This article describes how to access and configure the available Workflow Actions in Gatekeeper and how to use them.
Discover:
- What is a Workflow Action?
- Who can Configure a Workflow Action?
- How to Add an Action to a Workflow Phase
For background please read Kanban Workflow Engine - An Introduction
What is a Workflow Action?
A workflow action is - in simple terms - a task that a user can perform on the workflow which affects something outside the workflow
When a workflow card lands on a phase which has had an Action enabled, users with access to the card will be able to perform that action to make changes such as:
- Creating a new record in the Repository using the data from the Form ("Create Contract"/"Create Supplier")
- Amending the values of a record in the Repository using the data from the Form ("Update Contract"/"Update Supplier")
- Updating the File Version of a Contract Document ("Upload/Submit Contract Draft")
- Sending a Document for eSignature (eSign / DocuSign)
With Workflow Actions, you can control when your Gatekeeper users are permitted/enabled to perform specific activities. You can therefore control when a document is permitted to be signed, when a contract/vendor can be added to your repository - and even who can make changes to that data once it's been added!
There are both manual and automatic Actions available for configuration as applicable.
"Manual Actions" are performed by users who will be able to view the card and directly choose to click the action button
"Automatic Actions" are instantly performed by Gatekeeper whenever the card arrives at the phase where they have been enabled & configured
Who Can Configure a Workflow Action?
Any users with the following permissions can configure a Workflow Action:
How to Add an Action to a Workflow Phase
Note: The Actions tab is not available on the first Phase of a Workflow
This is by design, the start phase should be for initiating a process, whereas an "Action" is more intended to capture the result of a thorough process
Step 1) Navigate to your "Workflows" menu in the left side navigation panel
Step 2) Click to open the specific Workflow you'd like to edit
Step 3) Click to edit the Phase where you wish to enable an Action
Step 4) Go to the Actions tab
Step 5) Check the ☑️ box to enable an Action from the available options
💡 You may notice that certain actions are unavailable for selection on a specific phase if you have enabled other actions
These inaccessible actions will be greyed out, making it clear that they cannot be selected
Manual Workflow Actions
Contract Actions
Note: The CONTRACT ACTIONS area will only show if the corresponding predefined contract form section has been added to the Workflow Form.
Supplier Actions
Note: The SUPPLIER ACTIONS area will only show if the corresponding predefined supplier form section has been added to the Workflow Form.
eNegotiate Actions
Note: The first three eNegotiate Actions depicted above will only show if the corresponding predefined Contract form section has been added to the Workflow Form.
eSign Actions
When enabling eSign, you have 2 sub-options to choose:
☑️ Inline Only eSign - with this option enabled, Gatekeeper will not let a user send a document for eSignature until they have applied signature objects (signature/name/title/date/etc) to the actual document
☑️ Display Approval History - with this option enabled, Gatekeeper will display to your internal signatories all the Workflow approvals which have been provided for the Workflow card associated with the signed document
See the ▶️ Product Release Video for a demo of this Approval View in action!
Workflow AutoActions:
Contract Actions
Note: The CONTRACT ACTIONS area will only show if the corresponding predefined contract form section has been added to the Workflow Form.
Supplier Actions
Note: The SUPPLIER ACTIONS area will only show if the corresponding predefined supplier form section has been added to the Workflow Form.
When using AutoActions to create both vendor and contract records in the same Workflow process, there should be a separate phase for each AutoAction. It is recommended to use "AutoAction | Create Supplier" before "AutoAction | Create Contract" in this case.
eNegotiate Actions
eSign Actions
With this action enabled, Gatekeeper will send the Contract Master Draft for eSignature to the Internal & Supplier Contract Owners for eSignature
If certain conditions are not met, this action can fail, such as:
- The Contract not having a Master Record draft
- The Master draft not being a PDF
- The contract not possessing an Internal & Supplier Owner
- The Internal Owner not being designated as Authorised Signatory
Additional AutoAction Configuration Settings
Edit AutoAction Values
After enabling most AutoActions, you'll see a blue button to "Edit AutoAction Values".
These settings should be leveraged to set the appropriate Form values or functionality depending on the Phase. Be sure to click "Save" when done editing the AutoAction values.
Note: The "Publish Contract Draft & Convert MS Word to PDF" AutoAction does not have any other related settings to set up beyond the option to "Submit Card on Action". For the "Send for eSign" AutoAction, you'll see the option to indicate "External Signatory only".
Submit Card on Action
Certain selected Actions (both Manual & Automatic) will present you with an additional checkbox option to "Submit Card on Action".
When enabled, cards on these Phases will automatically transition to the next Phase when a user completes that action.
Note: This checkbox is available for Creating, Updating or Cloning a Supplier or Contract.
Update Form on Action
Certain selected Actions will present you with an additional checkbox option to "Update Form on Action".
When enabled, this option will sync the data used to update the record back to the Workflow Form when the Action is completed.
Without this enabled, the data in the repository will be updated by the Action, but it leads to the possibility that the data on the Workflow Form is no longer an exact match!
Note: This checkbox is available for Creating, Updating or Cloning a Supplier or Contract.
How to Use a Workflow Action
Each manual Workflow Action will result in a corresponding button that displays within the related Card
Contract Record Actions
- Create Contract
- Update Contract
A contract record can be updated if the Workflow Card is already associated with a contract. You can verify this by checking for the contract icon on the Workflow Card.
- Clone Contract
Note: The "Clone Contract" button will not be visible if the contract record was created as a part of the same Workflow process.
Supplier Record Actions
- Create Supplier
- Update Supplier
A supplier record can be updated if the Workflow card is already associated with a supplier. You can verify this by checking for the supplier icon on the Workflow Card.
eNegotiate Actions
- Create Contract with eNegotiate Draft
- Create Contract and associate a Contract Master Draft
Both of the above Actions can be enabled at the same time. If this is the case, the following options will display after clicking the "Create Contract with Draft" button:
Note: The option to select a "Template" correlates to the selected "Contract Type" above. To learn more about setting up eNegotiate Templates in Gatekeeper click here.
- Generate Draft from Contract
This Action should be used in a Phase following either "Create Contract" or "AutoAction | Create Contract". The option to select an available template correlates to the "Contract Type" set during the earlier contract record creation Phase of the Workflow.
Note: If there are no eNegotiate templates matching the set "Contract Type" for this record, the dropdown will display as "No matches found". To learn more about setting up eNegotiate Templates in Gatekeeper click here.
- Submit Contract Draft
Within the Workflow Card view, a user will have the option to upload a new Draft, clicking the "Upload New Version" button
As configured, users will also receive an email with options to "Submit New Draft" along with the ability to "Accept Draft" and "Reject Draft" after reviewing the attached file.
Note: The "Accept Draft" and "Reject Draft" buttons correspond to the enablement of settings found on the "Approval" tab of the Workflow configuration area.
- Submit Contract Draft with Office for the Web
Within the Workflow Card view, a user will have the option to begin editing the draft in-browser using the Microsoft Office for the Web plugin
Once an Office for the Web user clicks "Save" from within the Gatekeeper Add-In, all changes from all users will be checked back into Gatekeeper and stored as a new draft "Version"
Edits made within the document after hitting "Save" do not automatically create a new version!
Until "Save" is hit again, the workflow card will display a warning & pop-up message when attempting to move the card to another stage of the workflow
- Publish Contract Draft & Upload PDF
- Publish Contract Draft & Convert MS Word to PDF
Both of the above Actions can be enabled at the same time. If this is the case, the following options will display within the Workflow Card:
- Upload Signed Document
Similar to the above "Publish Contract Draft & Upload PDF", this action instructs a user to provide a finalised and signed document version
eSign Actions
- Enable eSign
Note: The blue "Start" button will only be visible to users designated as eSign Senders. For more information on these configuration settings click here.
For more information on leveraging this functionality, please contact your Customer Success Manager or reach out to our Customer Success Team here