Add certification actions to processes

Note: You can now migrate to this new Certifications experience in Processes. Workiva will soon auto-archive artifacts for all historical certifications in the Classic Certifications experience created from the beginning of the account. Learn more about migration and specific timelines.

When building a process, you can add certification actions one at a time or in bulk for a single letter and manage letters and templates to use for those actions directly in the process builder.

 

Manage letters and templates

All certification actions first require letters that will be signed by the assignees. To manage the letters and templates to use for your certification actions, click Letters in the toolbar.

 

If your desired letter doesn’t already exist in the process, you can click New letter to open up a separate tab where you can create a new letter from scratch. Alternatively, you can create a letter from an existing template by clicking the New letter from template option in the dropdown menu.

 

If you want to create a template to use for future certifications in processes, you can click New template or save an existing letter as a template by clicking the Save as template option in the dropdown menu next to the letter.

 

Add a certification action

Once you have letters to use in the process, you can add Certification actions from the Add action button in the toolbar or within the editor.

After adding a certification action, fill out the fields in the Action details right panel. Each certification action must include the following information:

• Title: The name of the action
• Letter: The letter that needs to be signed
• Send to: The people who need to sign the letter.
  • If you want multiple signer steps, click Add signer step.
  • If you add multiple signers to a single step, specify if everyone in the step needs to sign or just someone in the step needs to sign for the certification action to proceed.

You can also add:

• Due date (optional): When the letter needs to be signed by
• Approval by (optional): The people who will review and approve or return the signed letter if approval is needed.
  • If you want multiple approvers, click Add approval step.
  • If you add multiple approvers to a single step, specify if everyone in the step needs to approve or just someone in the step needs to approve for the certification action to proceed.

Note: If no approval step is added and approval is needed, the person who started the process will be added as an approver.

• Approval due (optional): When the signed letter needs to be approved by if approval is needed
• Instructions (optional): Any additional information needed to complete the certification task
• Custom email notification (optional): A customized email notification sent to signers for this action

 

Bulk add certification actions

You can use the Bulk certification option if you want to send out copies of a single letter to multiple people at once.

After selecting Bulk certification, fill out the required fields:

• Title: The name of the action that will be the same for each signer
• Letter: The letter that needs to be signed by each signer
• Assigned to: The workspace group whose members need to sign the letter

You can also add:

• Due date (optional): When all the letters need to be signed by
• Approval by (optional): The person who will review and approve or return any of the signed letters that need approval

Note: If no approval step is added and approval is needed, the person who started the process will be added as an approver.

• Approval due (optional): When the signed letters need to be approved by if approval is needed
• Instructions (optional): Any additional information needed to complete the certification tasks
• Custom email notification (optional): A customized email notification sent to signers for each action in this bulk certification

Once you click Add, a separate certification action will be added to the process for each person in the assigned group.

 

Bulk edit certification emails

Along with customizing email notifications for specific certification actions, you can also edit those email notifications in bulk.

To bulk edit certification emails:

1. From the Edit toolbar, click Bulk edit and select Certification emails.
   
2. Choose which certification emails you want to update, whether it be the already-modified emails, unmodified emails, or all certification emails. You can also edit the emails for a specific letter.
3. Change the subject line and email body to your desired email content.
4. Review the affected certification actions to make sure you want to edit the certification emails for those actions.
   
5. Click Save to make the changes.

 

Certification options

By default, letters that are signed without any added explanations, exceptions, or attachments will be approved automatically (see Sign a letter). Once you’ve added certification actions and if you want to require manual approvals for all certifications in the process, you can deselect this option by opening up Properties from the toolbar.

Note: You won’t be able to change this option after the process has started.

Once a certification action in a process is sent, signers will receive an email linking directly to the letter to sign.

 

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