Workiva Support Center

If your company uses Spreadsheets — instead of Sustainability Program — to collect Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) or sustainability data, you can use Processes to help keep data collection flowing. With Processes, you can assign team members to prepare and approve data and automatically notify them of their tasks through Spreadsheets.

Tip: From Sustainabillity Program, you can easily assign workspace members to prepare and approve metric values for sustainability reporting and track the status of their tasks. To learn more, view Intro to Sustainability Program.

Step 1. Assign tasks

From the spreadsheet's Tasks panel, designate workspace members for each topic to disclose:

1. From the Tasks panel, click Create task .
   
2. Enter a title and description for the task, such as details about the data to collect, and whether to provide or review the data.
   
3. In Due date, select when the task should be complete.

   Tip: The process automatically sends reminders the day before and day after the due date.

4. Select the workspace member to perform the task.
5. In Location, select the topic's sheet within the spreadsheet.
6. Click Create.

Step 2. Start the process

To send email notifications to the tasks' assignees, the spreadsheet's Owner can click Run on the process's Edit toolbar. While the process runs, you can monitor the progress of its tasks.

Tip: When the process runs, it sends email from notifications@app.wdesk.com. If you don't receive a notification, check your Junk or Spam folder, and add notifications@app.wdesk.com to your contacts.

Step 3. Complete data collection tasks

When the process runs, it automatically emails data preparers to notify them of their tasks and provide details about the data they should collect. When you receive this notification:

1. To open the spreadsheet to the related topic, click Go to task from the email.
   
2. In the blue input cells:
   • Manually enter the corresponding data values
   • Copy/paste values from the source, such as from Microsoft® Word® or Excel®
3. When applicable, attach supporting documentation to the input cell.
4. After you enter all data and supporting documentation associated with the task, click Complete from the Tasks panel of the data collection spreadsheet. 

Step 4. Approve or return tasks

When the data preparers completes a task, the process automatically emails the data approver to notify them that the data is ready for review. When you receive this notification:

1. To open the spreadsheet to the related topic, click Go to task from the email.
2. In the input cells, review the values entered by the data preparer.
3. From the Tasks panel, select whether to approve or return the task.

Step 5. Adjust any returned values

If a data approver returns a task, the data preparer receives an email to notify them to update their values:

1. To open the spreadsheet to the related topic, click Go to task from the email.
2. From the Comments panel, review any comments from the data approver.
3. In the input cell, adjust the value as necessary.
4. From the Tasks panel, click Complete.

Note: If the data approver approves a task, the data preparer receives an email to notify them of the approval; no further action is needed.