Creating a Workflow
Learn how to create document review and approval workflows in Document Ocean 360, configure reviewers and approvers, and choose between parallel and sequential review modes.
/projects/:id/workflows/new Workflows are the backbone of document control in construction and engineering projects. A workflow is a structured sequence of review and approval steps that a document must pass through before it is accepted for use on-site, issued for construction, or archived. Every transmittal, shop drawing, method statement, or design deliverable should move through a formal workflow to maintain compliance and traceability.
Document Ocean 360 lets you define exactly who needs to review a document, in what order, and what happens when someone approves or rejects it — all with a full audit trail.
Who Can Create Workflows?
ContributorAny user with the Contributor role or above on a project can initiate a new workflow. Project Admins have additional abilities such as reassigning reviewers mid-workflow or overriding a rejected status.
Workflow Lifecycle
Every workflow transitions through a series of states from creation to completion:
Draft A workflow that has been started but not yet submitted. You can still edit all fields.
Submitted The workflow has been submitted and is awaiting reviewers to begin their work.
Under Review At least one reviewer has opened the document and review is actively in progress.
Approved All required reviewers and approvers have signed off. The document is cleared for its intended use.
Rejected One or more reviewers have rejected the document. The originator must revise and resubmit.
How to Create a Workflow
Navigate to Workflows
Open your project and click 'Workflows' in the sidebar navigation, then click the 'New Workflow' button in the top-right corner.
Select Documents
Choose one or more documents from the project document register to include in the workflow. You can search by document number, title, discipline, or revision.
Fill in Workflow Details
Provide a workflow title, set the due date, and add any special instructions for reviewers in the description field.
Add Reviewers & Approvers
Select team members to act as reviewers and approvers. Reviewers provide feedback; approvers give final sign-off. You can add multiple people in each role.
Choose Review Mode
Select 'Parallel' to let all reviewers work simultaneously, or 'Sequential' to enforce a specific review order where each reviewer must finish before the next is notified.
Submit the Workflow
Review the summary and click 'Submit Workflow'. All assigned reviewers will be notified by email and in-app notification.
Workflow Form Fields
Workflow Creation Form
A descriptive name for the workflow (e.g., 'Structural Drawings Rev C — Client Review'). This appears in the workflow list and email notifications.
One or more documents from the project register to include. Each document's current revision will be attached automatically.
Team members responsible for reviewing the documents and providing feedback. Reviewers can annotate, comment, and submit a verdict.
Team members with authority to give final approval. A workflow is only marked as Approved once all approvers have signed off.
The deadline by which all reviews and approvals should be completed. Overdue workflows are flagged in the dashboard and trigger reminder notifications.
Free-text field for any special instructions, review criteria, or context the reviewers should be aware of before starting their review.
Choose between Parallel (all reviewers work at the same time) or Sequential (reviewers are notified one at a time in the configured order).
Parallel vs Sequential Review
Choosing the right review mode
Use Parallel review when all reviewers are independent and don’t need to see each other’s feedback before making their own assessment — this is faster and ideal for multi-discipline reviews where each discipline checks different aspects.
Use Sequential review when the output of one review informs the next — for example, when a junior engineer reviews first, followed by a senior engineer, and finally a client representative. Sequential mode enforces order and ensures each reviewer sees prior feedback.
In parallel mode, all reviewers receive their notification at the same time and can submit their verdict independently. The workflow advances to the approval stage only once every reviewer has submitted.
In sequential mode, only the first reviewer in the list is notified. Once they submit their verdict, the next reviewer is notified, and so on. This gives later reviewers the benefit of seeing prior annotations and comments.
After Submission
Once a workflow is submitted, the originator can monitor its progress from the workflow detail page. You’ll see each reviewer’s status in real time — whether they’ve opened the document, started annotating, or submitted their verdict. If a reviewer is unresponsive past the due date, a Project Admin can reassign the task to someone else.
Email notifications
Every workflow action triggers an email notification to the relevant parties — submission, review completion, approval, and rejection. Make sure your team members have valid email addresses configured in their profiles.