Help Center / User Management

Understanding and Managing Workflow Automation

What is this page about: How workflow automation works in Light, including condition and approval routing, assigning approvers, managing Draft and Active versions, and where workflows live in Settings.

On this page

  • Workflow components
  • Building conditional workflows
  • Approval routing
  • Workflow versions
  • Monitoring workflows
  • Related articles

Workflow components

Every workflow in Light is built from seven node types in the visual editor:

  • Trigger node. The starting point. Documents enter the workflow here.
  • Condition node. Routes documents down different paths based on a property you choose, such as amount, document type, vendor, cost center, or a custom field. Each condition can have several branches.
  • Approval node. Stops the workflow until a person approves or rejects. Every approval node has two paths out: if approved and if rejected.
  • Action node. Runs an operation, such as creating or updating a record, posting a document, or sending a notification.
  • Timer node. Pauses the workflow for a set duration before it continues.
  • Agent Review node. Uses AI to check a document against your policies, with two outcome branches. The labels on those branches (for example "if compliant" / "if non-compliant") are set by the backend rather than fixed in the editor, so the exact wording can vary.
  • Map data node. Maps fields from one part of the workflow to another.

Add nodes using the Action and Condition buttons in the toolbar at the bottom of the editor.

Building conditional workflows

Condition nodes route documents down different approval paths based on a property you define.

  1. Open Light and go to Settings (gear icon) → Workflows.

  2. Select the workflow you want to edit.

  3. Click Condition in the bottom toolbar to add a condition node.

  4. Choose a Property from the dropdown (for example amount, vendor, bill type, cost center, or a line item classification), then pick an operator. Which operators are offered depends on the property's type:

    • Entity or select fields (including single- and multi-select custom properties): equals, not equal, or included in.
    • Amount, date, or numeric fields: equals, not equal, greater than, greater than or equal, less than, or less than or equal.
    • Boolean, text, or other fields: equals or not equal only.

  5. Set the value or values to match against.

  6. Connect each branch to the approval or action node it should lead to.

For example, a bill approval workflow might route by amount (under $20,000 goes one way, over goes another), by vendor, by bill type such as reimbursement, by cost center, or by line item classification such as external subcontracting. You can combine several conditions on one node for more complex routing.

Worth testing: a condition routes only the branches you define on it. If you rely on an unmatched document going somewhere specific, test that path in a draft workflow before publishing.

Approval routing

When a document reaches an approval node, Light notifies the assigned approver, who must act before the workflow continues. Approvers can be assigned in one of four ways:

  • User. Name an individual directly.
  • Group. Any member of the group can approve.
  • Manager of requester. Light routes to the requester's manager automatically.
  • Manager of previous approver. Light routes to the manager of whoever approved the step before.

Manager assignments adapt automatically as your organisation changes. You don't need to update the workflow when someone's manager changes.

Workflow versions

Every workflow has versions, so you can change routing logic without disrupting documents already in flight.

  • Draft. Edit freely in the visual editor. A draft doesn't affect any document until you publish it.
  • Active. The current version applied to new documents. Only one version can be active at a time.
  • Previous versions. Earlier active versions, kept for reference.

The Workflows list shows each workflow's version number, when it went active, and who activated it.

Viewing version history

  1. Open the workflow in the editor.
  2. Click the version dropdown next to the workflow name.
  3. Select a previous version to see its configuration exactly as it was at that point (nodes, conditions, and approval paths included).

A previous version is read-only. You can review it but not edit it. Select the most recent version from the dropdown to return to live editing.

This is useful for confirming what a workflow looked like when a specific document went through it, or for referencing an old configuration before making a new change.

Worth knowing: treat the order of the version dropdown as a convenience rather than a guarantee. The Workflows list shows each version's number and activation date if you need to be certain which is which.

Discarding draft changes

If you've edited a workflow but haven't published it, a Discard draft button appears next to Publish.

  1. Click Discard draft.
  2. Confirm at the prompt (this discards any unpublished changes).
  3. Light reverts the workflow to the last active version, removing any nodes, edges, or configuration changes made since.

Use this when you've experimented with a workflow and decide not to keep the changes.

To publish a workflow, click Publish in the top right corner of the editor.

Monitoring workflows

  1. Open Light and go to Settings (gear icon) → Workflows to see every workflow.
  2. Check which are active, along with their activation date and version number.
  3. See which workflows changed most recently.
  4. Click into any workflow to view or edit its flow in the visual editor.

Also searched as: workflow automation, approval workflow builder, conditional routing, condition nodes, approval nodes, agent review node, workflow versioning, draft vs active workflow, publish workflow, discard draft, approver assignment, manager approval routing, hierarchical approval, bill approval workflow, cost center routing, Settings → Workflows.

Was this article helpful?

Book a demo