Define workflow steps and transitions

For every workflow you’ve come up with during the audit and discovery phase, consider the steps appropriate for the particular workflow.

Decide your naming conventions

Design your workflow steps based on your preferences and way of working. Here are a couple of ways to approach the workflow steps definition:

• Process-based – To do, In progress, To review, To translate, Ready for publishing
• Activity-based – Write, Review, Copy edit, Graphics, Approve, Add metadata
• Schedule-based – On hold, Delayed, Planned

Your options aren’t limited to what’s listed here. You can tailor your workflow steps to suit your business needs the best.  You can also combine the workflows so that an item can switch from a schedule-based workflow to an activity-based one when your teams start working on it.

Define step transitions for clarity

For each workflow step, you can select other steps to which it can transition. Clearly defined step transitions help to avoid confusion and mistakes. For example, if you require content reviews, set the Draft step so that it cannot transition directly to the Published step.

Drawing prevents gray hair!

By this time, drawing your workflows as diagrams is a good idea. Up until now, it was enough to have a list of workflow steps per workflow. However, with the transitions, the simple lists could become very complex, and it’d be very easy to get lost. You don’t need any special software for it. Just use pen and paper or whatever you’re comfortable with. Another option to note down the workflow design is to create a table, such as the one below. However, if your workflow is complex, using a diagram is better because it’s easy to get lost in the table. Especially once you add roles to the steps in the subsequent design phase.

Use workflows for process automation