Workflow Rules
Workflow rules are automated reactions to events in the system. Instead of relying on people to remember every process step, you set up a rule once and the app does the work.
Where
Admin → Workflow Rules — list of rules, with create/edit/toggle/delete actions. Each rule has a detail page with its execution history.
Only a firm administrator (or someone with admin_manager) should create or edit rules.
The anatomy of a rule
A rule has:
- A trigger — the event that fires the rule (e.g. "matter opened", "invoice approved", "leave requested")
- Conditions — optional filters (e.g. "only for litigation matters", "only if amount > 10,000")
- Actions — what to do (e.g. create a task, send a notification, assign someone)
Executions
Every time a rule fires, an execution record is stored. Open the rule detail page to see:
- When it fired
- What triggered it
- Whether it succeeded
- Any error details
This is essential for debugging a rule that isn't behaving as expected.
Toggling a rule
Rules can be toggled on/off without deleting them. Useful when:
- Testing a new rule in a staging environment
- Temporarily pausing a rule during a busy period
- Disabling a rule that's causing too much noise
Manual trigger
From a rule's detail page you can trigger it manually against a specific target — useful for backfilling or testing.
Good rules vs bad rules
A good workflow rule:
- Has a clearly scoped trigger and conditions
- Does one thing
- Produces signal, not noise
A bad workflow rule:
- Fires on every matter creation without filtering — floods the firm with notifications
- Duplicates work a person is already doing
- Has unclear actions nobody understands
Start small. Create one or two rules, watch their execution history for a week, adjust, then add more.