Controlling access to workflows

Enable the triggering of workflows without elevating permissions to objects or workflows.

You can elevate the permissions of users who have no access, read or add access to workflows so that workflows are triggered when they make changes that meet the conditions for triggering a workflow. 

Workflows are triggered when specific conditions are met such as a status change or a user action such as a change of address.

Scenario

Without granting elevated permissions to workflows, you want workflows to be triggered when a user updates records such as user or asset records. 

For example, for security reasons, you don't want to grant write permissions to workflows to HR assistants, but you want workflows to be triggered when HR assistants update user records.

In such cases, without elevating the permissions of a role, you can grant the role read permissions to workflows and allow  workflows to be triggered when a HR assistant updates a user record. 

Procedure

1. Click Configuration.
2. From the Security menu, select Roles.
3. Select a role.
4. Click the PERMISSIONS tab.
5. Expand an object.
6. In the Workflow field, select Read access.
7. Select the Trigger workflow checkbox.
8. Save your changes.

Result

If the user makes a change that matches the criteria for triggering a workflow, the workflow is run.  

Scenario

A workflow was created to run when a user's record is updated. Amber, an HR Assistant, has read access to workflows and Trigger Workflows has been enabled for her role. 

When Amber updates a record she is notified that workflow will run and she can open the workflow, but not edit it. 

And, she can open the workflow in read-only mode.