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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2025-05-30
Create Project Workflows

Create Project Workflows

You can define custom workflows that reflect your required business logic, processes, and flow. With the Project Workflow builder, you visualize and understand your project workflows. After you create a new workflow, you can assign the workflow to a project type.
  1. Access
    Settings
    Project Workflows
    .
  2. Click
    Create New Workflow
    .
    You create workflows from existing workflows. The first new workflow that you build will be created from the
    Default Projects Workflow
    . You can’t edit the
    Default Projects Workflow
    .
  3. Enter a name for the workflow and select a workflow to build from.
  4. To open the workflow builder, click the name of the new workflow.
  5. To edit state settings, click the gear icon.
    1. Click
      Edit
       next to
      State Settings
       in the side panel.
    2. As you customize the state settings, consider:
      Option
      Description
      Locked Default Fields
      Locked Custom Fields
      Locks fields from being edited.
      Locked Milestones
      Locks milestones from being added or edited.
      Locked Savings Tracker
      Locks the ability to add new savings entries.
      Required Default Fields
      Required Custom Fields
      After transitioning to the next state, Strategic Sourcing adds a red asterisk next to the field and displays an error if a required field is cleared.
      This doesn’t prevent projects from transitioning into the next state.
    3. Save the state and customize the settings for other states as needed.
  6. To edit state transitions, click the gear icon.
    1. Click
      Edit
       next to
      Transitions
       in the side panel.
    2. As you customize the state transitions, consider:
      Option
      Description
      Create Milestone
      Action. Enter a name for the milestone you want to create when the state transitions.
      Select the preferred due date for that milestone based on when it is created. Example: On the
      Requested
       to
      Active
       transition, if you choose
      Next Business Day
       and the project is transitioned to
      Active
       on Friday, the milestone will be due on the following Monday.
      Select and assignee. Workday automatically assigns them the milestone when the state transitions.
      Update Default Field Value
      Action. Select a default field you want to update with information when the state transitions. Example: On the
      Active
       to
      Canceled
       transition, you can automatically set the final spend for any canceled project to $0. This will only work if the field has no data in it. This action doesn't overwrite existing data in the field. You can also clear a field value when a state transitions by checking the
      Clear Field Value
       check box.
      Required Default Fields
      Required Custom Fields
      Validation. Select the fields that you want to require be completed before the state transitions. When you don't complete required fields, the project can't be transitioned to the next state. Example: On the
      Planned
       to
      Active
       transition, you can require the
      Estimated Spend default
       field or
      Category
       custom field be completed. The project state can't be transitioned to
      Active
       unless the fields are completed.
      All Milestones Complete
      Validation. Validates that all milestones are complete on a project when the state transitions. Example: On the
      Active
       to
      Out for Approval
       transition, you can ensure all milestones are completed before a project can be approved.
      You can also remove the existing validation that requires all milestones to be completed before a project can be marked as
      Complete
      .
      All Savings Complete
      Validation. Validates that all
      Savings
       fields are complete on a project when the state transitions. Example: On the
      Active
       to
      Out for Approval
       transition, you can ensure all
      Savings
       fields are completed before a project can be approved. This validation only validates
      Savings
       line fields and doesn't validate other fields in the
      Financial Details
       section.
    3. Save the state and customize the transitions for other states as needed.
    When you save changes to a workflow that’s assigned to a project type, those changes only apply to new projects.
    When you choose to use project approvals in the future, you might need to create new workflows to incorporate the
    Out for Approval
     and
    Approved
     states. These states aren't automatically pushed into existing custom workflows. You have two options for managing required custom and default fields:
    • If you want to only mark a field as required on a project but not restrict state transition, configure this in
      State Settings
      .
    • If you want to mark a field as required and restrict a state transition, you only need to configure the validation in
      Transitions
      .
  1. In the
    Customize Projects
     section, access the project you want to assign the new workflow to.
  2. Select the name of your new workflow in the
    Workflow
     prompt. The new workflow only applies to new projects.