Publishing knowledge articles in KMv3: Standard or Instant workflow

[Jamie Lynn Aust]

The quality of any knowledge article depends largely on the accuracy of the content (you'll also find this filed under "Things That Are Obvious"). Quite often, accuracy requires additional reviews by individuals other than the author - subject matter experts, copy editors, etc. - who can verify information and offer additional insights. This is where knowledge workflows come in handy. Other times, however, it's necessary to publish an article as soon as possible and skip the approval process. Because we recognize the need for both, we offer two default workflow options for publishing KB articles:

• Standard workflow: Requires approval from a KB manager before it can be published
• Instant publish workflow: Publishes an article draft instantly, without requiring approval

In Knowledge v3, we allow for separate, customized workflows for each knowledge base (a big difference from KMv2, where all articles shared a single lifecycle workflow).

Let's take a closer look at each...

How to apply the standard workflow to a Knowledge Base

The standard knowledge workflow is used for all articles created directly on the knowledge form. It's also used for articles created from incidents or problems (if the task-based knowledge submission workflow is not active). Here's how a typical standard knowledge workflow operates:

1. Knowledge contributor creates a new article, either directly on the knowledge form or from an incident or problem.
2. ServiceNow sets the knowledge form's workflow field to Draft for the new article.
3. Administrator adds roles to the article, if appropriate, and changes the workflow state to Review.
   • An admin can determine roles and approval rights. Here's more information on User Criteria and ACLs in Knowledge v3.
4. Knowledge contributor verifies that the article is not a duplicate and edits the content as necessary.
5. Administrator changes the workflow field to Published.
6. Article is available to appropriate users through the knowledge portal and search.

Here's an example of what a standard workflow looks like:

This standard workflow is one of the default workflows that ServiceNow offers with the base system. You can also create your own workflows to customize the publishing and retirement processes for different types of knowledge.

How to apply the instant publish workflow to a Knowledge Base

While there are many benefits to (and requirements from your organization that necessitate) going the standard workflow route, there are some cases where you may need to publish an article without a formal approval process. For example, some knowledge bases contain simple and straightforward content that doesn't need multiple approvals. Enter Instant publish, another default workflow offered out of box in KMv3. With this option, you can set the Publish Workflow and Retire Workflow to Instant and any newly created article will be published automatically.

Here are the steps to apply the Instant publish workflow:

1. Open the knowledge base to which you want to apply the workflow: Knowledge > Administration > Knowledge Bases.
2. From this knowledge base form, look for the mandatory reference field titled Publish workflow and click the search button to the right of it.
3. From the available workflows, select Knowledge - Instant Publish and save the form.

Here's a visual representation of this workflow:

You can also modify this workflow, which brings us to the next section and a commonly asked question.

Are workflows applied at an article level?

The short answer is, "No, but..."

In Knowledge Management v3, default workflows are meant to be set on the knowledge base level through the KB administration, not at the article level. However, you can achieve this by modifying the Instant publish workflow. In fact, some users have created UI Actions for their own version of Instant publish that they can use on articles without applying the default Instant publish workflow to the KB. Here's the process for modifying this workflow from the form:

1. From the knowledge base form, click the information icon to the right of of the search button.
2. The Workflow form will appear. In the Workflow Versions section, select Knowledge - Instant Publish.
3. The Workflow Version form will appear. Under Related Links, click Show Workflow.
4. From here, you can customize the workflow so it's applied at an article level.

Armed with these two options for publishing Knowledge Base articles, you now have the tools to effectively and efficiently share knowledge within and outside your organization.

More resources

• Thanks to the recently released KMv3 Lab Guide from Knowledge 16, you can access tons of information on Knowledge Management, including Lab 7.0, which covers the creation of new content and publishing articles for both workflow options.
• Here's a helpful overview of knowledge workflows by janiceg.
• Check out this comprehensive list of Workflow Resources.
• If you're running into issues with the instant publish workflow, this discussion might be helpful.

What's your preferred route when publishing knowledge articles and why?