Allowing you to map out the lifecycle of your documents, workflows are an incredibly helpful tool for Records Management. However, they can provide a lot more value than just achieving compliance-based retention and disposition. We're going to walk you through some of the workflow capabilities in cloud-based data lake solution Collabspace to show how you can easily define the whole end-to-end business process for your organization to gain the most insights from your content.
Applying Record Policies to Document Lifecycles
Collabspace Workflows allow users to not only blueprint, but implement their document lifecycles. This includes the ability to create, save, publish and associate Workflows to automatically categorize and apply retention policies where Preserve, Retain, and Destroy actions may be applied to the content. Records managers can ensure that all stored documents remain compliant, are reviewed, and are disposed of correctly.
Sample of a Workflow for the lifecycle of a Corporate Policy.
Streamlined Creation with Workflow Designer
The Workflow page in Collabspace has been designed with a simple, clean visual interface that allows users to select and apply appropriate Actions to create an entire end-to-end document lifecycle workflow in minutes. Documents transition from one action to the next:
- automatically, through content or metadata-based matching;
- or manually, with user-driven event triggers.
Users simply drag-n-drop Actions right into their Workflows.
Workflow Triggers send content from one Action to the next.
The Workflow Designer includes an improved validation experience to ensure that users' Workflows and actions are properly configured. Validation messages will not only specify the problem, but also take users to the appropriate action or connector.
If the Workflow is misconfigured, users will be unable to publish, and will receive a validation error message.
Non-Sequential Workflow Paths
Actions can be mapped out in a non-linear fashion for those with more complex needs. For example: a Human Resources manager may have written up a vacation policy that needs to go through drafting, edits, review, and then back to edits again before it is set as immutable and retained. The Collabspace Workflow Designer gives users the ability to set out a back-and-forth path, and to apply appropriate security permissions to each document so only designated users can view or edit.
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Non-linear building options are available for users to incorporate into their Workflows.
Lifecycle and Content Review Details
Once a Workflow has been applied to a document, users can see the workflow status and history within the Lifecycle Details display, and can find the document by workflow-related properties within Search.
Workflows can contain content reviews which allow users to complete necessary review processes within the lifecycle of a document. Review list participants can assign outcomes to review items, which are then processed once a list has been marked as completed. This list-based review approach is a powerful feature that is currently unique from anything that is available on the market.
Additional Capabilities
Users will be able to create a Hold and add items to it. This capability ensures that any items placed on Hold will be blocked from destruction until the Hold is removed .
Beyond these features, Workflows are multi-lingual for better user accessibility, include additional audit abilities that extend beyond what is available in Collabware CLM, and will allow for the application of intelligent document lifecycle management from multiple repositories in a single, one-view platform.
The Result
By simplifying, streamlining, and automating aspects of building and implementing content workflows, users not only have records management capabilities in Collabspace, but an improved method for overall organizational business practices. With the time and dollars saved, the floor is open for improved processes and truly gaining the value from your content.
Would you like to learn more about Workflows or if this data lake solution is a fit with your organization? Please reach out to us with any questions or for a Discovery Call, or you can download a free brochure below to learn more about Collabspace capabilities:
