Introduction to Workflow Management in Nora IPLM
Managing approvals, reviews, and tasks across a product lifecycle can get complicated fast. When teams rely on manual coordination or disconnected tools, delays, confusion, and missed deadlines follow.
In many PLM systems, workflow management is rigid and hard to adjust. Processes are locked into fixed states, so adapting when projects change or teams grow becomes difficult. That rigidity slows progress and makes consistency across products and departments harder to maintain.
We are changing that. Nora IPLM’s built-in Workflow Management gives teams full control without extra complexity. With the Workflow Widget, you can map each step visually, assign tasks, and track progress in real time in one place.
Unlike traditional PLM tools, Nora IPLM lets you shape workflows around how your teams actually work. You can automate approvals, standardize processes, and update flows as your business evolves. It is a smarter, more flexible way to keep everyone aligned and keep projects moving.
In the post below, you will find a step-by-step guide to building an automated PLM workflow, starting from the workflow template, then moving to workflows, nodes, and tasks, and finally to the “workflow content.” Let’s dive in.
Why Workflow Management Matters in PLM
Workflow management in PLM connects product data with the actions required to review, approve, revise, and release it. Instead of relying on email threads, spreadsheets, or informal handoffs, teams can use a defined process that shows what needs to happen next, who owns each step, and how the product record should move through its lifecycle.
This is especially important in engineering environments where a single approval can affect items, documents, BOMs, revisions, change records, and downstream teams. A connected workflow helps make these transitions repeatable and traceable while keeping the process tied to the underlying product data.
What Is the Workflow Widget?
The Workflow Widget is a core feature of Nora IPLM that helps teams define, visualize, and manage their product lifecycle processes.
It allows you to:
Manage approval processes and review cycles
Track workflow progress in real time
Maintain consistency, efficiency, and compliance across all lifecycle stages
In short, it acts as a central hub for managing product-related workflows. Teams gain complete visibility into task ownership, approval status, and process flow. This ensures work moves forward smoothly and nothing gets missed.
Core Capabilities of a PLM Workflow
- Visual workflow design: represent process steps, transitions, and task status in a structured view.
- Task assignment and reassignment: define ownership at each stage and update responsibility when needed.
- Real-time progress tracking: see active, completed, and pending workflow activity without switching between disconnected tools.
- Workflow automation: trigger actions when tasks start or finish so lifecycle changes can follow the defined process.
- Reusable templates: standardize repeatable approval and release processes across products, teams, and projects.
- Lifecycle control: connect workflow execution to the state of the underlying product, item, document, or other PLM object.
What Is a Workflow Template?
A Workflow Template is a reusable framework that defines how specific processes flow within Nora IPLM. Instead of building workflows from scratch, teams can apply templates to automate and standardize recurring activities.
Common use cases include:
Object releases and revisions
Obsolete part management
BOM and design approvals
Change requests and ECOs
Design review cycles
By using Workflow Templates, teams ensure repeatable, accurate, and compliant execution across all product development and release activities.
Workflow Template vs. Active Workflow
A Workflow Template defines the reusable process logic, while an active workflow is the working instance created from that template for a specific product record or activity. This distinction helps teams standardize how work should be performed without forcing every workflow instance to be managed manually from scratch.
Area | Workflow Template | Active Workflow |
Purpose | Defines the reusable process | Executes the process for real work |
Typical content | Nodes, assignees, actions, workflow logic | Tasks, ownership, status, approvals |
Reuse | Designed for repeated use | Used for a specific workflow instance |
Best for | Standardization and governance | Execution and progress tracking |
Creating a Workflow or Workflow Template
There are two ways to create a workflow in Nora IPLM:
1. Using the Create Option
Click Create to start a new workflow or workflow template.
Once created, the workflow opens directly in the Workflow Widget, where you can begin defining its structure.
2. Using Quick Create Inside the Workflow Widget
The Quick Create option allows you to start a new workflow or template instantly from within the widget, saving setup time and keeping you focused on the task at hand.
Configuring the Workflow Template
After creating your workflow template, you can configure its structure and logic to match your organization’s needs.
Update key fields: Choose the Workflow Type and Purpose.
2. Click Create to save and open the new workflow template.
3. Start adding new Nodes (or reuse existing ones).
4. Assign assignees: Designate responsible users for each node.
5. Define Actions for each node:
Task Creation Action promotes or demotes workflow content when a task starts.
Task Finalization Action promotes or demotes workflow content when the task is completed or approved.
Build the workflow logic: For example, create a release workflow for an object’s first revision.
Each configuration step ensures your workflow reflects real business logic while maintaining flexibility for complex projects.
Connecting Objects to a Workflow
Once a Workflow Template is ready, any object can be connected to it within Nora IPLM. You can use this to easily manage the lifecycle of your items and documents.
Steps:
- Select an existing Workflow Template.
- Define the relationship as “Workflow Content”.
3. Enter a Workflow Name and choose one of the following options:
Initialize a Workflow creates a clone of the template as a workflow that can be modified before starting.
Initialize and Start a Workflow clones the workflow template and starts it immediately.
Note: You need to finalize your workflow template before you can initialize a workflow from it.
4. Switch between Icon Mode and Card Mode for better visibility.
5. Start the workflow to automatically convert nodes into tasks and assign them to users.
Starting a workflow automatically creates a task from the first node of the workflow. All relevant attributes and relations of the nodes are carried over to the tasks by the system once the task is created. This means that the assignee definitions made at the workflow level will be applied to each task.
Note 1: The workflow cannot be started unless all nodes have an assigned user.
Note 2: Multiple assignees can be added to the same task. In this case, duplicate tasks will be generated for each user, and the workflow will continue only after all tasks are completed.
Note 3: Groups can also be assigned to tasks.
6. As assignees complete or approve their tasks, the workflow progresses through its defined stages.
7. When all steps are complete, the Workflow Content is released according to the defined process.
Examples of PLM Processes You Can Standardize
- Document review and release: route product documents through review, approval, and controlled release.
- Engineering change workflows: coordinate change requests, approvals, implementation tasks, and release steps.
- BOM review and approval: ensure product structures are reviewed before downstream release.
- Design review workflows: assign reviewers, track feedback, and move designs through defined checkpoints.
- Revision and release workflows: control how product records progress from working states to approved or released states.
- Obsolescence workflows: manage review and approval steps when parts or product records are being retired.
How Workflow Automation Improves Traceability
The value of workflow automation is not only that tasks move faster. It also creates a clearer record of how product decisions were made. When workflow steps, assignees, approvals, and lifecycle actions remain connected to the underlying PLM object, teams can understand who acted, what changed, and how the object reached its current state.
That traceability is useful during design reviews, engineering change discussions, quality investigations, and audits because the process history stays connected to the product information instead of being scattered across separate communication tools.
Best Practices for Building Effective PLM Workflows
- Start with the real process, not the software. Map the approvals and decisions your teams actually need before creating nodes.
- Keep ownership clear. Every workflow step should have a defined assignee or group so tasks do not stall.
- Use templates for recurring processes. Standardization reduces setup effort and helps teams follow the same governance model.
- Avoid unnecessary steps. A workflow should add control without introducing approval layers that do not improve the outcome.
- Connect workflow actions to lifecycle intent. Use creation and finalization actions when they support the required promotion or demotion of workflow content.
- Review workflows periodically. As products, teams, and responsibilities change, update templates so they continue to match the real operating process.
The Result: Streamlined and Controlled Product Workflows
By combining Workflow Templates and the Workflow Widget, Nora IPLM helps teams:
Automate approval and review processes
Maintain control and traceability across product data
Reduce manual work and prevent bottlenecks
Ensure every release follows a consistent, auditable path
Workflows become more than just task lists. They become connected, transparent, and actionable lifecycle processes that help organizations move faster and work with greater confidence.
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