Set up model workflows

Workflows can be configured to match your organizational needs for overseeing model development, validation, or implementation activities.

To set up a workflow, you’ll need to complete these two steps in sequence:

1. Configure the workflow steps
2. Link the workflow together

Prerequisites

• You are logged in to ValidMind.
• Model lifecycle statuses must be fully configured.¹
• You are a Customer Admin or assigned another role with sufficient permissions to perform the tasks in this guide.²

¹ Customize model lifecycle statuses

² Manage permissions

Configure workflow steps

To add or edit workflow steps:

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings.

2. Under Workplace Settings, select Workflows.

3. Click on Inventory Model:

   • To add a step, drag and drop a new step onto the canvas. Hover over the step until the menu appears, then click on it and select Configure.
   • On the new step, click Configure.

4. After you’re finished with step configuration, click Save to apply your changes before closing the configuration panel with .

   

   Workflow step configuration

5. After you’ve configured a step, you can then link your workflow together.

Refer to Available step types for information on available step types and details on how to set up conditional requirements.

Available step types

Status Change

• Transitions a status.
• Requires available model lifecycle statuses associated with the workflow.³

³ Customize model lifecycle statuses

Status Change step configuration

Field	Description
when these conditions are met (optional)	Add conditional requirements to qualify for this step.4
set status to	Select the status to transition to.

⁴ Add conditional requirements

User Action

• Creates a button that performs an action on behalf of the user.
• Requires available model lifecycle statuses associated with the workflow.⁵

⁵ Customize model lifecycle statuses

User Action step configuration

Field	Description
display action button when (optional)	Add conditional requirements for displaying this step.6
action button label	Text that displays on your action button.
request fields (optional)	Include inventory fields alongside your action if desired. Select the field, then click + Add Field to insert.7
to set status	Select the status to transition to.

⁶ Add conditional requirements

⁷ Manage model inventory fields

User Action step configuration with a request field of Date on Hold

Action transition panel with the Date on Hold inventory field

Example

A Put On Hold action that requests a value in the Date On Hold field, and transitions the model lifecycle status to
On Hold.

All model inventory field types can be included as request fields on a User Action step.

User Action step configuration with a request field of Workflow Attachment

Files uploaded under the Workflow Attachment inventory field

Example

An In Initial Validation action that requests an upload in the workflow attachment field, and transitions the model lifecycle status to In Initial Validation.

Approval

• When your resource reaches the approval step, roles or users in the selected Approval Group will receive your configured message.
• Requires either a User Role⁸ or User Type inventory field⁹ to select from, and must be connected to both an approval and rejection Status Change step.¹⁰

⁸ Manage roles

⁹ Manage model inventory fields

¹⁰ Status Change steps

Please note that roles or users must be assigned to the Approval Group field before the workflow is transitioned into the Approval step in order for the message to be displayed to those roles or users.

Approval Group step configuration

Field	Description
approval group	Select the User Role or User Type inventory field that indicates roles or users responsible for approval.
threshold	Percentage of approvers required for the resource to be approved.11
approval message	When your resource reaches this approval step, the users in the selected group will recieve the following message.

¹¹ Add conditional requirements

Approval message shown to the APPROVAL GROUP

APPROVAL GROUP step configuration with an inventory field selection of Approval Users

Example

A message shown to the user type inventory field Approval Group users requesting approval of model documentation.

Condition Branch

• Allows diverging paths based on conditional requirements.
• A default branch will be automatically included as a catch-all else path to ensure that your conditional logic is complete.

Workflows cannot be saved until condition branches are connected to other steps.

To configure a condition branch:

1. On the Configure Condition Branch module, click + Add Branch.

2. Enter in the name and designate the conditions¹² that apply to this path.

3. Continue with steps 1 and 2 until your conditional branch logic is complete.

   To remove a path, click and select Remove Path.

4. When you are finished setting up all your branch paths, click Update Step to save your step.

   Proceed with linking the Condition Branch with your subsequent steps.¹³

¹² Add conditional requirements

¹³ Link steps together

For example, if you wanted your models where the field GenAI Model is set to true to undergo a special legal approval process:

• First, you’d set up a Condition Branch path to look for instances where GenAI Model is set to true.
• Then, you would add an Approval step¹⁴ that requests a review of the model from the User group Legal Team.
• Finally, configure the default path to bypass this special approval.

¹⁴ Approval steps

CONDITION BRANCH step configuration with condition of GenAI Model = true

Legal team Approval step configuration

Example Condition Branch where GenAI models require special approval from the User group Legal Team

Add conditional requirements

Conditional requirements can be configured for all four available step types:

Step type conditional options

Step type	Conditional options
Status Change	Under when these conditions are met, you are able to set both AND and OR conditions.
User Action	Under display action button when, you are able to set both AND and OR conditions.
Approval	Under threshold, you are able to set the minimum percentage of approvers required for the resource to be approved.
Condition Branch	Under each branch’s conditions, you’re able to designate the conditions that apply to that path.

For Status Change¹⁵, User Action¹⁶, and Condition Branch¹⁷ conditions, you’re able to add a single independent Rule or a linked condition Group. These rules and groups can be nested if desired:

¹⁵ Status Change steps

¹⁶ User Action steps

¹⁷ Condition Branch steps

• Click Rule to add an independent rule.
• Click Group to add a linked group of rules that all must be true to qualify.

Link workflow together

To initiate the beginning of your workflow:¹⁸

¹⁸ After you’ve configured your workflow steps, you can then link your workflow together.

1. Locate the Start of your workflow.

2. Drag from the period (.) at the bottom of Start to the top on the first step of your workflow.

Link steps together

To link subsequent steps together:

1. Click above or below the earlier step and drag it to connect to the top on the subsequent step.

   You’re also able to link several different steps together at various points in the workflow, including stages that may circle back to previous steps:

   

   Multiple steps linked together at various points in the default Inventory Model workflow

2. When you are finished, click Save Workflow to apply your changes.

Link approval steps

Approval steps need to be subsequently linked to both a Rejected and an Approved Status Change step:

1. First, configure an Approval step.¹⁹

2. Then, drag two Status Change steps onto the canvas:²⁰

   • Assign a Rejected status to one in the Set Document Status field.
   • Assign an Approved status to the other in the Set Document Status field.

3. Connect the Approval step to the Rejected and Approved Status Change steps with the red and green respectively by dragging from the colored to the top of the subsequent step.

¹⁹ 
• Configure workflow steps
• Approval steps

²⁰ Status Change steps

Linked REJECTED and APPROVED Status Change steps

Delete workflow steps

1. Hover over the step until the menu appears, then click on it.

2. Select Delete.

   On the confirmation dialogue that appears, select OK to confirm deletion.

3. When you are finished, click Save Workflow to apply your changes.

Remove links between steps

1. Hover over a connection until the appears.

2. Click to delete the connection.

   On the confirmation dialogue that appears, select OK to confirm deletion.

3. When you are finished, click Save Workflow to apply your changes.

What’s next

• Workflows FAQ
• Working with workflows