Creating approval workflows

What you'll learn#

• What a workflow is and how it fits into Document Flow
• Two ways to create a workflow (standalone or from a document type)
• Each setting in the Create Workflow dialog
• How to add and configure tasks on a workflow
• How to assign a workflow to a document type and mark it as default

What a workflow is#

A workflow (or approval flow) is the reusable sequence of approval steps a document goes through. A typical simple workflow might be:

1. Manager approval    (3 days)
2. Finance review      (3 days)
3. Creator confirmation (2 days)   ← optional

Each step is a task. When a document's workflow starts, VAT Portal creates a task instance for the first step, assigns it to the person or group configured on that step, and — when that task is approved — moves on to the next. A rejection from any step stops the whole flow.

Workflows are attached to document types. A document type can have multiple workflows (one marked as the default), and filters can route different documents to different workflows based on their content — but that's Phase 3 material.

Two ways to create a workflow#

From a document type (recommended)#

Opening a specific document type's detail page and creating the workflow there is usually the cleanest path:

1. Open Document Flow → Document Types → [your document type].
2. Scroll to the Workflows card.
3. Click Create.
4. The Create Workflow dialog opens with the document type already filled in — and with an Is Default for Doc Type toggle available.

The new workflow is created, assigned to the document type, and (if you turned on the default toggle) set as the default for that type in one step.

Standalone from the Approval Flows page#

You can also create a workflow that isn't attached to any document type yet:

1. Open Document Flow → Approval Flows in the sidebar.
2. Click Create.
3. The dialog opens with no document type preselected (the Is Default toggle is hidden).

The workflow lands in the Unassigned filter tab — useful when you're drafting a workflow to assign later, or when the same workflow will eventually be assigned to multiple document types.

The Create Workflow dialog#

The dialog has the following fields:

• Title (required) — the user-friendly name. This is what end users see when picking a workflow during Start Approval, and what shows in the list.
• Digest — a short code or identifier you use internally (optional). Helpful for spreadsheet tracking, reports, or ERP integrations that reference workflows by a short key.
• Init URL — a callback URL called when the workflow starts. Use this if you need to notify an external system (ERP, ticket tracker) the moment a document enters approval. Leave blank unless you have an integration.
• Complete URL — a callback URL called when the workflow finishes (approved or rejected). Same pattern — leave blank unless integrating.
• Require Creator Confirmation (toggle) — when on, the workflow appends a final step where the document creator confirms the result themselves before the flow closes. Use this for document types where the creator must attest to the approved content.
• Is Default for Doc Type (only shown when creating from a document type) — marks this workflow as the default one that runs when a user picks "Default (auto-select)" during Start Approval. Most document types have exactly one default workflow.

Click Create — the workflow is created immediately. It has no tasks yet; you add those next on its detail page.

Opening a workflow's detail page#

From anywhere the workflow is listed, click its row. You land on the workflow detail page, which has:

• General Info — the settings you filled in above.
• Tasks card — where the approval steps live. This is where you spend the configuration time.

Adding tasks#

1. On the Workflow detail page, find the Tasks card.
2. Click Add Task in the card header — the Create Task dialog opens.
3. Configure the task (all settings explained below) and click Create.
4. The task appears in the Tasks table, ordered by its step number (cons, for "consecutive").
5. Repeat for each additional step.

Task settings explained#

Every task has the following configurable settings. Most are in the Create Task dialog (some advanced ones are on the edit / flow-editor variant).

Name#

The human-readable name of this step. Example: "Manager Approval", "Finance Review", "Legal Sign-off". Appears in the assignee's My Tasks list. Keep it concise and action-oriented.

Assignee#

• Assignee Type — Who should receive the task:
  • User — a specific named user
  • Department — anyone in a given department
  • Position — anyone holding a given position
• Assignee — the specific user, department, or position, depending on the type.

Picking a Department or Position means any member can claim and act on the task, rather than routing to a single person.

Duration and reminder#

• Duration (days) — the deadline window for the task, measured in days. 0 means no deadline.
• Reminder (days before due) — optional, for triggering reminder notifications (if notifications are configured).

Notification Type#

• None — no automatic notifications.
• Email — email the assignee when the task is activated.
• SMS — SMS (if your backend supports it).
• Both — email + SMS.

Delegation settings#

• Allow Delegation (toggle) — whether the assignee can delegate this task to someone else. If off, the assignee must handle it themselves or let it go overdue.
• Confirm Delegation Action (toggle) — advanced: requires the delegated-to person to explicitly confirm receipt before they can act.

Auto Complete#

When on, the task completes automatically once all required fields are filled — the assignee doesn't need to explicitly click Approve. Useful for data-capture steps where no actual review is needed.

Exec Type#

A technical setting controlling the kind of step this is:

• 0 — Regular approval step (most common). The assignee reviews and approves, rejects, or delegates.
• 2 — Creator confirmation step. At the end of the workflow, the document creator confirms the result. Reject and Delegate are hidden for this step — the creator either confirms or (rarely) lets it expire.
• 1 — Advanced / reserved. Don't pick this unless your admin guide specifically calls for it.

Most tasks should be 0. If your workflow has the Require Creator Confirmation toggle on (at the workflow level), VAT Portal may automatically generate a type-2 task at the end.

Reordering tasks#

Tasks appear to approvers in the order shown on the Tasks card. To change the order:

1. Hover over the grip icon (the six dots) on the left of a task row.
2. Drag the task up or down to its new position.
3. Release — the new order is saved immediately.

This is the same interaction used for reordering fields on a document type.

Basic reorder works when your tasks run in a straightforward sequence. If you've set up branching rules between tasks — where, for example, Task A routes to B for one value and to C for another — drag is disabled to protect the routing, and the Tasks card shows a message: "Branching mode active — use Flow Editor to manage task flow". In that case, open the Flow Editor to move tasks around without breaking the conditions. See Using the visual flow editor.

Assigning a workflow to a document type#

Workflows created standalone need to be assigned to a document type before they can actually route any document. Two ways to assign:

From the Approval Flows page#

1. Open Document Flow → Approval Flows.
2. Filter to Unassigned.
3. Find the workflow, click the Assign action on its row.
4. Pick a document type in the dialog and confirm.

From the document type#

1. Open Document Flow → Document Types → [document type].
2. In the Workflows card, click Assign or Add Workflow.
3. Pick the workflow from the list.

Once assigned, a workflow can appear in the Start Approval picker for documents of that type.

Setting a default workflow#

If a document type has multiple workflows, one can be marked as the default — the one auto-selected when a user picks "Default (auto-select)" on Start Approval.

1. Open the document type's detail page.
2. In the Workflows card, find the workflow row.
3. Toggle the Default switch on that row.

Only one default per document type — turning on Default on a new workflow turns it off on the previous one.

Common questions#