⚡️ Gatekeeper Expert - Use AutoActions to Populate and Trigger Dates ⚡️

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   Estimated Read Time: 8 Minutes

   Estimated Configuration Time: 10-15 Minutes

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Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Configuration
  • Add a Custom Date Field
  • Add the Field to the Workflow Form
  • Set the Date Field
• Using the Date Field
  • Data Tab and List Views
  • Triggered Workflows
  • Re-Set the Date
• Example Use Cases
  • Configure Multiple Reviews
  • Variable Review Periods
• FAQ
• Additional Reading

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Introduction

Workflows help you to structure and streamline contract and vendor management processes by using dynamic kanban boards to guide key processes. They rely on Actions, i.e. tasks that affect data outside the workflow, to drive these processes forward. An AutoAction runs this task automatically when a card reaches a specific phase of the kanban board, populating metadata in two ways:

• using values entered by users in the form
• applying default values. This prevents records from being created with incomplete fields, and keeps forms shorter and easier to complete for users.

For example, administrators can configure the Create Contract AutoAction to set default values for fields like Status and Approval, bypassing user input and applying logical defaults for an in-progress contract.

Configuration

Add a Custom Date Field

• From the navigation menu, expand the Settings option, then click Configuration.
• Click Custom Data, then open the Vendor Dates or Contract Dates group. Alternatively, create a new custom group and ensure it is allocated to either Contract or Vendor. 
• Click Add New Custom Field, then enter a unique label for the field.
• Select Date from the Type dropdown list.
• Populate the remaining fields if required, then click Save.

Repeat steps 3 - 5 until all required date fields are added.

Add the Field to the Workflow Form

After creating the custom field, you'll need to add it to the form in the relevant workflow. If the group containing your date field is already included in the workflow form, you won’t need to repeat these steps.

• Navigate to the relevant workflow and click the start phase to edit it.
• From Form, click ADD SECTION.
• Enter a name. This can match the name of the Custom Data group, but it doesn’t have to.
• From the Predefined dropdown list, select Contract or Vendor, based on your date field.
• From the Custom Data Group dropdown, select the group that contains your new date field.
  
• Click Save.

  • If users need to interact with fields in this form section during the workflow, click REORDER to place the section where you'd like it to appear.

  • If the fields don’t need to be viewed or populated by users, set the form section to Hidden for every phase. 

Set the Date Field

Now that the date field has been added to the workflow form, the default values need to be populated in the AutoAction.

• Click the phase of the workflow where the AutoAction runs to edit it.
• From Actions, click Edit AutoAction Values on the enabled AutoAction.
• Navigate to the custom date field, then select how many days, weeks, or months Gatekeeper should add to the current date for the calculated field.
  
• Deselect the checkbox  to use this calculated value, instead of a user input from the form.
• Click Save.
  

Using the Date Field

Data Tab and List Views

Like any other metadata field in Gatekeeper, this information can help provide visibility to your users when viewing the contract/vendor record. It can also be added as a configurable column to the list view.

Triggered Workflows

These dates can be used to automatically trigger workflows. For example, if a Next Annual Review Date custom field is set to 12 months after vendor onboarding, it can be used as the condition to trigger a review workflow once that date is reached.

• From the navigation menu, click Workflows.
• Expand the 3 dots on the relevant workflow, then select Workflow Triggers.
• Click ➕ ADD TRIGGER.
• Enter a name then click Create.
• Click ➕ ADD to set the trigger conditions, using the custom date field.
  
• Click the pencil icon to set the Trigger Status to Live.

Re-Set the Date

To fully automate your workflow, you can make these date fields reusable.

In your triggered review workflow, add an AutoAction at the final phase. This allows you to:

• Capture any updates to the contract/vendor data made during the workflow
• Automatically move the date forward by one year, setting up the next annual review trigger

See the video below for a demonstration of this on a vendor review workflow:

 

Example Use Cases

These automatically populated date fields can be used to support various use cases, for example:

• Set Contract Executed or Vendor Onboarded Dates
  Use an AutoAction on the Done phase of a workflow to capture when a process is completed. For example, Gatekeeper can auto-fill the Onboarded Date once final approval is given in a vendor onboarding workflow. This is stored in the record, and avoids the need to revisit the workflow to check for the date. This can be applied to other processes, such as tracking NDA expiry if it differs from the standard Contract End Date.
  
  

• Trigger Annual Refreshers / Re-onboarding for Vendors
  Initial vendor onboarding and due diligence can help you assess risks and capture accurate information. Similarly, running an annual review or re-onboarding process ensures you stay informed about any changes that could impact the vendor relationship.
• Trigger Due Diligence Refreshers
  If you're using workflows for multiple due diligence assessments (e.g. biennial SOC 2 audits or annual ESG reviews), you can create and configure separate date fields for each one. To learn more, see the walkthrough guide for our ESG Due Diligence Workflow.
• Trigger Regular Contract Reviews
  Similar to ongoing due diligence refreshers, new contracts may require scheduled reviews to ensure key milestones, deliverables, and SLAs are being met.

Configure Multiple Reviews

When configuring multiple reviews, you can choose between two approaches:

• Single Date Field: Create one Next Review Date field and update it at the end of each review workflow (e.g. every 3 months).
• Multiple Date Fields: Create separate Review Date fields for each type of review.

We recommend using multiple date fields. This ensures that delays in one review do not impact others, and gives users a clear view of all upcoming milestones directly from the repository record.

Variable Review Periods

The example use cases outlined above are based on a standardised approach to managing vendors and contracts. However, it's possible to take a more flexible approach by setting up different AutoAction phases that apply different date values.

Use Conditional Transitions to route cards to the appropriate phase based on vendor type. For example:

• Critical Vendors → Quarterly reviews
  Use an AutoAction phase to set the Next Review Date to [Today + 3 months].
• All Other Vendors → Annual reviews
  Use a separate AutoAction phase to set the Next Review Date to [Today + 12 months].