Flow403 Docs

Overview

Flow403 is a workflow-driven approval platform for organizations. Its core purpose is to bring structure, traceability, and accountability to the processes teams use to reach formal decisions.

The central object in Flow403 is the Approval Request. A request captures what needs to be decided and routes it through a workflow. Each reviewer on each step casts a decision. The platform records every action, every change, and every version, indefinitely.

How it works

The lifecycle of every approval follows the same high-level flow:

1. 1

   A requester creates an Approval Request

   They choose a request type, fill in the content, attach any supporting files, and select the workflow template to use.

2. 2

   A workflow instance is started

   The platform creates a runtime workflow instance from the template. The first step becomes active and the assigned reviewers are notified.

3. 3

   Reviewers act on each step

   Each reviewer can approve, reject, or request changes. They may also leave comments. Actions are recorded with identity and timestamp.

4. 4

   The decision rule evaluates the step

   Once enough reviewers have acted, the configured decision rule determines whether the step passes or fails. On pass, the workflow advances to the next step.

5. 5

   The request is approved, rejected, or revised

   When all steps pass, the request is marked approved. If a step fails, the request is rejected or returned for revision. The requester can then revise and resubmit.

Creating a request

To create a new approval request, navigate to the Requests page and click New Request. The request builder collects all required content before it is submitted.

1. 1

   Choose a request type

   Select Document, Approval, or Choice. The type determines what content fields are shown and what reviewers are evaluating.

2. 2

   Fill in the request content

   Add a title and the content appropriate to the type. For Document requests, upload the files to be reviewed. For Choice requests, define each available option. For Approval requests, provide context and the question for reviewers.

3. 3

   Add attachments (optional)

   Attach supporting files, reference documents, or any material reviewers will need. Attachments are stored securely and are only accessible to authorized users on the request.

4. 4

   Choose a workflow or add direct reviewers

   Select a workflow template to route the request through a defined multi-step approval process with configured reviewers and decision rules per step. Alternatively, enter reviewer email addresses directly for a simple one-step ad-hoc review with no template required.

5. 5

   Submit and start the workflow

   Click Submit to create the request and start the workflow. The first step becomes active, assigned reviewers are notified, and the request appears in your Requests list. From this point the content is tracked through every step until a final decision is reached.

Request types

Flow403 supports three request types. The type determines what content the requester provides and what reviewers are evaluating.

Workflows

A workflow template defines the structure of the approval process: how many steps there are, who reviews at each step, and what decision rule applies per step. Templates are reusable across many requests.

When a request is submitted, a workflow instance is created from the template. The instance is the runtime execution. It tracks which step is active, records all reviewer actions, and advances through the step sequence as steps resolve.

Separating templates from instances means the same workflow structure can be applied to hundreds of requests, and each request's execution is independently tracked without contaminating the template definition.

Reviewer roles & actions

Each workflow step can have one or more reviewers. Reviewers are assigned from the organization's members. Multiple reviewers act independently - the decision rule (not a single reviewer) determines the step outcome.

When a step is active, each assigned reviewer can take one of the following actions:

Action items

Action items are tasks attached directly to a request. They track follow-up work that needs to happen alongside the approval process. Any discussion participant or organization team member can create action items on a request they have access to.

Each action item has a title, optional details, an optional due date, and can be assigned to a specific user. Once assigned, the item appears in that user's Action items section on the dashboard, sorted by due date so the most urgent work is visible first.

Statuses

Full audit trail per item

Every change to an action item is recorded as an event: creation, edits, assignment, unassignment, completion, cancellation, and reopening. Each event captures the actor's identity and a timestamp, forming a complete history for every item independently of the request's main audit trail.

Dashboard visibility

The dashboard shows all open action items assigned to the current user across every request they can access. Items from multiple teams are shown per team. Items from organizations outside the user's active team context appear under a separate External section so it is always clear which organization each item belongs to. Clicking any item navigates directly to the request it belongs to.

Decision rules

Each workflow step has a decision rule that defines how reviewer responses are aggregated into a step outcome. The rule is configured per step in the workflow template.

Audit trail

Every action taken on an Approval Request is recorded in an immutable audit trail. This includes:

• Request creation and submission
• Workflow start and step transitions
• Every reviewer action (approve, reject, request changes) with actor identity and timestamp
• All discussion comments and their authors
• Revision submissions and the snapshot of request content at each revision
• Final approval or rejection outcome of the entire workflow

Audit records are stored as immutable data. They are never removed from active use, amended, or overwritten. This provides a complete chain of evidence that can satisfy internal governance requirements or external regulatory audits.

Revisions & resubmissions

When a reviewer requests changes, the workflow pauses and the request is returned to the requester. The requester updates the content and resubmits. This creates a new revision.

Each revision is a full snapshot of the request at that point in time - including all fields, attachments, and metadata. Revisions are never overwritten. Reviewers can see exactly what changed between revisions.

After a resubmission, the workflow instance resumes from the step where changes were requested. The affected reviewers are notified and can act on the revised content.

Attachments

Requests can have one or more file attachments. Files are handled with private access controls, and only authorized users can access attachments for requests they can view.

Access is time-limited and controlled by the platform so shared links are scoped to the intended file and session context.

Attachments are associated with a specific revision of the request. If a request is revised and new attachments are uploaded, the original attachments remain accessible on their revision snapshot.

Organizations & teams

Flow403 is multi-tenant. Each organization has its own isolated set of requests, workflows, members, and audit records. Data from one organization is never visible to another.

Within an organization, work can be organized into projects and folders. These are optional containers - they don't affect how workflows run or how decisions are evaluated. They simply help teams organize large volumes of requests.

Organization members are assigned roles that determine what they can create, review, and administer within the platform.