Approval Workflows

Why Use Approval Workflows

Without workflows, content goes from draft to published with no oversight. This creates risk in regulated industries or brands with strict messaging guidelines. Approval workflows solve this by:

• Requiring editorial review before publication
• Enforcing compliance checks for regulated content
• Creating audit trails for who approved what and when
• Escalating stuck approvals to prevent bottlenecks
• Tracking average time-to-approval across your team

The Four Workflow Types

ILLIXIS provides four built-in workflow templates:

1. Simple (Draft → Publish)

Direct publish with no review. Ideal for solo creators who don't need approval gates.

Stages:

• Ready → Content is ready for publication

Best for: Small teams, personal blogs, unregulated content

2. Standard Review (Draft → Editorial → Publish)

Two-stage workflow with editorial review before publication. Most teams start here.

Stages:

1. Draft → Initial submission (48-hour deadline)
2. Editorial Review → Editor approves or requests changes (48-hour deadline)

Best for: Small marketing teams, content agencies, SaaS companies

3. Enterprise Approval (Draft → Editorial → Admin → Publish)

Multi-stage workflow with escalation for regulated industries. Includes automatic escalation if deadlines are missed.

Stages:

1. Draft → Initial submission (72-hour deadline)
2. Editorial Review → Editor reviews quality (48-hour deadline)
3. Final Approval → Admin gives final sign-off (24-hour deadline, auto-escalates)

Best for: Healthcare, finance, legal, government agencies

4. Custom

Build your own workflow with any number of stages and custom approver rules.

Stages: You define them

Best for: Complex organizations with specific approval requirements

Setting Up Your Default Workflow

When you first use approval workflows, ILLIXIS creates the three standard workflows automatically. You need to choose which one is your default.

To set a default workflow:

1. Go to Settings → Approval Workflows
2. Click the workflow you want as default
3. Click Set as Default

Your default workflow will be used automatically when someone submits content for approval.

Submitting Content for Approval

You can submit two types of content for approval: finished content (articles, videos, graphics) or briefs (before content is generated).

Submitting from Content Hub

1. Open any content item in Content Hub
2. Click Submit for Approval (top-right)
3. Select the workflow (or use the default)
4. Set priority: Low, Normal, High, or Urgent
5. Click Submit

The content enters the first stage of the workflow and approvers are notified.

Submitting from Brief Detail

1. Open a brief
2. Click Submit for Approval
3. Select workflow and priority
4. Click Submit

This lets reviewers approve the brief before generating the full content, saving time if strategic changes are needed.

The Approval Dashboard

The Approval Dashboard shows everything waiting for review in one place.

Find it: Go to Content → Approvals in the main navigation.

What You See

The dashboard has three sections:

1. Waiting for You (top) Requests where you're the current approver. These need your attention.

Shows:

• Content title
• Current stage
• Time remaining until deadline
• Priority level (urgent requests appear at the top)
• Who submitted it

2. Your Submissions (middle) Content you've submitted for approval. Track progress through the workflow.

Shows:

• Where each request is in the workflow
• Who's currently reviewing it
• Whether it's overdue

3. All Pending (bottom, admins only) Every active approval request across the team. Only visible to Admins and above.

Taking Action from the Dashboard

Click any request to see the detail page where you can:

• Approve
• Request changes
• Reject
• Cancel (submitters only)

Approving Content

When a request reaches your stage, you'll receive an email notification. You can also check the Approval Dashboard to see everything waiting for you.

To approve:

1. Click the approval request from the dashboard
2. Review the content (click the content title to open it)
3. Click Approve
4. Optionally add notes explaining your decision
5. Click Confirm

The content moves to the next stage. If this was the final stage, the request is marked Approved and (if configured) auto-publishes.

Requesting Changes

If content needs revisions, request changes instead of rejecting it outright. This sends it back to the previous stage or to the submitter with your feedback.

To request changes:

1. Open the approval request
2. Click Request Changes
3. Write detailed notes explaining what needs to change (required)
4. Click Confirm

The submitter receives an email with your feedback. Once they make changes, they can resubmit.

What Happens After Changes Are Requested

The request status changes to Changes Requested. It's removed from the current approver's queue and returns to:

• Previous stage if there is one (e.g., Draft), or
• Submitter if this was the first stage

The submitter must click Resubmit after making changes. The request starts over from the first stage.

Rejecting Content

Use rejection when content shouldn't be published at all, not when it just needs edits.

To reject:

1. Open the approval request
2. Click Reject
3. Write notes explaining why (required)
4. Click Confirm

The request is marked Rejected and removed from all queues. It cannot be resubmitted. If the content should go live after changes, use Request Changes instead.

Deadlines and Overdue Requests

Every workflow stage has a deadline (default: 48 hours). When a request sits at a stage longer than the deadline, it's marked Overdue.

How Deadlines Work

• Deadline starts when the request enters the stage
• Overdue requests appear at the top of the dashboard with a red warning
• Approvers receive overdue email notifications
• If auto-escalation is enabled, the request escalates to a higher role

Auto-Escalation

Enterprise workflows support auto-escalation. If a request remains overdue for the escalation period (default: 48 hours), it escalates to a higher role.

Example:

• Stage: Editorial Review (Editor role)
• Deadline: 48 hours
• Auto-escalate: Enabled
• Escalate to: Admin role

If an editor doesn't approve within 48 hours, the request automatically escalates to all Admins. Both the original approver and escalation targets can now act on it.

Checking Overdue Requests

ILLIXIS runs an automated check every hour to:

1. Find requests past their deadline
2. Mark them as overdue
3. Send overdue notifications
4. Trigger auto-escalation if configured

You don't need to do anything to enable this. It's automatic.

Automation Schedule

ILLIXIS runs several automated processes to keep approval workflows moving. Here's when each automation runs:

Overdue Approval Checks: Every hour

The system scans all pending approval requests to identify those past their deadline. Overdue requests are flagged, notifications are sent, and auto-escalation triggers if configured.

Escalation Notifications: Immediately when triggered

When a request auto-escalates (because it remained overdue for the escalation period), notifications to the escalation targets are sent instantly. There's no batching delay for escalations.

Reminder Emails for Pending Approvals: Daily at 9:00 AM UTC

Approvers with pending requests in their queue receive a daily digest summarizing what's waiting for their review. This catches requests that might have been missed or forgotten.

Approval Status Dashboard Refresh: Every 15 minutes

The dashboard statistics (pending count, overdue count, average approval time) refresh automatically every 15 minutes. You don't need to manually refresh the page to see updated numbers.

Understanding Workflow Stages

Each workflow consists of ordered stages. Content must pass through stages sequentially — you can't skip stages unless the workflow allows it.

Stage Settings

Each stage defines:

Approver Type:

• Role: Any user with this role or higher can approve (e.g., Editor)
• Specific User: Only one person can approve (e.g., CEO)
• Creator: The person who created the content must approve
• Any Team Member: Anyone on the tenant can approve

Deadline: How many hours allowed at this stage (default: 48 hours)

Auto-Escalate: Whether to escalate if the deadline passes (Enterprise only)

Escalate To: Which role receives the escalated request

Stage Progression

When you approve at a stage:

1. If there's a next stage → content moves forward
2. If this is the last stage → request is marked Approved
3. If auto-publish is enabled → content is published automatically

Creating Custom Workflows

If the standard workflows don't fit your needs, build a custom one.

Requirements: You must be an Admin (role level 30+) to create workflows.

To create a custom workflow:

1. Go to Settings → Approval Workflows
2. Click Create Custom Workflow
3. Name your workflow
4. Add description (optional)
5. Build stages:

• Click Add Stage
• Set stage name (e.g., "Legal Review")
• Choose approver type
• Select role or user
• Set deadline in hours
• Enable auto-escalate if needed
• Repeat for each stage

6. Click Save Workflow

Your custom workflow is now available in the workflow dropdown when submitting content.

Custom Workflow Example: Legal + Marketing Approval

Use case: Healthcare company needs legal review before marketing review.

Stages:

1. Legal Review → Approver: Legal role, 72 hours, auto-escalate to General Counsel
2. Marketing Review → Approver: Marketing Director (specific user), 48 hours
3. Final Approval → Approver: CMO (specific user), 24 hours

Result: Every content submission goes through legal compliance first, then marketing quality, then executive sign-off.

Editing Workflows

You can edit custom workflows at any time. You cannot edit the three built-in workflows (Simple, Standard, Enterprise).

To edit a custom workflow:

1. Go to Settings → Approval Workflows
2. Click the workflow you want to edit
3. Click Edit Workflow
4. Make your changes (rename, add/remove stages, change deadlines)
5. Click Save Changes

Warning: Editing a workflow does not affect existing approval requests. Only new submissions use the updated workflow.

Viewing Approval History

Every approval request has a full audit trail showing every action taken and by whom.

To view history:

1. Open any approval request
2. Scroll to the Timeline section at the bottom

The timeline shows:

• When submitted, by whom
• Each stage transition (approved, changes requested)
• Who performed each action and when
• Notes left by reviewers
• Escalations (if any)

This provides compliance-ready audit logs for regulated industries.

Approval Statistics

See how your team is performing across all approvals.

Find it: The stats appear at the top of the Approval Dashboard.

Metrics shown:

• Total Requests: All-time approval requests created
• Pending: Currently waiting for approval
• Approved: Completed successfully
• Rejected: Not approved
• Changes Requested: Sent back for revisions
• Published: Auto-published after approval
• Overdue: Past deadline and still pending
• Avg Approval Time: Average hours from submission to final approval

Use these metrics to identify bottlenecks. If average approval time is too high, consider shorter deadlines or adding more approvers to high-load stages.

Workflow Notifications

ILLIXIS sends email notifications for all approval events. You can't disable these (they're critical for the workflow to function), but you can control how often you're interrupted by using priority levels.

Notification Types

You receive emails when:

• Pending: A request reaches a stage where you're an approver
• Approved: Your submission was approved
• Changes Requested: Your submission needs revisions
• Rejected: Your submission was rejected
• Overdue: A request you're responsible for has passed its deadline
• Escalated: A request escalated to your role

Using Priority to Control Notifications

Set priority when submitting:

• Urgent: Emails sent immediately, appear at top of all dashboards
• High: Emails sent immediately
• Normal: Emails batched (sent every 2 hours)
• Low: Emails batched (sent daily)

Don't mark everything as urgent. Reserve urgent priority for time-sensitive content (e.g., breaking news responses, campaign launches with deadlines).

Common Workflows by Industry

SaaS Companies

Workflow: Standard Review Why: Fast-moving content needs quick turnaround. Two-stage approval (writer → editor) is enough.

Healthcare/Pharma

Workflow: Enterprise Approval Why: Regulatory requirements demand compliance review before publication. Auto-escalation prevents bottlenecks.

Financial Services

Workflow: Custom (Legal → Compliance → Marketing → Executive) Why: Four-stage approval ensures content meets both legal and brand standards.

E-commerce

Workflow: Standard Review Why: Product content needs quality checks but should move quickly. Two-stage works.

Agencies (Client Work)

Workflow: Custom (Internal Review → Client Review → Final) Why: Client approval is a required stage before publication.

Troubleshooting

"I can't approve this request"

Cause: You're not the approver at the current stage.

Fix: Check which stage the request is at and who the approver is. You might need to wait for the previous approver to act, or an admin can reassign the request.

"Requests are stuck for days"

Cause: Approvers aren't seeing the notifications or have too many requests.

Fix:

1. Check if the approver has email notifications enabled
2. Consider adding more approvers to the stage (edit the workflow to use a role instead of a specific user)
3. Enable auto-escalation to prevent single-person bottlenecks

"Content was auto-published but shouldn't have been"

Cause: The workflow has auto-publish enabled.

Fix: Edit the workflow settings and disable auto_publish_on_final_approval. This is enabled by default on Simple workflow, disabled on Standard and Enterprise.

"Can I skip a stage?"

Cause: The workflow requires all stages.

Fix: Create a custom workflow with allow_skip_stages enabled, or have an admin cancel the current request and resubmit with a different workflow.

Best Practices

1. Start Simple, Add Complexity Later

Begin with the Standard workflow. Most teams don't need Enterprise multi-stage approval. Add stages only when you've identified a real need.

2. Keep Deadlines Aggressive

Default 48-hour deadlines are generous. Try 24 hours for standard content. Approvals expand to fill the time allowed.

3. Use Roles, Not Specific Users

Don't assign stages to specific users (e.g., "Sarah Johnson"). Use roles (e.g., "Editor"). This prevents bottlenecks when someone is sick or on vacation.

4. Enable Auto-Escalation on Final Stages

Final approval stages are high-bottleneck risk. Enable auto-escalation so content doesn't die in the CEO's inbox.

5. Review Approval Stats Monthly

If average approval time creeps above 72 hours, investigate. Either deadlines are too long or approvers are overloaded.

6. Use Changes Requested, Not Rejection

Rejection is final and requires resubmission from scratch. Use "Request Changes" for fixable issues. This preserves the original request and its history.

7. Set Priority Appropriately

Urgent should be <5% of requests. If everything is urgent, nothing is.

What Gets Tracked by Preference Learning

When content is approved through workflows, ILLIXIS tracks:

• Which content archetypes get approved fastest
• Which tone/style choices pass review most often
• Which topics get rejected (to avoid suggesting similar briefs)
• Reviewer notes that indicate editorial preferences

This makes future content more likely to pass review on the first attempt. Approval workflows train the AI on your brand standards.

Related Features

• Audit Logs - See every approval action with IP tracking and timestamps
• User Roles & Permissions - Control who can approve at which stages
• Content Hub - Where approved content lives after workflow completion
• Preference Learning - Uses approval patterns to improve future content

Next Steps

1. Go to Settings → Approval Workflows and set your default workflow
2. Submit one piece of content for approval to test the flow
3. Check the Approval Dashboard to see pending requests
4. Create a custom workflow if the standard ones don't fit

Approval workflows ensure quality without slowing down production. Set them up once, then let the system enforce your editorial standards automatically.