Understanding content workflow

During the process of creating a document, the content goes through several stages. Each stage requires input from users with different roles.

Each object is given a status, and that status changes according to the workflow defined in your deployment. For example, a topic may go from Contribute status to Done status through the following workflow:

Figure: Example of a workflow
Sample workflow

The status of an object provides an understanding of the following:

  • Where it stands within your documentation process
  • What effort needs to come next
  • What needs to be accomplished before it is finished

Each person may have one or more roles. For instance, your deployment might have roles such as Contributor, Writer, Editor, and Reviewer. The person assigned to a given role is expected to work on the assigned content in a specific way.

For example, in your organization subject matter experts might be expected to produce content that is then given to technical writers to refine. Once done, the technical writers give the content back to the subject matter experts to verify and change as required. In this case, the subject matter experts could have the Contributor and Reviewer roles, and technical writers could have the Writer role.