Workflows

Workflows define how records move through their lifecycle — the states they can be in, the transitions between those states, and the rules that govern each move. This is where the controlled, auditable behavior that runs through the platform is configured.

Workflows are where an ordinary status field becomes a genuine compliance control. The difference is enforcement: anyone can put a “Approved” label on a record, but a workflow decides who may move a record to Approved, from which prior state, and what that move requires — an electronic signature, a frozen record, a designated effective point. Configuring that path deliberately is what lets a status mean something an auditor can rely on, rather than being a self-assigned claim. Define it once per item type and every record of that type is held to the same governed lifecycle.

States and transitions

A workflow is a set of states — Draft, In Review, Approved, and so on — connected by transitions. Each transition goes from one status to another, and you control who can execute it, so the path a record takes is defined and gated rather than open. You can scope a workflow to the records it applies to, so different item types can follow different lifecycles where that’s appropriate.

Controlled statuses

Certain states are designated controlled. Reaching a controlled status can require an electronic signature, and a record in one is frozen against casual edits. You also designate the effective status — the point at which a record is officially in force. These designations are what turn a plain status field into a compliance control.

The spine, configured

Workflows are the configuration behind the compliance spine: the controlled states, gated transitions, and signature requirements described in Controlled states & workflows, and the lifecycle a record follows in Lifecycle & states. Define them here once, and every record of the relevant type moves through its lifecycle the same governed way.