Initiation Phase
The Initiation Phase is the first phase in a workflow, in which the Initiator initiates a new workflow that will result in an executed contract. The user initiating the workflow is referred to as the Initiator, regardless of their user role (or roles).
Once the Initiation Phase is completed, the workflow moves to the next phase. In most workflows, a Form Phase follows the Initiation Phase.
Workflows canceled before initiation cannot be recovered.
Roles and Participants
Typically, only an Admin, Phase Owner, or Phase Mediator can initiate a workflow on a new contract.
However, if a workflow template defines the Phase Manager as *Initiator, users with these roles may also initiate workflows:
Reviewer
Approver
Signatory
An Admin or an Editor can initiate a workflow on an existing contract.
Initiating Workflows
Workflows can be initiated for a new contract or for an existing contract.
A workflow cannot be initiated on an existing contract if the contract has been archived. (An Archived badge would appear on the contract summary page.)
The form fields on the initiation page will be based on the selection of the Is this a new or existing contract? field. The default form for initiating a workflow is a new contract.
To reduce the chance of initiating a workflow on the wrong contract, we recommend initiating any workflow on an existing contract from the contract summary page.
For a New Contract
On the worklist page, click Initiate New Workflow.
On the initiation page, complete the form.
This field defaults to the contract location or locations of the current contract.
To remove the selection, click the x.
To add a contract location to the current selection, click the caret and select the node you want to add.
You will only see contract locations that you have permission to view.
Clicking on the contract location field will reveal the organization tree. The typical organizational tree is four nodes deep: Organization > Entity > Site > Department.
Click Expand All to see all the nodes.
Click Collapse All to collapse all but the first and second-level nodes.
Click a caret to expand the leaves of a single node. Click the caret again to collapse the node.
You cannot select only the Organization (top) node of the contract location tree. If you select only the Organization node, then a modal will prompt you to select all locations below it.
If you click No, then your contract location selection will be cleared.
If you click Yes, then all the child nodes, e.g. all the Departments, Entities, and Sites beneath the Organization node will be added to the contract location field.
If you select a child node, then all its ancestors will auto-select.
If you select a parent node, then you’ll be asked if you want to add all of its descendant nodes.
If you remove a parent node, its descendant nodes will automatically be removed.
You will only see contract location that you have permission to view.
You can filter Contact Types by contract category:
Click Filter by Contract Category.
In the new dropdown, select a Contract Category.
The Contract Type dropdown will only show contract types within the selected contract category.
To remove the filter, click Hide Contract Category Filter.
You must select the contract location before selecting the contract type.
If you update the contract location after selecting the contract type, then the contract type field will be cleared.
You must select the contract location and contract type before selecting the workflow template. If there are no workflow templates available, verify with your Admin that there is an active workflow template for the contract location and contract type you selected.
When finished, click Initiate Workflow.
OR
To exit without initiating the workflow, click Cancel.
For an Existing Contract
On the worklist page, click Initiate New Workflow.
On the initiation page, complete the form.
This field defaults to the contract location or locations of the current contract.
To remove the selection, click the x.
To add a contract location to the current selection, click the caret and select the node you want to add.
You will only see contract locations that you have permission to view.
Clicking on the Contract Location field will reveal an organization tree. The typical organizational tree is four nodes deep: Organization > Entity > Site > Department.
Click Expand All to see all the nodes.
Click Collapse All to collapse all but the first and second-level nodes.
Click a caret to expand the leaves of a single node. Click the caret again to collapse the node.
You cannot select only the Organization (top) node of the contract location tree. If you select only the Organization node, then a modal will prompt you to select all locations below it.
If you click No, then your contract location selection will be cleared.
If you click Yes, then all the child nodes, e.g. all the Departments, Entities, and Sites beneath the Organization node will be added to the Contract Location field.
If you select a child node, then all its ancestors will auto select.
If you select a parent node, then you’ll be asked if you want to add all of its child nodes.
If you remove a parent node, its children will automatically be removed.
You must select the contract location and Contract Number before selecting the action type. If the desired action type is unavailable, verify with your Admin that there is an active workflow template for the contract location and action type you selected.
You must select the action type before selecting the workflow template. If there are no workflow templates available, verify with your Admin that there is an active workflow template for the contract location and action type you selected.
When initiating a workflow from an existing contract, all documents and attachments in the contract summary page are imported by default. If you do nothing with documents and attachments, every single document and attachment from the current version of the contract go into the workflow, and upon activation, the updated version of the contract.
The imported documents and attachments appear in the workflow accordion.
If there are no documents or attachments to import from a contract, the cloud icon will be gray and unclickable.
A confidential attachment can only be viewed and imported by the user who uploaded the attachment or the users who were given permission to access the attachment.
If you skip adding attachments during initiation, you can upload them after the Initiation Phase.
If you remove an imported document and attachment during initiation, you cannot import it after the Initiation Phase. However, you can download the document or attachment from the contract summary page, then upload it into the new workflow.
To add an attachment:
Click the (+).
Select the attachment from your computer.
Click Open.
OR
To close the window without uploading the attachment, click Cancel.
To remove an imported document or attachment:
Hover over the document or attachment that you’d like to remove.
Click the ellipsis (…).
Click Delete,
In the modal, click Delete Document or Delete Attachment.
OR
To close the modal without deleting the document or attachment, click Cancel or ✖.
If you’ve deleted a document or attachment and would like to import the document again, click the cloud icon in the Documents or Attachments accordion, select the document or attachment, then click Import.
To manage documents or attachments within a table:
Click the cloud icon in the Documents or Attachments accordion.
In the modal, you can sort, filter, manage columns, export the table, and view or download the documents or attachments.
When finished, click Initiate Workflow.
If you initiate a workflow on a contract that has another workflow in progress, you’ll see a confirmation modal. To initiate the workflow anyway, click Initiate. To cancel, click Take Me Back.
OR
To exit without initiating the workflow, click Cancel or ✖.