Configure Workflow Transitions

Estimated Read Time: 8 minutes

Sections in this article:

Introduction
Configure a Simple Transition
Configure a Conditional Transition
- Reorder Conditional Transitions
Move Cards Manually
FAQs

Want to learn more? For an interactive overview of workflow transitions, head to the Gatekeeper Academy course on Transitions and SLAs.

Introduction

Transitions are the rules that determine how cards move from one phase to the next in a workflow. Rather than manually moving each card, transitions automate the routing process. You define the conditions, and Gatekeeper moves cards to the correct phase automatically when those conditions are met.

Without a transition, cards will remain on the phase indefinitely. Gatekeeper does not automatically route cards to the next phase in sequence.

Note: Users require the Workflow Administrator or Local Workflow Administrator permissions to configure workflow transitions.

There are two types of transitions:

Simple: routes cards based on outcomes that are predefined by the phase type, for example when a form is submitted, or if a card is approved or rejected. You set a fixed destination phase for each outcome.
Conditional: routes cards based on custom conditions you define, for example routing high-value contracts to a CEO review phase while routing lower-value contracts straight to final approval. Multiple conditions can be combined using the AND or OR operator:
- AND: all specified conditions must be met for the transition to occur.
- OR: only one of the specified conditions must be met for the transition to occur.

Configure a Simple Transition

To configure simple workflow transitions, follow the steps below:

From the navigation menu, click Workflows and open the relevant workflow.
Click the name of a phase to edit it, then click Transitions.
Select the Simple radio button.
Select the appropriate radio buttons to determine which phase a workflow card should move to for each default outcome. For example, if the card is rejected, it could be moved to the workflow end.

Changes are saved automatically.

Configure a Conditional Transition

Before configuring conditions, it's important to understand the two types of criteria you'll need to combine:

The event that triggers the workflow to attempt a transition, for example a form submission or an approval decision.
The data from the form that must match for the transition to apply, for example Contract Value greater than $1,000,000

To configure conditional workflow transitions, follow the steps below:

From the navigation menu, click Workflows and open the relevant workflow.
Click the name of a phase to edit it, then click Transitions.
Select the Conditional radio button.
Click Add Transition.
Enter a name, then click Create.
Click Add to create a condition.
Select the required values from the dropdown lists:
1. Field: the workflow form field or card attribute to evaluate, for example Annual Value or Card Approval Status
2. Operator: how the field should be evaluated, for example equal to, greater than
3. Data: the value you are checking for, for example Approved
Click Create.
Repeat steps 6 to 8 to add further conditions to the same transition if required.
1. When combining conditions, click the pencil icon next to Based on and select the appropriate operator, then click Save.
Click the pencil icon next to Transition to Phase and select the destination phase, then click Save.
Click the pencil icon next to Transition Status, select Live, then click Update.
Repeat steps 4 to 11 to configure additional transitions for other routing paths.

Note: If you switch a phase from a simple transition to a conditional one, the existing simple transition rules will be automatically added as conditional transitions. You can amend these as needed.

Reorder Conditional Transitions

Gatekeeper evaluates conditional transitions in order, checking each rule from top to bottom until one is met. The first matching rule takes precedence over all others. For example, if a card matches both the first and second transition rules, it will be routed according to the first rule only.

To change the order in which transitions are evaluated:

Click Reorder Transitions.
Drag and drop each transition rule into the desired order.
Click Update to save your changes.

Move Cards Manually

For closely managed processes, Workflow Administrators or Local Workflow Administrators can move cards between phases manually by dragging and dropping them on the board, without relying on transitions to route them automatically. To move a card manually, drag it from its current phase column and drop it into the destination phase column on the board.

Cards can only be dragged to a phase if all mandatory fields, approvals, and actions have been completed. However, Workflow Administrators or Local Workflow Administrators can bypass these restrictions. For example, this can be useful to skip a phase that has been completed outside of Gatekeeper.

To do this:

Click on a card to open it.
Click the Controls tab.
Select the relevant destination phase and click Move.

FAQs

Can date-based fields be used as transition conditions?

Yes. Date-based fields, including custom fields and file expiry fields can be used as conditions. This makes it possible to auto-route cards based on milestone or review dates, or escalate cards to a different phase when a deadline is approaching.

Gatekeeper checks date-based conditions once per hour, so transitions may not fire at the exact moment a condition is met.

What happens if no transition conditions are met?

When building a set of conditional transitions, always ensure that at least one rule will fire for every possible card outcome. If a card does not match any of the configured transitions, it will remain on the phase indefinitely.

To avoid cards getting stuck, create a catch-all "everything else" transition on the final rule in the list, that does not contain value-based criteria. Gatekeeper will attempt each rule in order, so any card that does not match the rules above it will automatically be moved by the fallback rule. For example, if you add a new contract type that is not covered by your existing rules, it will be caught by the fallback rule rather than getting stuck on the phase.

Can a transition send a card back to a previous phase?

Yes. Transitions can route cards to any phase in the workflow, including earlier ones. This is useful for rejection flows, for example sending a card back to a drafting phase if it fails a review.

How can I see which transitions have been applied to a card?

Open the relevant card and click the History tab. This displays a log of every transition that has fired, making it easier to audit a card's journey through the workflow or diagnose why a card routed to an unexpected phase. Conditional transitions are identified by the names configured in the transition settings, so it's recommended to use clear, descriptive names that will be easy to interpret in the log.

Why hasn't a card transitioned?

There are a few things to check if a card is not moving between phases as expected:

Transition not configured: if a card appears to be stuck after an action is taken (such as accepting or rejecting), check that a transition has been configured for that phase and that it routes the card to the correct destination. Without a transition in place, the card will not automatically move phases.
Outstanding checklist items: if the phase has a checklist, check whether there are outstanding checklist items that need to be completed first.
Form data error: an issue with the data submitted on the form can prevent a card from transitioning. Review each field to ensure the submitted data is still valid, for example that selected users have not been deactivated or records have not been deleted.