Understanding content workflows
During the process of creating a document, the content goes through several statuses. Each status requires input from users with different roles.
Each status represents a corresponding stage in the process of creating a document. Every object is given a status, which shows what stage the object is at. Objects change status according to the workflow defined in your deployment. For example, a topic may go from Contribute status to Done status through the following workflow:
The status of an object provides an understanding of the following:
- Where it is within your documentation process
- What effort needs to come next
- What needs to be accomplished before it is finished
Roles and workflows
Each user may have one or more roles. For example, your deployment might have roles such as Contributor, Writer, and Reviewer. When a user is assigned to content using a role, that user is expected to work on the assigned content in a way specific to that role.
For example, subject matter experts might be expected to produce content that is then given to technical writers to refine. In this case, the subject matter experts could create the new content while assigned through the Contributor role. And technical writers could have the Writer role. Once done, the technical writers give the content back to the subject matter experts to verify and change by assigning them in the Reviewer role.
Each role works on objects at only specific statuses. As different roles need to work on objects, a writer or other user can change the status of the object. This allows users with that role to work on the object.
Object dependencies and workflows
An object cannot be further along in its workflow than the dependencies it references. For example, if a topic references images, the topic cannot move to Done status before these images move to Done status. This ensures that the object references only dependencies that are at least as complete as it is. For example, this prevents a topic from being at Done status if it references unfinished conrefs that are still in Work status. Otherwise, incomplete content could end up in objects that are supposed to be complete.