To effectively establish the process or flow of a record, it is essential to first outline the skeletal framework for this category, which starts with the stages and transitions. A stage represents a specific state or phase of a record; consider stages as sections of the form that need to be completed. When an issue record changes hands or requires approval, it is an appropriate time to create a new stage. In contrast, a transition refers to the movement or action from one stage to the next. You can visualize transitions as the road you are driving on, with stages acting as the stops along the way. It is crucial to note that transitions can only move in one direction; looping transitions are not permitted. All stages and transitions can be edited while the category is in a draft state. If the category is already active, you will need to create a new version to modify the stages and transitions.
Stages
Click the plus button to create the first stage. Add the name and the target days, which is the desired time frame for a user to complete this stage. Click save when finished.
Add as many stages as needed for your process. At the end of the stage list, create two additional stages and mark them as final stages. Name them 'Cancelled' and 'Completed'.
Transitions
Starting with the first stage, make a transition (roadway) to drive down to the next stage. Add a transition to the cancelled stage as well, in case the record needs cancelled after this stage is opened.
Continue adding the transitions to connect the stages together and remember to add a cancelled option in each stage. In the last stage, add a transition to cancelled and to closed. Remember that transitions must stay one way, from top to bottom.
You can skip stages if needed and do not need to go in direct order from one stage to another just as long as there are no loops going back up the ladder of the stages. For example, you can add a transition from stage one to stage two or to stage three as shown below.
If the user is in stage one and chooses to transition from stage one to stage three, the next stage assignee will need to transition from stage three to either cancelled or closed (completed). That user cannot transition back up to stage two. This is very important to remember because if there are loops in the transitions, the record will get stuck and the user can not move forward.