Checking out a document under a workflow

A document under a workflow process can be checked out by a participant in the active workflow activity. Once a document has been checked out by a participant, it is locked down and cannot be checked out by another participant until the document has been checked back in.

The review or approval cannot be completed while a document in the activity is checked out and the document must be checked in before a review or approval can be submitted. When the document is checked in as a new version, the version number is increased and becomes the version associated with the workflow.

If the 1 of X option is selected on the template, then the task is automatically reserved when it is checked out. The task remains reserved after the document is checked in so the user can complete the approval or review task.

In order to use this feature, a permission setting in the System Administrator area must be enabled. The option “Allow Check Out” must be enabled in the workflow template for each activity in order for a participant to check out a document. If the option is not enabled in the template, then none of the documents in the workflow can be checked out for that activity.

In order to see if any documents have been checked out in the activity, click the Show Documents link from the My Tasks or Workflow Status Report. The status of the document is “Checked out” in the documents list.

To check out a document under a workflow

1. Go to My Tasks or the Workflow Status Report and click the Show Documents link for the workflow that you want to check out a document from.
2. In the “Documents associated with workflow template name” pane, select the document to be checked out:
3. In the FDA, right-click on the document and select Check Out This Document.

• In the Web Client, select the check box next to the document name and click Check Out.

or

• Right-click on the document and select Check Out This Document.

4. Browse for the folder to check out the document to (if required) and click OK.
5. A message stating that the document is checked out opens. Click OK. The activity is now locked down and cannot be completed (approved/reviewed) until the document is checked back in. When the document is checked in, the workflow is associated with the new version.

To check in a document under a workflow

1. Go to My Tasks or the Workflow Status Report and click the Show Documents link next to the workflow name for which you want to check in a document.
2. In the “Documents associated with workflow template name” pane, select the document to be checked in.
3. In the FDA, right-click on the document and select Check In This Document.

• In the Web Client, using the context sensitive menu, select Check In Document.

or

• Right-click on the document and select Check In This Document.

4. Select one of the following options and click Check In:

• Undo Check-out. I have not made any changes.
• Edit Metadata for this document after check-in.
• Delete the local copy of the file after it has been successfully checked in (FDA).
• Email notify all folder members that this document has been Checked-In (may not be available).