ANTE User ManualProject Processes
The Processes page is where you build reusable workflow templates and track the running copies (called instances) that those templates create. A process is a step-by-step flow — for example "Purchase Request" or "Onboarding" — where each step is assigned to a person, role, or department, and tasks are generated automatically as the flow moves forward.
You'll find it in the sidebar under Workspace → Processes.
Overview
A process has two sides:
- Templates — the reusable blueprints. Each template has a name, a module it belongs to, and a sequence of steps connected together into a workflow (which can branch, loop, and run paths in parallel).
- Instances — a single run of a template. Every time you start a process, a new instance is created with its own progress, assignees, and field values.
The page opens with four summary cards at the top:
- Active Runs — process instances currently running.
- Ongoing Steps — steps in progress across all running instances.
- Completed — instances that have finished.
- Total Templates — how many templates you have.
Below the cards are two page tabs:
- Instances — the running, completed, and cancelled process runs.
- Templates — the templates you can manage and start.
💡 Some templates are Pre-built — they ship with the system and are locked. You can still adjust who handles each step, but to change the steps themselves you make your own copy. See Working with Pre-built Templates.
AI Assistant
Inside the Process Builder, an Edit with AI button in the header opens a chat sidebar for building or changing the open workflow conversationally — for example "add an approval step before this one." It knows which workflow you currently have open, so your request applies to that workflow without you needing to name it. This is available whether you're editing your own template or just viewing a pre-built one. See AI Assistant for how conversations, attachments, and confirmations work.
The AI Assistant button that used to also sit at the top of the main Processes page (next to New Process, available from both the Instances and Templates tabs) is temporarily hidden. Open a template in the builder to use the assistant for now.
Category Icons (Settings)
If you have workflow settings permission (the same permission used for the Purchase Request / Delivery Status / RFP workflow pages under Settings → Workflows), a Settings button (⚙) appears at the top right of the page, next to New Process. Click it to open the Category Icons dialog.
Each process category — Order Fulfillment, Treasury, Purchasing, Warehouse, Assets, Deliveries, CRM, Payroll, Projects, and General — gets its own row with a mode toggle:
- Icon — pick an icon from the icon picker, or click the image button next to it to upload a logo (PNG, JPEG, GIF, or WebP, up to 2MB).
- Code — keep the plain reference-code prefix (for example
[TRS-2026-033]or[OF-000014]) instead of an icon.
A live Preview next to each row shows a sample task title exactly as it will appear. Click Save to apply your changes, or close the dialog to discard them. Icons are optional: every category starts on Code, so a category you haven't changed keeps showing its reference code (the original look) — nothing changes until you switch it to Icon.
Once saved, the chosen icon (or the code, for categories left on Code) appears before every workflow task's title on the Dashboard task list and the Tasks page, in place of the instance-code prefix that used to lead the title. The code itself isn't lost — hover the icon to see it in a tooltip.
The Instances Tab
This tab lists every run of a process. Use the status sub-tabs to switch between Running, Completed, and Cancelled — each shows a count.
Tools on this tab
- Search — type to filter by instance code, process name, or who started it.
- Filter by process — narrow the list to a single process.
- View toggle — switch between a flat list and a grouped view (grouped organizes instances by category such as Operations & Logistics, Finance & Treasury, or Projects).
Instance columns
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Code | The instance's unique code (for example, the reference assigned when it started). |
| Process | The template the instance is running. |
| Progress | A bar plus a step count (for example, 2/5) showing how far the run has gone. |
| Started By | The person who launched the instance. |
| Started | The start date. |
| Completed / Cancelled | Shown on the Completed and Cancelled tabs — the date the run ended. |
Click any row to open the instance's details.
Starting a Process
You can start a process from the Templates tab (each template card and table row has a Start button), or with the New Process button. Starting opens the Start Process dialog:
Process Template *
- Pick the active process to run from the searchable dropdown. Only Active templates can be started.
Link to
- Optionally connect this run to a Project or an Engagement, or leave it as None (standalone process).
Project / Engagement
- When you choose Project or Engagement above, a second searchable dropdown appears so you can pick which one.
Click Start Process to launch. A new instance is created and given its own code. Click Cancel to close without starting.
Viewing an Instance
Open an instance to see its full progress. The detail view shows:
- A summary with the instance's Status, Progress bar, who Launched it, the linked Project (if any), the Started date, and the Completed date once finished.
- A Process Chain card when the instance was triggered by another process, or triggered child processes of its own. You can click the linked codes to jump between them.
- A Steps list — one card per step showing the step number, name, assignee, start/complete dates, status badge, and any field values that were captured. If a step created a task, a small #task number button opens that task.
- A Flow timeline on the right that visualizes the whole sequence.
Instance and step statuses
Instances can be Running, Completed, Cancelled, or Cancellation Pending. Each step can be Pending, In Progress, Completed, or Skipped.
Automation failed badge
If a step has an On Complete Action configured (for example, chaining to another workflow or moving inventory) and that automation failed after the step completed, a red Automation failed chip appears on the step card in the timeline. Hover over the chip to see the error detail. The workflow itself continues — the step is still marked completed — but the automated action did not run and must be handled manually.
When an automation fails, the person who completed the step and the person who started the instance also receive a bell notification. Clicking the notification takes you to Workspace → Processes → Instances so you can find the affected run.
Payment trio waiting state
When a Payment Request step is set to wait for its spawned Payment Approval / Payment Release sub-workflow, opening its task shows the linked request read-only, with a status chip: Awaiting approval & release while the sub-workflow is running. The chip updates to Payment released once the sub-workflow releases the payment, or Rejected if it's turned down — either way, the step then finishes on its own; there's nothing to submit.
Cancelling an Instance
On a Running instance's detail page, a Cancel Instance button appears in the top-right (if you have permission — the person who started it, an administrator, or a user with cancel rights).
- Click Cancel Instance.
- In the dialog, enter a Cancellation Reason (required).
- Click Cancel Instance to confirm.
All pending and in-progress steps are skipped. Depending on your company's setup, the cancellation may either take effect immediately or be submitted for approval — in which case the instance shows a Cancellation Pending status until an administrator approves or rejects the request.
The Templates Tab
This tab lists your process templates. Use the status sub-tabs to filter — All, Active, Draft, or Archived — each with a count.
Tools on this tab
- Search — filter templates by name or module.
- View toggle — switch between List view, Grid view, and Grouped view (grouped organizes templates by category).
Template columns (List view)
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The template name. |
| Module | The module the template belongs to (Purchasing, Assets, Deliveries, Warehouse, CRM, Treasury, Payroll, Projects, Order Fulfillment, or General). |
| Status | Draft, Active, or Archived. |
| Steps | How many steps the template has. |
| Runs | How many instances have been started from it. |
| Last Updated | When the template was last changed. |
Each row has a Start button (to launch an instance) and an Edit button (to open the builder).
Building a Process Template
Click New Process to create a template, or Edit on an existing one. This opens the Process Builder.
Step 1: Enter the basic details
Click Edit Details to open the basic-info panel:
Process Name *
- A descriptive name (for example, "Purchase Request").
Module
- Choose which module the process belongs to.
Description
- Optional. Explain what the process does.
Trigger Type
- Manual — the process is started by a person.
- Scheduled (Auto-run) — the process starts automatically on a schedule. Choosing this reveals a schedule editor.
Schedule (only when Scheduled)
- Frequency — Monthly (specific days), Weekly (specific days), or Every N days.
- Trigger Time — the hour the process should auto-start.
- Depending on the frequency, pick the Days of Month, Days of Week, or the Repeat Every (days) interval.
Step 2: Build the workflow
The Workflow canvas shows your steps as connected nodes, with a running count of steps and connections.
- Add a step using the add control on the canvas.
- Connect steps by drawing a link from one node to another. This defines the order. A connection can carry a condition — click a connection to cycle it between Default, Approved, and Rejected, which is how you route approval and rejection paths.
- Click a step node to open a quick popover summarizing its type, assignee, fields, and on-complete action, with buttons to Edit, Mark as Start / Mark as End, or remove it.
Step 3: Configure a step
Click Edit on a step's popover to open the step editor. Here you set:
Step name and type
- Action — the assignee does work and may fill in a form.
- Approval — the assignee reviews an earlier step's submission and approves or rejects it.
Assignee
- Choose who handles the step: a specific User, a Role, a Department, or (on Approval steps) the Direct Supervisor of whoever completed the previous step.
- For Role or Department assignees, pick how it's handed out: Round-robin (auto-assign to the next person in rotation) or Quest Board (left unclaimed in a shared pool for anyone in that group to pick up).
- A fallback assignee can be set for Direct Supervisor steps in case the person has no manager.
Form Dialog (FDD) — on Action steps
- Choose the form the assignee fills in. Leave it on Default — Task Detail Dialog (TDD) for a plain task, or pick a specialized form such as Quotation, Purchase Request, Purchase Order, or the payment forms described below.
Payment trio (maker → approver → releaser): Payment Request, Payment Approval, and Payment Release work together as an ordered set that drives a Treasury Request for Payment from filing to payment. A Payment Approval step must have an earlier Payment Request step in the same flow, and a Payment Release step must have an earlier Payment Approval step — the Form Dialog picker greys out an option (with a hint) until its earlier step exists, and activating the template is blocked with an error if the order is still wrong. Rejecting on the approval or release step always sends the workflow back to the Payment Request step to be re-filed — that connection is drawn for you and shown locked (with a lock icon) on the canvas, so it can't be deleted or repointed. A Payment Request step doesn't have to be followed by its approval/release in the same template — it can instead spawn them as a separate sub-workflow (see Spawns sub-workflow below).
Reviews submission from — on Approval steps
- Pick which earlier step's form this approval reviews.
Fields — on Action steps
- Add the data the assignee should capture. Each field has a Label, a Type (Text, Number, Date, Currency, File Upload, Dropdown, or Item List), and a Req (required) checkbox.
On Complete Action — optional automation
- Make the step do something automatically when finished, such as Goods Received, Item Movement, Inventory Write-off, Stock Adjustment, Goods Dispatched, Consume BOM, Production Output, Quarantine, or Start Another Process (Chain). You then map the step's fields to the action.
- If you choose Start Another Process (Chain) and the target workflow is inactive at the time a user tries to complete the step, the step will be blocked with a clear message ("Cannot complete this step: the chained workflow is inactive"). The user must re-activate the target workflow first, then complete the step.
Spawns sub-workflow — optional
- Have this step automatically start a child process when its form is locked in.
- Complete only when the sub-workflow is done — appears once a sub-workflow is chosen. Check it to make this step wait: it can't be completed while the spawned child process is still running, and it finishes automatically once that child completes. Leave unchecked (the default) for the child to run independently without holding this step open.
- Waiting message — appears once "Complete only when the sub-workflow is done" is checked. Optional text shown to the assignee while the step waits on its sub-workflow; leave it blank to show a generic default instead.
Mark as Start / Mark as End
- Mark which step begins the flow and which one ends it.
Step 4: Save and activate
At the bottom of the builder:
- Save as Draft (new template) or Save Changes (existing) keeps your work. A name is required.
- Cancel discards and returns to the Processes list.
For a user-owned template, use the header toggle to switch a template between active and inactive:
- Set as Active publishes the template so it can be started (it needs at least one step).
- Set as Inactive hides it from the start pickers (it moves to the Archived filter).
Important — child workflow guard: If other active workflows chain into this template (using "Start Another Process (Chain)" or a sub-workflow spawn), setting it to Inactive will block those workflows at the chaining step. Before deactivating, ANTE checks for such dependents and shows a confirmation dialog listing the affected workflows. Review the list and confirm only if you are sure those parent workflows can be paused. If you proceed, any running process that reaches a step chaining into this template will be blocked until the template is re-activated.
Working with Pre-built Templates
Pre-built templates ship with the system and are locked: you can't rename them, change their steps, or edit their connections. When you open one, a Pre-built template banner appears with these options:
- Edit step assignees — you can change who handles each step and save it; those assignee choices are kept for your company. Other fields stay at the registry defaults.
- Reset to defaults — appears once you've saved customizations; it reverts the template to the original defaults (your changes for that template are lost).
- Set as Active / Set as Inactive — show or hide the pre-built template for your company.
- Duplicate to customize — make your own editable copy. The copy behaves like any user-owned template, so you can change its steps, fields, and connections freely.
Common Tasks
Start a process run
On the Templates tab, click Start on the template (or use New Process), choose the template, optionally link it to a Project or Engagement, then click Start Process.
Find a running instance
Open the Instances tab, stay on the Running sub-tab, and use Search or Filter by process to locate it. Click the row to open it.
See how far a run has gotten
Open the instance — the Progress bar, the per-step status badges, and the Flow timeline show exactly where it is.
Edit who handles a step
Open the template in the builder, click the step node, choose Edit, and change the Assignee. Save your changes.
Make an editable copy of a locked template
Open the pre-built template and click Duplicate to customize. You'll be editing your own copy, where everything is unlocked.
Cancel a run
Open the running instance, click Cancel Instance, enter a reason, and confirm. It may require approval depending on your company's settings.
Common Questions
Why can't I start a template?
Only Active templates appear in the Start Process picker. If a template is still a Draft or is Archived, activate it first (or, for pre-built templates, make sure it's set to Active).
What's the difference between a template and an instance?
A template is the reusable blueprint. An instance is one actual run of that blueprint, with its own progress and data.
Who can cancel an instance?
The person who started it, an administrator, or a user granted cancel permission. Others won't see the Cancel Instance button.
My instance shows "Cancellation Pending" — what does that mean?
Your company requires cancellations to be approved. The run is paused awaiting an administrator's approval or rejection of the cancellation request.
I can't complete a step — it says the chained workflow is inactive. What do I do?
The step's On Complete Action is set to chain into another workflow, but that target workflow is currently inactive. Go to Workspace → Processes → Templates, find the target workflow, and set it to Active. Then return to the step and try to complete it again.
A step shows an "Automation failed" badge — what should I do?
The step completed successfully, but its on-complete automation (for example, a chain to another workflow or an inventory action) did not run. The badge shows the error detail on hover. Handle the missed action manually (for example, start the chained process by hand or correct the inventory) and contact your administrator if the root cause is unclear.
Why is "Payment Approval" or "Payment Release" greyed out in the Form Dialog list?
Payment Approval needs an earlier Payment Request step in the same flow, and Payment Release needs an earlier Payment Approval step. Add the missing step (or move it earlier), and the option becomes available.
Why can't I delete or move this rejected connection on the canvas?
It's the payment trio's locked reject-to-request path (shown with a lock icon) — an approver or releaser step's rejection always routes back to the Payment Request step, so that connection can't be removed or repointed.
💡 Note: The processes, templates, and actions you can see depend on your role and permissions. Contact your administrator if you need additional access.