Workflows for Publication/Deletion

Workflows limit direct publication and deletion to specific user groups. Only authors with enhanced permissions – typically Digital Directors and Communications Directors, or agency equivalents – are able to publish directly. Other authors should initiate a workflow once a page is ready for publication. The workflow will send an email and an AEM inbox notification to the designated approvers, and they can approve or reject.

Any time an author updates a page, the change will not be published until the workflow is initiated and approval granted. “View as Published” mode from the Page Information Menu shows how the page will look once published, but does not actually publish the page.

Workflows also prevent standard authors from deleting pages. If they attempt to delete a page, the process is not complete until a Digital Director or Communications Director approves the request.

CoPA currently has four workflows in place.

This workflow is intended for authors who want to see how the page will display on a Preview link – as close to mimicking the published experience as possible, without the page actually going live. It is similar to “View as Published” from the Page Information Menu. It can be initiated and completed by authors from any user group.

As an example, a Vote author would follow the steps below to use this workflow.

1.  From the Page Information Menu, select Start Workflow --> Select a Workflow Model --> Publish to Preview Workflow.

2. Add a title.

3.  Select Start Workflow.

4.  From the Page Information Menu, select View as Published.

5. In the URL of the new tab that opens, swap out “author” with “preview.” Delete any text after “.html”.

6. Refresh the page, and the preview page will now show.

7. Note that any unpublished assets will not display on the preview link – they need to be published, either through the DAM or by publishing the page, to display.

This workflow is intended for authors who are ready to publish. It notifies the agency’s Digital Director user group (called the Owners user group in AEM) and offers the opportunity to approve or reject, with optional comments. Only one member of the user group needs to approve or reject.

Authors should decide whether they need Digital Director approval, or Communications Director approval. The Communications Director workflow follows the same steps, but is sent to a different user group.

If Digital Directors want to make note of their own approval comments, they should use the workflow, add comments, and approve their request. This may help keep track of any approvals that happened offline, before the workflow was initiated (ex. adding the workflow comment “Reviewed and approved by John Smith from Legal on March 9”).

As an example, a Vote author and Digital Director would follow the steps below to use this workflow.

1. Author:

a. From the Page Information Menu, select Start Workflow --> Select a Workflow Model --> Digital Director Approval Workflow.

b. Add a title.

c. Select Start Workflow.

d. A banner appears across the page noting that the page is subject to workflow approval.

2. Digital Director:

a. The entire Owners user group receives an email notifying that a page is ready for approval on AEM. The link in email leads to the page, so the Digital Director can review.

b.  The notification may also be viewed from the inbox in AEM. Once on the inbox page, select the checkmark to the left of the page title, then “Open” to see the content path to the page.

c. Digital Director reviews the page. Once ready, they should click “Complete” from the screen in Step 2.a or 2.b.

d. To approve, select “Activate Page/Asset.” Add an optional comment.

e. To reject, select “Reject.” Add an optional comment.

f. Click “Ok” to complete the workflow.

3. If the Digital Director approves, the author receives an email notification, and the page is published. Comments may optionally be included in the email.

4. If the Digital Director rejects, the author receives an email notification, and the page is not published. Comments may optionally be included in the email. The author may start over from Step 1 to request approval again.

This workflow is intended for authors who are ready to publish. It notifies the agency’s Communications Director user group and offers the opportunity to approve or reject, with optional comments. Only one member of the user group needs to approve or reject.

Authors should decide whether they need Communications Director approval, or Digital Director approval. The Communications Director workflow follows the same steps as the Digital Director workflow above, but is sent to a different user group. Please reference the above user guide.

If Communications Directors want to make note of their own approval comments, they should use the workflow, add comments, and approve their request. This may help keep track of any approvals that happened offline, before the workflow was initiated (ex. adding the workflow comment “Reviewed and approved by John Smith from Legal on March 9”).

This workflow is not currently in use. It is intended for pages or assets that are migrated to AEM with no changes, and only need accessibility approval. A member of the CoPA Accessibility team would review and approve/reject.

No user groups are set to use this workflow, as the Accessibility team conducts their reviews separately. If needed, Sapient will add users and notify authors to use when necessary.