TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose
Workflow transitions define the progression of a record from one state to another within a pre-defined workflow. They ensure that records progress from one state to another in a correct sequence and by appropriate users.
Transitions are typically triggered by user actions (e.g. clicking a related button) and may include additional rules such as required fields, user or team permissions, or automated actions caused by triggers.
Workflow Transition Example Diagram
Here’s a sample diagram illustrating the transitions in a simple workflow:
Key Features & Functions
The primary purpose of the Workflow Transitions is to enable streamlined progression of a record movement through different statuses of the workflow.
- Streamlined Progression: Defines how records move from one status to another to reflect business processes. Example: In the Risks Module, a risk record starts as ‘Draft’. When a user clicks 'Submit', the record transitions to 'Submitted', ensuring it enters the proper review queue.
- Authorised transitioning: Ensures that only designated users or teams are allowed to move records into critical statuses. This adds a layer of control and accountability within the workflow.
Example: Only the 'Audit’s Approver' can finalise audit (or) only the 'Approvals Team' can finalise audit, etc.
- Enforcing Field Values – Ensures specific fields are filled before a transition.
Example: Before transitioning a Risk from 'Draft' to 'Submitted', users must fill in the Approver Name and Submission Date fields.
- Maintaining Audit Trail – Ensures every transition is logged in history, providing traceability and accountability.
- Customisable Labels: Transition buttons, help-text, and descriptions can be custom-labelled with clear, action-oriented text, or localised based on the user’s language. This helps users navigate workflows more intuitively and understand each action’s purpose.
Important Notes
- Administrator access is required to configure Workflow Transitions.
- Users must have 'Update' access on the record to perform a workflow transition.
Step-by-Step Guide How to Configure Workflow Transitions
- Navigate to the workflow: Navigate to Admin > Workflows. Click the workflow where you want to add/ update transitions.
- Define workflow statuses: Add relevant statuses that the record should progress through the workflow (e.g., Draft, Submitted, Approved). Ensure that the statuses are defined in the same order that reflects your business process. Note: Statuses that are not in correct sequence can be re-positioned by clicking on the arrow icon to the right.
- Create workflow transitions
- After adding the Workflow statuses, you can add transitions to the workflow in two ways:
- 'Add' Button: This is the manual way to add transitions and can be done by clicking on the 'Add' button in the ‘Transitions’ section which opens the ‘Add New Transition’ form.
- 'Link All Statuses' option: This adds all the transitions in one go without manual intervention by automatically linking all statuses. Note that transitions added in this manner can be customised individually to your requirements by clicking on the related 'Edit' icon.
Understanding the Layout and Sections on the Transition Form
When adding or editing a workflow transition in the CGR Platform, you will encounter a form containing multiple configuration fields grouped by sections (e.g. Visual, Restrictions/Condition/Confirmation).
- General: Lists the most important fields like Title, Description, etc.
- Visual: Lists fields that define how a transition appears to users
- Restrictions: This section lists fields that define transition restrictions
- Conditions: Lists: Allows to define conditions that should be fulfilled to list the transition
- Confirmation: This section defines whether an extra confirmation is needed before transitioning to next state, what fields are required during transition, etc.
- Translations: Allows for defining translations to make it user-friendly or locale based.
Configure Workflow Transitions
Below is a comprehensive section-by-section breakdown of fields within the transition form:
Define basic fields of your workflow transition. See the below description for each field.
| Field | Description |
| Title | The name of the transition as it will appear on the interface (i.e. workflow button/transition pin). |
| Description | A short explanation of the purpose of the transition. Helpful to understand its function during configuration. |
| Origin Status | The status from which a record is transitioned. Note: You can select multiple states to create transitions originating from each state to the target state (e.g. No Status, Draft, Not Started, etc.). |
| Target Status | The status to which the record will move once the transition is completed (e.g. Approved, Submitted). |
Define Transition
| Field | Description |
| Icon | A visual symbol representing the transition, used for identification and quick recognition on the interface. |
| Colour | The colour associated with the transition button. This aids in visual categorisation or urgency indication (e.g. green for Approve, red for Reject). |
| Transition Types | |
| Standard | Appears within the 'Workflow' button dropdown in the record’s detail view. |
| Pinned | Displays as a separate button at the top-right corner of the record view. |
| Primary | Similar to pinned transitions, but with inverted colours —the selected colour appears as the background colour of the button. |
| Position | |
| Position | Defines the order of the transition button within the 'Workflow' dropdown or among the pinned transitions. Note: For pinned/primary transitions, the buttons are displayed left to right based on this position value. |
Define Restrictions
| Field | Description |
| Field Restrictions | Users allowed to perform the transition, e.g. Owner, Assignee. Note: If field restrictions are imposed, the transition will not appear for other users. |
| Team Restrictions | Limits access to the transition based on team membership (e.g., users from the Audit Team only). Note: Like field restrictions, this controls who sees and can click the transition. |
| Role Restrictions | Users belonging to specified roles will be able to perform transitions, e.g., users having an 'Admin' role. Note: This setting is preferred when the CGR Platform is Role-centric. |
| Conditions | Logical expressions that must be evaluated as true for the transition to be available. Conditions take priority over field and team restrictions. It is useful for data-driven transition control (e.g. Show transition only if 'Score < 50'). Note: This field only appears after the transition has been created and you are editing it. |
| Show when conditions are not met | Selecting this will show the related transition pin on the show view even if conditions are not fulfilled. |
| Message when conditions are not met | Custom alert messages shown when the conditions set for a transition are not fulfilled. |
Please note, that the above two fields are used together to enhance the end-user communication when certain conditions are not met. They help inform users why a transition is visible but not actionable, thereby encouraging them to fulfil the required criteria instead of assuming the transition is missing.
Define Confirmation Fields
| Field | Description |
| Confirm Transition | When enabled, a confirmation pop-up will appear before the transition is applied. This can help prevent accidental transitions and allows the user to review or enter final data. |
| Notes | When this option is enabled, a 'Notes' field will appear on the transition confirmation pop-up, allowing users to add context, remarks, or justifications related to the transition they’re performing. The notes entered by the user will be displayed in the 'Activity Stream' sub-panel (if this feature is enabled for the module), providing a clear audit trail and traceability. |
| Default Notes | A predefined message that will be auto filled in the Notes field (if configured) on the transition form. Users can modify or replace this as needed. |
| Redirect to Clone Form | Select 'Yes' to redirect to the clone form of the record after performing the transition. Useful for quickly duplicating records after approval or closure. |
| Fields | Select the fields that should be listed on the confirmation popup. Fields are displayed in the order they are selected. |
| Fields Required | Fields selected here will be set to ‘Required’ and will be denoted with an '*'. Leaving this field empty will disallow transitioning the record to the next state. |
| Header Image | Optional image to be displayed at the top of the confirmation pop-up. Note that images uploaded to the Custom Images will be listed for selection. |
| Footer Image | Select an image you wish to display for the footer. Note: Images uploaded to the 'Custom Images' will be listed for selection. |
| Attachments | Select the applicable option and decide whether or not to add attachments to this transition. |
| Attachment Fields | Select the fields to be listed alongside the file upload input (e.g., Description, Sensitivity). Note: The 'Sensitivity' field is currently disabled for input as the uploaded attachments will inherit their parent item's sensitivity by default. |
| Attachments description | Text entered here will appear by default within the 'Attachment Description' field (if enabled in the above step). |
| Message | A custom message that will appear on the top of the confirmation popup to provide context or instructions related to the transition. |
- Disabled: Does not show the field on the transition.
- Optional: Lists the field but does not mark it as required.
- Required: Lists the field and marks it as required. Marking it as a 'Required' field prevents the transition if the field is left empty.
Define Translations (Optional)
These fields allow you to define localised text content for users across different languages and regions. They ensure that key information such as transition labels and condition messages is presented in a way that’s understandable and relevant to the user’s locale.
| Field | Description |
| Title Translations | Used to provide localised versions of the transition title for multilingual user interfaces. Ensures that users see the transition label in their preferred or system-defined language. |
| Translations for Message When Conditions Are Not Met | Custom alert messages shown when the conditions set for a transition are not fulfilled, translated into multiple languages. Helps users understand why a transition is not available or disabled, especially in non-English environments. |
| Message Translations | Translates the confirmation popup messages shown on top. Provides localised guidance to users while they are performing the transition, ensuring clarity in actions or inputs required. |
Save the transition. Once the transition is saved, you will be routed back to the workflow show view which lists all the statuses and transitions you have configured until this point.
Other Key Features available in the Transitions List
The transitions list provides quick-access tools to help you manage and customise transitions efficiently, without much manual intervention.
- Mass Edit Transition types: Easily update the type of all transitions in one click using the 'Manage' button. This is especially useful for applying a consistent style across all transitions in a workflow. You can choose from the following options:
- Mark all as Standard: Lists transitions within the Workflow button.
- Mark all as Pinned: Displays transitions as separate buttons on the top-right of the record view.
- Mark all as Primary: Similar to pinned, but with the selected colour shown as the background for additional emphasis. Note that the primary transitions are always listed to the right.
- Repositioning Transitions: Allows you to define the display order of the transitions via the arrow icon or the 'position' field on the transition (within the Workflow button or as pinned buttons).
- Clone: Create a duplicate of an existing transition along with all its setting such as visuals, restrictions, confirmation, and other options. Speeds up setup when creating similar transitions.
- Deactivate: Temporarily disable a transition without deleting it. Deactivated transitions are hidden from users on the show views of records. These transitions can be re-enabled later without reconfiguration.
- Delete: Permanently removes a transition from the workflow. This action is irreversible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I unable to see the transition on the record?
Only users with ‘Update’ access on the record and who meet any specified field, team, or role-based restrictions can perform a transition. Please contact your system administrator to make sure you have the necessary permissions to the transition.
Can I show a transition even if conditions aren’t met?
Yes, by enabling 'Show When Conditions Are Not Met', the transition button remains visible. You can pair this with a custom message to explain why the transition is currently unavailable.
What is the difference between Standard, Pinned, and Primary transitions?
Standard: The transition is listed inside the 'Workflow' button dropdown, next to the 'Manage' dropdown.
Pinned: The transition is displayed as separate buttons at the top right of the record view.
Primary: Same as pinned but styled with an inverted colour for prominence.
Use the reposition arrows next to each transition to define their order—either within the dropdown or among pinned buttons (left to right).
What happens if I deactivate a transition?
The transition becomes hidden from the user interface but is not deleted. You can reactivate it at any time without losing configuration.
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