Approval Workflows ▶ Watch video

Documents can be sent automatically to one or more responsible users for review and approval. Workflows can be configured so that a single user approves it, so that within the designated group the first person to approve resolves it, or so that within the designated group each responsible user must approve that step of the workflow.

• Advantage: Ensures compliance with internal document review processes.
• Additional detail: Multiple workflows can be created per document type, and the system keeps a history of who approved or rejected each version, along with their comments.

Step by Step:

1. Click the Settings. button in the side menu


2. Select the Workflows. option.


3. Click the New button to create a new document category.

Review Step

1. Click the Review Step button to add a new step.


2. Add the step name and define the Task type (Group: All must approve, or Group: First to approve or reject). The Approver type (internal/external) and the Approver source are configured next (see "Configuring an approval step" below).







3. Depending on the type of step, you can define who will be the person or people responsible for the step.







4. Finally, click Save.

Signing Step

1. Select the Signature Type: In the drop-down menu, choose the signing mode that will be applied to the document


2. Define Modification Permissions: Use the toggle to decide whether or not signers may be modified when sending the document to the workflow.


3. Configure Internal Signers: Use the search box to add the system users who must sign the document.


4. Configure External Signers: If the process requires signatures from people outside the organization, select them from the contact list.





5. Once the signers and permissions are set, click the Confirm button to add this step to your workflow.

Publication Step

1. Verify the purpose of the step: Note that this stage automatically copies a final version of the document (whether approved or signed) into the designated publication repository.


2. Configure bulk notifications: Use the "Notify all participants that the document has been published" toggle to send an automatic notice to everyone who took part in the workflow.


3. Select specific users: If you want additional people (who did not participate directly in the workflow) to receive the publication notice, add them in the "Notify specific users" field.





4. Once the notification preferences are adjusted, click the Confirm button to save the settings and include this step in your workflow.

Once you have completed the configuration of the review, signing and publication steps, click the Confirm button so that the workflow is ready to be used.

The workflow modeler

The modeler presents the workflow as a ribbon of chained stages, which makes it easy to see the entire sequence at a glance: the approval, review, signing and publication steps. Each stage is shown as a card you can edit or delete, and a color legend identifies the type of step (review, signing and publication).

Configuring an approval step

When adding or editing an approval step, the following options are defined:

• Task type: how the group of responsible users approves:
  • Group: All must approve — all users responsible for the step must give their approval to advance.
  • Group: First to approve or reject — it is enough for the first person in the group to approve (or reject) to resolve the step.
• Editable approvers (toggle): defines whether the step's approvers can be modified (for example, when publishing the document) or remain fixed as defined in the workflow.
• Approver type: indicates whether the approver is Internal (a user of the organization) or External.
• Approver source: where the step's approvers come from:
  • Specific users — people chosen directly when configuring the step.
  • Main folder approver — resolved automatically with the Folder approvers configured in the main folder (Workspace) where the document is located.
  • Subfolder approver — resolved with the Folder approvers configured in the subfolder (Record) where the document is located.

Using the main folder approver or subfolder approver as the source lets you reuse the same workflow across many folders: the correct approver is determined by where the document lives, without needing to create a separate workflow for each area. Folder approvers are defined in Folder Management → View folder details → Folder approvers.

Signing modes

PRO plan The signing step and its modes are available in the PRO plan.

When configuring a signing step, the Signature Type field lets you choose the mechanism with which the document will be signed. The most common modes are:

• DocuKlaud Signature: the platform's native signature. The signer draws or uploads their signature and places it on the document. Internal signers sign from the DocuKlaud site in SharePoint (the "Documents to sign" inbox); external signers, from the external portal app.docuklaud.com (see Electronic Signature).
• DocuSign PRO plan: delegates signing to DocuSign, generating the envelope with the document and the recipients; when completed, the signed document returns to the workflow automatically (see DocuSign Integration).

Depending on the plan and the contracted instance, additional signature providers may be available.

External approval and signing

When a step has an external approver or signer (Approver type: External), that person does not need a Microsoft 365 account or access to the SharePoint site. They receive by email a secure, single-use link to the external portal (app.docuklaud.com), where they can review the document and approve, reject or sign it. The action is recorded with the same traceability as that of an internal participant (date, identity and comment), and when signing, additional evidence such as the IP address and geolocation is captured.

Publication Step

The Publication Step is the final stage of the workflow. It notifies all participants that the document has been published, leaving a record of the closure of the process.

Keep workflow progress in case of rejection

The workflow includes the option "Keep workflow progress in case of rejection". If enabled, when a document is rejected and a new version is submitted, the workflow continues from the last step reached before the rejection, instead of restarting from the beginning. It is useful to avoid repeating approvals already obtained when the rejection affects only a later stage.