Governance · Delivery
Work stream template editor
Build a delivery workflow template on a canvas of boards and gates, and set each board’s columns and each gate’s approvers.
A work stream template is the pipeline a delivery work stream follows. The editor shows it as a flow on a full-screen canvas:
- Boards are stages of work, each with its own kanban columns.
- Gates are checks that must be approved before work moves on.
- Sub-work stream slots, where your organisation uses them, start a child work stream on another template.
Every template begins at Start and finishes at Done.
Before you start
- Open the editor from Governance → Delivery → Workflow by selecting Edit on a template, or + to create a new one. See Workflows.
- You need permission to change Governance settings to edit templates. Without it, the editor opens as a viewer: the button reads View, and nothing can be moved, added, connected or saved.
- The editor is designed for a large screen. Its guided tour is offered on wide screens only.
Understanding the editor
| Area | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Templates (top left) | Goes back to the list of templates. |
| Template name and Description (optional) | What the template is called and what it is for. |
| Insert | Adds a Board, a Gate or, if your organisation uses them, a Sub-work stream. |
| Canvas | Where you arrange and connect the steps. |
| Legend (bottom right) | What each node shape and connection style means. |
| Layout | Arranges the nodes automatically. |
| Save template | Saves the template. |
| Panel button (top right) | Shows or hides the properties panel. |
| Properties panel (right) | The settings for the selected node. |
Reading the canvas
| Shape or line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Circle | Board |
| Diamond | Gate |
| Dashed circle | Sub-work stream slot |
| Plain line | Default transition |
| Line marked ✓ | Approved transition |
| Line marked ✗ | Rejected transition |
Build a template
- Enter a Template name and, if you like, a description.
- Under Insert, select Board or Gate to add a step. New boards are called New Board.
- Drag nodes to arrange them.
- Connect steps by dragging from the edge of one node to another.
- Select a node to edit it in the properties panel.
- Select Layout at any time to tidy the arrangement.
- Select Save template. You return to the list of templates.
Set up a board
Select a board and set:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Label | The board’s name. |
| Domain | Product, Development, Testing or Support. Controls the tube colour on connecting edges. |
| Estimated days | How long the board usually takes. Estimates add up to the total shown on the template list. |
| Kanban columns | The board’s columns. Leave this as default to use your organisation’s standard columns. |
Set the board’s columns
- Select Kanban columns to expand it.
- Enter a Column name and select + to add it. A board can have up to six columns.
- Use the arrows to reorder columns. The order is the order work moves through.
- Select the settings icon on a column to set its movement rules:
- Who can move work in — for example Project owner, Work stream owner, or particular roles. With nobody selected, anyone who can edit tasks may move work into the column.
- Can be entered — Previous column only (no skipping a step), Any earlier column (skipping ahead is allowed) or Anywhere (including back from a later column). This is not offered for the first column.
- Work cannot be moved back out of this column — tick this to make a column final.
- Select × on a column to remove it.
Set up a gate
Select a gate and set:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Label | The gate’s name. |
| Gate type | Approval Gate, Quality Gate, Release Gate or Security Gate. |
| Required approver role | The roles that may action this gate: Project Owner, Board Owner, Product Manager, Team Lead, Engineer, CTO, CIO and CFO. Select a role to add or remove it. |
If no role is chosen, the panel shows No role set — gate open to all users, and anyone can pass the gate.
Add a sub-work stream slot
If your organisation uses sub-work streams, Insert also offers Sub-work stream.
- Select Sub-work stream to add a slot.
- Select the slot and choose a Child workflow template.
When a work stream is created from this template, a sub-work stream using the chosen template is created automatically.
Duplicate or delete steps
- Right-click a node to Duplicate or Delete it.
- Right-click a connection to Delete it.
- Or select a node or connection and press Backspace or Delete.
What happens next
Once saved, the template is available to new work streams. Work streams already running on an earlier version keep their own copy of its steps, so your changes do not disturb work in progress.