Updated May 2, 2024
This article has two main sections: changes you can make to a workflow that is already running inside of a project, and changes you can make to a workflow template.
Any changes you make to the workflow inside of a project will not impact the workflow template found in Templates ➔ Workflows.
Changes that are made to a workflow template will only take effect for future applications of that workflow and will not affect any active workflows that are already applied to projects.
Jump to the second section if you’d like more information on managing your workflow templates.
Manage a workflow inside a project
After applying a workflow to a project, there are some manual adjustments you can make to customize the automation. These include editing, removing, or forcing actions, and even removing the workflow completely.
Checkmarks and timestamps
When you view a workflow running inside of a project under the Workflows tab, you will see a large checkmark next to any action that has already run or been marked complete. Dubsado automatically adds these checkmarks for you. After an action has run, you will not be able to stop it or make any further edits to it.
If you see a smaller checkbox, it is from a Create Todo workflow action. You can click on the smaller checkbox to complete the task. Learn more about todos and approvals.
Timestamps will appear as soon as the workflow is able to calculate a trigger time for an action. For example, if an action is triggered by the project date, you'll see a timestamp appear as soon as a project date is set.
Actions that have run will show a timestamp in place of the original trigger. Sometimes, there is a delay between the time an action is triggered and the time it actually runs. If the trigger time has passed but you don't see a checkmark next to that action yet, wait a few minutes then refresh Dubsado.
Edit an action
Click Edit next to an action inside the workflow to change the type of action, trigger, or content being sent. Don't forget to click Apply on the workflow action to save your changes.
Below are some examples of when you may want to edit an action:
Change the trigger to adjust the timing
Clear a Too late to send workflow error
Customize the email to reference specifics about the client’s project
Select a different form or scheduler to send — if you’re changing the form, make sure to first add the new form to the project from the Forms tab)
Other actions in your workflow may be dependent on specific timing or content being sent. Remember to update other actions as needed.
Remove an action
Click Remove to completely delete an action from the workflow.
⛔ As soon as you click Remove, the action will be deleted immediately. Removing an action can’t be undone, so only remove an action when you’re certain you do not want it to run!
Other actions in your workflow may be dependent on the action you are deleting. Remember to update other workflow actions as needed.
Mark an action complete
Click Mark Completed on an action to skip that action in the workflow. A large checkmark will appear as if the action had been completed, but the workflow will not perform that action.
Using Mark Completed is best when you already took that action manually. For example, manually sending an email outside of the workflow that would normally be automated.
If you accidentally marked something complete, it’s not possible to undo the action. To add the action back to your workflow, click the Add Action button to re-add that workflow action.
Force an action to run
Click Force Now to run an action immediately, regardless of its position in the workflow.
There may be a delay of a few minutes before the action is completed. After a few minutes, you can refresh Dubsado to make sure the checkmark appears, indicating that the action has run.
Forcing actions is helpful when a client needs something right away or if you're testing a workflow with actions set to run far into the future.
Add an action
Click Add Action at the bottom of the workflow to add a brand new action to the workflow. After adding the action, you can click and drag it into position.
You may need to add an action when a client needs to be sent an extra email or if you accidentally removed an action and need to replace it.
Archive a workflow
Click Archive Workflow to completely remove a workflow from the project. Only archive the workflow when you're certain you no longer want the workflow on the project.
⛔ Archiving a workflow is permanent and cannot be undone. Archiving a workflow won’t undo any of the actions already completed or delete any of the content already added to the project.
Pause or reactivate a workflow
Click the Active button to pause a workflow. Pausing a workflow prevents it from running any more actions until you manually reactivate it.
If the workflow is paused, click the Paused button to reactivate it. This will allow the workflow to continue running where it left off.
If your workflow has paused due to an error, fix the error and refresh the page before unpausing the workflow.
Managing workflow templates
To make changes to your workflow templates, head to Templates ➔ Workflows.
Any changes made to your workflow templates will not automatically be applied to workflows that are already within projects. If you make changes to a workflow template and you’d like those changes to take effect in active projects straight away, you have a few options:
Remove the workflow and reapply it: Enter a project’s Workflows tab and Archive the workflow; this removes it from the project. Then, reapply the workflow. Whenever a workflow is applied, the system references the version of the workflow found in Templates ➔ Workflows, so any changes you’ve recently made will be used.
Manually update existing project workflows: If a project’s workflow is already partially completed, it may not make sense to remove and reapply the workflow. Reapplying the workflow may end up repeating actions that have already occurred. Instead, you’ll want to make your edits directly to this project workflow using the options above.
Update Project Workflows button: While editing a workflow template within Templates ➔ Workflows, you’ll have the option to force your updates through to all project workflows by clicking Update Project Workflows. This button is located underneath the last workflow action. Read on for more information about this option.
Update project workflows
⛔ Heads up! While efficient, the Update Project Workflows button uses specific logic. Carefully consider the implications of using this button before proceeding, as these actions cannot be undone.
If you’re considering using the Update Project Workflows button, here’s how it will function in different scenarios:
If you add a new action, that action will be added to every active project workflow. Even if you added your new action at an earlier point in the workflow and a project workflow has already passed that point, it will still appear - because it's a new action.
If you edit an existing action, those edits will only appear on the workflows that have not yet performed that action. If a workflow has performed the action already, it won't make edits to it, because that action has been marked as Completed.
If a workflow is marked as Complete, all actions in the workflow have been performed. In this case, the Update Project Workflows button will add the action but not perform it. A workflow that is Complete is effectively paused, and will not perform additional actions automatically. You can click the "Force now" to force the action to occur immediately.
The Update Project Workflows button will affect in-use workflows on projects differently depending on how they have been edited within the specific projects. For example:
If you deleted a workflow action from a project workflow, but not from the master template, then clicking the "Update Project Workflows" button on the master template will re-add that action onto that project's workflow. It will then run as normal (or error), based on its trigger parameters.
If your workflow template has a payment plan attached and you changed the payment plan within the project, and you later use the “Update Project Workflows” button, the original payment plan from your workflow template will be reapplied - which may affect the other triggers in your workflow.
Because every single workflow on each project is going to be at a different point in the workflow, it can be difficult to know exactly how Update Project Workflows is going to affect all of your current uses of that workflow. For this reason, we recommend caution before using this button.
Consider clicking View Workflow on a workflow template to see an overview of all uses of that workflow.