgroup.
  • The first user to claim the assignment completes the work.

  Claimable is not available if you selected Create Multiple Assignments in the template.

• Inspire checks if the Create Multiple Assignments option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire creates an assignment for each user in the Workgroup instead of a single assignment for the selected user.
  • All users MUST complete the assignment (or all assignments must be cancelled) before the Activity can be marked complete, and the workflow can be advanced.

  Create Multiple Assignments is not available if you selected Claimable in the template.

• If neither the Claimable nor the Create Multiple Assignments options are selected for the template in use, Inspire checks out the files to users in the Workgroups: Content Owner and the coordinator.
• The Activity ends when users in the Workgroups: Content Owner or the coordinator marks their task as Complete.
• Inspire checks if the option to Update Metadata on Completion was selected in the template in use. If so, Inspire populates or clears an XML element or attribute value in the components participating in the workflow.

Inspire processes the next transition (Send to Translation).

• When users in the Workgroups: Content Owner or the coordinator complete their task, Inspire moves the workflow to the linked Activity: Translate new topics.
• Inspire checks to see if there is an Action assigned to the Transition.

  If there are no Actions defined, the user sending the new topics to translation must manually open the Translate component screen and add the required information.

  • To automate the process, you can add an Action to a Transition.
  • Use the translation action (InspireCreateTranslation). Inspire automatically opens the Translate component screen and pre-populates any known information. The Workgroup user must add the required information. After clicking Create on the Translate component screen, Inspire advances the workflow to the next Activity.
  • Follow the steps in: Automate translation in a workflow template.

Inspire sends a notification to the Workgroup (Production).

• The workflow moves to the next Activity: Translate.
• The workflow has a Status of Translating.
• Inspire notifies the coordinator about the workflow's progress.
• By default, the user is given a Duration of 0 minutes to complete the activity, so you will need to set your own duration. After the Duration passes, if the activity is not complete, it is marked as Overdue and notifications may be sent depending on a user's notification preferences.

  You set the time in minutes from 0 to 525600 which is 1 year.

• Inspire checks if the Claimable option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire assigns the activity not to one user but to a list of users in the Activity's workgroup.
  • The first user to claim the assignment completes the work.

  Claimable is not available if you selected Create Multiple Assignments in the template.

• If a workflow has more than one component, the user can select what to translate. For example, the workflow might contain maps, topics, images, and PDFs, and the user wants to translate only the map.
• Inspire checks if the Create Multiple Assignments option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire creates an assignment for each user in the Workgroup instead of a single assignment for the selected user.
  • All users MUST complete the assignment (or all assignments must be cancelled) before the Activity can be marked complete, and the workflow can be advanced.

  Create Multiple Assignments is not available if you selected Claimable in the template.

• If neither the Claimable nor the Create Multiple Assignments options are selected for the template in use, Inspire checks out the files to users in the Workgroups: Production and the coordinator
• The Activity ends when users in the Workgroups: Production or the coordinator selects marks their task as Complete.
• Inspire checks if the option to Update Metadata on Completion was selected in the template in use. If so, Inspire populates or clears an XML element or attribute value in the components participating in the workflow.

Inspire processes the next transition (Send to Production).

• When users in the Workgroups: Content Owner or the coordinator complete their task, Inspire moves the workflow to the linked Activity: Produce Deliverable.
• Inspire checks to see if there is an Action assigned to the Transition.

  If there are no Actions defined, the user sending the topics to be published must manually open the Publish Component screen and add the required information.

  • To automate the process, you can add an Action to the Transition.
  • Use the translation action (InspirePublish). In an active workflow, this action tells Inspire to check how many components are included in the previous Activity (such as Approve components) and take one of the following actions:
    • If there is one XML component, Inspire opens the Publish Component screen. The publishing job Name is prepopulated with the name of the component. The user must fill out the required fields and click Publish. You see a notification that the publishing job has been created.
    • If there are more than one XML component, Inspire opens the Select Project Components pane. The user can select the checkbox for each component they want to publish. When they click OK, Inspire opens the Publish Component screen. The user must fill out the required fields and click Publish. You see a notification that the publishing job has been created.
    • If there are no XML components, Inspire gives you an error message. The publishing job is not created, and the workflow does not advance to the next step.
  • Follow the steps in: Automate publication in a workflow template.

Inspire sends a notification to the Workgroup (Production).

• The workflow moves to the next Activity: Produce Deliverable.
• The workflow has a Status of Publishing.
• Inspire notifies the coordinator about the workflow's progress.
• By default, the user is given a Duration of 0 minutes to complete the activity, so you will need to set your own duration. After the Duration passes, if the activity is not complete, it is marked as Overdue and notifications may be sent depending on a user's notification preferences.

  You set the time in minutes from 0 to 525600 which is 1 year.

• Inspire checks if the Claimable option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire assigns the activity not to one user but to a list of users in the Activity's workgroup.
  • The first user to claim the assignment completes the work.

  Claimable is not available if you selected Create Multiple Assignments in the template.

• Inspire checks if the Create Multiple Assignments option was selected in the template in use. If it is:
  • Inspire creates an assignment for each user in the Workgroup instead of a single assignment for the selected user.
  • All users MUST complete the assignment (or all assignments must be cancelled) before the Activity can be marked complete, and the workflow can be advanced.

  Create Multiple Assignments is not available if you selected Claimable in the template.

• If neither the Claimable nor the Create Multiple Assignments options are selected for the template in use, Inspire checks out the files to users in the Workgroups: Production and the coordinator.
• The Activity ends when users in the Workgroups: Production or the coordinator selects marks their task as Complete.
• Inspire checks if the option to Update Metadata on Completion was selected in the template in use. If so, Inspire populates or clears an XML element or attribute value in the components participating in the workflow.

You start a topic workflow in the following ways:

From an existing project

From an assignment

From the project's Selected Components panel For Topic workflows ONLY