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Understanding and Managing Workflow Automation

Beyond basic approval workflows, Light supports advanced workflow automation with conditions, branching, and approval routing. This article explains how to build complex workflows using the visual workflow editor that handle sophisticated approval scenarios.

Workflow Components

Workflows in Light are built using a visual flow editor with the following building blocks:

Trigger Node - The starting point of every workflow, where documents enter when the workflow is triggered.

Condition Nodes - Branch logic that routes documents to different approval paths based on conditions (amount, document type, vendor, cost center, custom fields). Each condition node can have multiple branches plus an "else" default path.

Approval Nodes - Stop points where users must approve or reject before the workflow continues. Each approval node shows two outgoing paths: "if approved" and "if rejected."

Action Nodes - Execute specific operations like creating or updating records, posting documents, or sending notifications.

Timer Nodes - Pause the workflow for a set duration before continuing.

Agent Review Nodes - Use AI to review documents against your policies, with "if compliant" and "if non-compliant" branches.

You add nodes to your workflow using the Action and Condition buttons in the toolbar at the bottom of the visual editor.

Building Conditional Workflows

Use condition nodes to route documents to different approval paths:

  1. Open a workflow from Settings → Workflows
  2. Click Condition in the bottom toolbar to add a condition node
  3. Define conditions — specify field name, operator (equals, not equals, greater than, greater than or equal, less than, less than or equal, in), and values
  4. Each condition creates a branch for documents matching it, plus an "else" path for everything else
  5. Connect each branch to appropriate approval or action nodes

For example, the Bill Approval workflow might route based on: amount thresholds (e.g., Amount < GBP 20,000), vendor name, bill type (e.g., Reimbursement), cost center (e.g., Finance & Ops), or line item classifications (e.g., External subcontracting).

Conditions can be combined for complex routing scenarios with multiple branches from a single condition node.

Approval Node Routing

Approval nodes determine who must approve a document. When a document reaches an approval node, the assigned approver receives a notification and must take action. The workflow then follows the "if approved" or "if rejected" path accordingly.

Approvers can be assigned based on:

  • Specific users - Explicitly select individual users
  • User groups - Any member of a group can approve
  • Manager assignment - Auto-assign to the document requester's manager
  • Hierarchical routing - Route up the manager chain

Manager and group assignments are powerful because they adapt automatically as your organization changes — you don't need to update workflow rules when someone's manager changes.

Workflow Versioning

Workflows have versions that track changes over time:

  1. Draft - Edit freely in the visual editor; doesn't apply to documents
  2. Published - Active workflow applied to new documents
  3. Previous versions - Earlier published versions available for reference

Only one workflow version can be published at a time. The Workflows list shows the current version number, published date, and who published it for each workflow.

Viewing Version History

To view previous versions of a workflow, click the version dropdown next to the workflow name in the editor. The dropdown lists all published versions in descending order, showing the version number (e.g., v1, v2) and the date each was published.

When you select a previous version:

  • The editor displays that version's configuration as it was at that point in time
  • All nodes, conditions, and approval paths reflect the historical state
  • The workflow is read-only — you can review the configuration but can't make changes
  • To return to the current version and resume editing, select the most recent version from the dropdown

This is helpful when you need to verify what a workflow looked like when a specific document was processed, or when you want to reference a previous configuration before making new changes.

Discarding Draft Changes

If you've made changes to a workflow but haven't published them yet, you'll see a Discard draft button next to the Publish button. Clicking this:

  1. Shows a confirmation prompt (unpublished changes will be lost)
  2. Reverts the workflow to the last published version
  3. Removes any nodes, edges, or configuration changes you made since the last publish

Use this when you've experimented with changes but decide not to keep them, or when you want to start over from the last published state.

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

Monitoring Workflows

Track workflow execution from the Workflows list:

  1. Go to Settings → Workflows to view all workflows
  2. See which workflows are published (with dates and version numbers)
  3. Identify which workflows have been recently updated
  4. Click a workflow to view and edit its flow in the visual editor

Best Practices

  • Start simple - Begin with basic condition and approval flows, add complexity as needed
  • Test thoroughly - Run test documents through workflows before publishing
  • Use auto-assignment - Reduces manual configuration and adapts to org changes
  • Monitor versions - Keep track of published versions and who changed them
  • Document conditions - Add clear condition labels so future editors understand the routing logic
  • Review regularly - Quarterly check that workflows still match your processes

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