Every Compendium document goes through a structured lifecycle before it is published. The workflow ensures that content is reviewed and approved before it reaches the team as authoritative documentation. The four statuses are: Draft → In Review → Published → Archived.
Status transitions appear as clickable links in the document header, next to the status chip (e.g. the yellow "DRAFT" chip). Only authorised transitions are shown — you will not see options that are unavailable for the current status.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| 🟡 Draft | Default state for new documents. Editable by the owner and admins. Not visible to read-only users as "approved" content. |
| 🔵 In Review | Submitted for approval. Locked — no edits allowed. Appears in the Approval Queue for reviewers. |
| 🟢 Published | Approved and visible. Locked — move back to Draft to make changes. |
| ⬜ Archived | Retired from active use. Hidden from the tree by default. Can be moved back to Draft. |
Once In Review, the document is locked — no edits can be made until a reviewer either Publishes it or moves it back to Draft.
Only Product Owners and Project Managers can approve. There are two ways to publish:
If a document needs more work, move it back to Draft so the author can revise it.
Archive documents that are no longer active but should be kept for historical reference. Archived documents are hidden from the sidebar tree by default.
The GitBranch (⎇) icon in the breadcrumb bar opens the Approval Queue. A blue badge shows how many documents are currently pending review.
| From | To | Action label | Who can do it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | In Review | Submit for Review | Any non-read-only member |
| Draft | Archived | Archive | Any non-read-only member |
| In Review | Published | Publish | Product Owner or Project Manager |
| In Review | Draft | Move to Draft (Reject) | Product Owner or Project Manager |
| Published | Archived | Archive | Any non-read-only member |
| Published | Draft | Move to Draft | Any non-read-only member |
| Archived | Draft | Move to Draft | Any non-read-only member |
The "Submit for Review" link is not visible
The transition links only appear on documents in a compatible status. If the document is already In Review, Published, or Archived, the "Submit for Review" option is not available — it is already past that state. Also ensure the document is in Draft and you are not a read-only user.
I see "Approver actions hidden" instead of Publish/Reject buttons
Publish and Reject require a Product Owner or Project Manager role in the project. Your current role does not include approver permissions. Ask a project admin to update your role.
The Approval Queue shows 0 but I know there are documents In Review
The queue only loads for users with approver permissions. If you cannot see the GitBranch icon or the queue is empty for you, verify your project role. Also try refreshing the page.
I published a document but it is not visible to the team
Published documents are visible to all project members. If a team member cannot see it, check whether they have project membership. Read-only users can view published documents — check if they are correctly added to the project.
I want to edit a Published document
Click the "Move to Draft" status transition link in the document header. This reverts the document to Draft status, unlocks the editor, and removes it from "Published" visibility until it is published again.