Create, Edit, and Publish Workflows

This article covers how to build a workflow on the canvas, publish it, and edit it. A Workflow remains as a draft until you publish it.

If you are new to Everlaw Workflows, we recommend reviewing our Workflows: An Overview before diving into creating your first Workflow. You may also find it helpful to reference our Workflow Step Types article as you build out your first Workflow.

Requirements

• You must be a Project Admin or have the Workflows Admin project permission. Project Admins have this permission by default. 
• Workflows are available in Review projects only. They are not available in ECA projects.

Build a workflow

To build a workflow:

1. On the project homepage, go to the Workflows column and select the Create a new workflow button. 
   
   Name the workflow and select Create. The workflow opens in Edit mode, and your changes save automatically.
   
2. Select the Add steps button on the canvas’ side panel to open the step menu. Then select a step to add it below the last one, or drag it onto the canvas. Connect each step to the one before it, starting from the start point.
   
   Your step options are:
   • Route documents: Splits documents into paths based on search criteria defined in Everlaw’s search query builder. Documents that match follow one path. All others follow the Else path.
     
   • Assign documents: Adds documents to an assignment group created as part of the workflow so reviewers can self-assign batches according to your set up or you can batch assign documents out directly.
     
   • Modify documents: Applies any batch action from the batch panel, such as ratings, codes, binders, notes, add to Story, to each document as it arrives
     
   • Tasks gate: Holds documents until every task on a checklist is checked off, then sends them on
     
   • Approval gate: Holds documents until a Workflows Admin approves them
     

3. Configure your steps. See Workflow Step Types for what each step needs:
   • Route documents: Select Configure on the CONDITION path. Then enter the search criteria for your intended routing, using the search query builder.
   • Assign documents: Selecting this step immediately prompts you to configure the assignment group. The assignment group will not be created until the Workflow is published.
   • Modify documents: Select Configure. This opens the batch modify panel, from which you can perform actions, such as batch adding documents to an object like a binder or Story and batch applying work product, like a code or note.
   • Tasks gate: Enter a step name, and add custom tasks
   • Approval gate: Enter a step name and (optional) description

4. When you’re ready, select Publish.
   

   Note

   At least one step must be connected to the Workflow Start to be eligible to publish the workflow.

Everlaw adds a finish point at the end of each path and creates the assignment groups for your Assign steps.

You will add documents to the workflow from the WORKFLOW START card, which upon publishing gets an Add/Remove documents button.

Now what?

• For instructions on adding documents and managing active workflows, visit our Manage Live Workflows article.
• For more instructions on editing live workflows, continue to the next sections of this article.

Edit an active Workflow

To edit an active Workflow:

1. [Optional] Pause the Workflow if you do not want documents moving through steps  while you make edits. To do this, select Pause.
   
2. Select Edit to open the workflow in Edit mode.
   
3. Make your changes. You can:
   • Edit step configuration
   • Disconnect and reconnect steps
   • Delete steps
4. [Optional] Open the changelog to compare your current draft with the published version. It lists added, linked, unlinked, and deleted steps.
   
   From the changelog, you can:

• Restore steps pending deletion
• Reset reconfigured steps
• Reset all drafted changes

5. When ready, you can:

• Publish the workflow: Select Publish. This creates a new version.
• Exit edit mode: Select Exit edit mode to leave your drafted changes without publishing them. Your drafted changes will be saved in their draft state. There is only ever one draft for the workflow at a time, and all Workflow Admins can see that draft.
  

6. [Optional] If you previously paused your Workflow, you can select Resume workflow to get it moving again. 
   

If you removed or unlinked a step, Everlaw asks you to redirect its documents to another step before the new version goes live. See Manage a live workflow for how to redirect.

Disconnect and reconnect steps

In Edit mode:

• Select the delete connection button between two steps to sever their connection.
  
• Click and drag a line between two unlinked steps to connect them.
  

Delete a step

In Edit mode, select the step’s three-dot menu > Delete.

When deleting an Assign documents step, you are provided two options. You can:

• Delete Workflow step only: Use this option if you want to keep track of the batches of documents that were assigned/completed by a given user. When this option is selected:
  • The object persists independently outside of the Workflow
  • You are guided to redirect any documents that were are currently at this step (i.e. unreviewed documents) to an existing step in the workflow
  • The assignment group is permanently disassociated from the Workflow
• Delete Workflow step and the corresponding assignment group:
  • All documents in this assignment group become unassigned. However, their ratings, codes, and binders do not change.
  • This action cannot be undone after the version is published. However, before publishing, it can be reversed from the Workflow changelog.

Publish a Workflow

Publishing turns a draft into an active workflow. 

To publish a new version of a workflow, select the Publish button when in Edit mode.

The following rules apply:

• Every publish creates a version. Each later publish creates a new version
• Everlaw adds a finish point at the end of each path, where there are no subsequent steps. Documents that reach a finish point count as complete in the progress bar.
• Everlaw creates an assignment group for each Assign documents step. These groups are not created until you publish.
• While assignment groups created via Workflows are listed on Everlaw’s Assignments page, just like any other assignment group, they must be edited from the associated Assignment step in the Workflow. To do this, select the step’s three-dot menu > Configure.
• A published workflow does not pull in documents on its own. You add documents to it. See Add documents.
• The workflow appears in the Workflows column on the project homepage with its status and progress

Delete a Workflow

How you go about deleting a workflow depends on its current state:

• If the Workflow has never been published: Select Delete Workflow in the page header.
  
• If the Workflow has been published but is currently in Edit mode: Exit Edit mode; then select the three-dot menu > Delete workflow.
  
• If the Workflow is published and not in edit mode: Select the three-dot menu > Delete workflow.