A defined workflow sets the foundation of every efficient business process. Whether a company is hiring a new employee, managing a lead, processing a sale or updating website content, every task must be properly transferred to the appropriate team members in order to keep the project on course. Workflow automation within a content management system (CMS) allows content to be transferred or automated from worker to worker as the activity is recorded and tracked. As a result, this can reduce inefficiencies in business process, as well as free managers from having to micro-manage employees.

While every content management system offers a different form of workflow automation, this post focuses on setting up workflow within the Kentico CMS. The Kentico CMS offers organizations the ability to create “customizable workflow or approval processes for different document types and site sections.” (see figure 1)

For example, if you want your marketing director to approve all new content posted to the blog or news section, then you can easily set up a workflow process where content editors are required to seek content approval from the marketing director before the content is published.

Figure 1 – Document Lifecycle with a Workflow:

Once the document is submitted, an email is sent to the appropriate person, notifying them that there is new content awaiting their approval.

This improved workflow process speeds up task completion and reduces labor costs, allowing companies to deliver faster and more consistently.

Defining a Workflow

To get to the workflow management settings in the Kentico CMS go to the Site Manager -> Development -> Workflows. Once you are there, you’ll be able to create test users, define new workflow and custom workflow steps. The following video will show you how to define a new workflow using the Kentico CMS 5.0.

Storing Version History

During the workflow process you may want to go back and access an old document version that you might have saved over. The Kentico CMS offers a versioning feature that automatically saves each document version. Instead of rewriting lost content, you can simply open an older version saved in the CMS.

Using the Kentico CMS, you can also view different versions side-by-side to compare changes that were previously made. Both of these features can save you a lot of time and energy.

Elements of Successful Workflow

Successful workflow will streamline content publishing procedures and reduce turnaround time. One important aspect of successful workflow is ensuring that every member involved understands and agrees upon the project purpose. It is also important to review the process from time to time and eliminate any unnecessary steps. Training can be a key element of successful workflow as well. If your employees are familiar with the tools they are using and understand the workflow, then they will be more likely to succeed in the process.

In order to maintain successful workflow with your Kentico CMS, make sure you:

• Prevent overlapping work using the check-in, check-out feature
• Provide training for employees
• Always tie workflow step and/or permissions to roles, not users (this way you don't have to repeat the process of assigning workflow steps and permissions each time you add a user to your organization)
• Assign roles to appropriate users
• Monitor the state of tasks

For more information on using workflow in the Kentico CMS, contact one of our Kentico experts.