Overview

This FAQ answers the most common questions about Akeneo PIM's Collaboration Workflows, covering configuration and task management.

Use this page to find practical answers before contacting support or your Customer Success Manager. For detailed guides, see:

• What are Collaboration Workflows? — overview and use cases
• Set up your Collaboration Workflows
• Manage your Collaboration Workflows pending tasks

1. Overview and core concepts

What are Collaboration Workflows in Akeneo PIM?

Collaboration Workflows in Akeneo PIM let teams structure how product data moves between roles (contributor, approver) and stages (copywriting, translation, review, approval), ensuring quality and consistency across the catalog. See What are Collaboration Workflows? for details.

Who can use or manage Collaboration Workflows?

Access depends on role and User Group permissions:

• PIM Admin / Owner: Creates, configures, and assigns workflows.
• Team leads / Managers: Monitor tasks and track progress.
• Business users: View and act on tasks assigned to them.

See Permissions on Workflows for the full reference.

Do Collaboration Workflows generate product drafts or unpublished versions?

No. Collaboration Workflows guide users through editing and review directly on the live product record — they do not create drafts or proposals. Contributors need Own permissions (not just Edit) on the product Category to save values during a task.

How can I prevent products in a Collaboration Workflow from being activated prematurely?

Add a lock action in the final review step: set the product's categorization, enable its status Attribute, or assign a mandatory Attribute such as "Go Live" or "Go to Market." Step Automation can perform these actions automatically.

How do I check a product's Collaboration Workflow status from an external system?

Use the REST API to retrieve the workflow status from the product or product model endpoint. This tells you whether a product is active in a workflow or has completed its last review step, so you can decide whether to sync it to your webshop or other channels.

2. Workflow configuration and system behavior

What is the difference between Workflow Entry and Product Selection conditions in Collaboration Workflows?

The two concepts control different things:

• Workflow Entry Conditions define when a product enters the workflow, based on workflow type (One-time or Continuous) and triggering events.
• Product Selection Conditions define which products are eligible, based on criteria like status, Category, Family, Attribute value, Channel, Locale, or entity type.

See Set up your Collaboration Workflows for setup details.

Can I create a Collaboration Workflow for specific product Families or brands?

Yes. In the Product Selection tab of the workflow settings, filter by Family, Category, brand, supplier, or any Attribute. Tasks only trigger for products matching these conditions. See Set up your Collaboration Workflows.

How can I design a seasonal Collaboration Workflow with a deadline?

Use a date-type Attribute (e.g., "Release date", "Go-Live date") in the Product Selection criteria to target products tied to a seasonal milestone. Collaboration Workflows don't enforce deadlines automatically, but the Attribute lets you align workflow timing with the right products.

What happens if a product no longer matches the Product Selection criteria mid-workflow?

The product stays in the workflow until it reaches the final step. Product Selection filters only which products enter — it doesn't eject products already in progress.

What happens if I change the Product Selection criteria after enabling a Collaboration Workflow?

The new criteria only apply to products newly entering the workflow. Products already in progress keep their existing tasks. See Set up your Collaboration Workflows.

In Continuous Collaboration Workflows, why are some re-entries ignored?

A Continuous Workflow ignores re-entry triggers while a product still has a pending task in the workflow. The system keeps no queue, so the product will only re-enter after completing the current run and a new trigger occurs afterwards.

What notifications do Collaboration Workflows send?

Two automated emails are enabled by default:

• Weekly recap (every Monday): Summary of pending tasks for active workflows.
• Daily rejection reminder: Daily email listing rejected tasks that need action.

How do I unsubscribe from Collaboration Workflows notifications?

Click the unsubscribe link in the email footer, or go to My Account > Notifications and set "Weekly email notification on workflow pending tasks" or "Daily e-mail notification on workflow rejected tasks" to No.

Can I customize Collaboration Workflows notifications or route them to another tool?

Yes. Use the Event Platform or REST API (via an iPaaS if needed) to send real-time alerts to email, Slack, Teams, or any other communication tool. See Set up your Collaboration Workflows.

What can I change on an enabled Collaboration Workflow?

The following changes take effect immediately without disabling the workflow: workflow type, step names, step descriptions, step assignments, Step Automation, and Product Selection criteria (new criteria apply only to products newly entering).

How do I add, remove, or reorder steps in an enabled Collaboration Workflow?

You can't change the step sequence on an enabled workflow — this protects tasks already in progress. To reorder steps, duplicate the workflow, disable the original, edit the sequence on the copy, re-enable it, then clean up the original.

How do I design a Collaboration Workflow step that focuses on required Attributes?

In the step's Step Settings, select the Attribute Group(s) to complete, then select the All required attributes option. Users will only see and work on Attributes that are mandatory for the product, not the full Family Attribute set. See Set up your Collaboration Workflows.

Why is there a delay before my Collaboration Workflow task appears?

Some events (such as task creation for hundreds of products) are processed asynchronously to protect system performance. Expect a short delay before the task shows up in your dashboard.

What should I do if the Collaboration Workflow history and task list don't match?

Wait a few minutes — most discrepancies resolve once background processing catches up. If the issue persists, contact support.

Can Collaboration Workflows automatically reassign tasks when someone is unavailable?

No. Collaboration Workflows don't auto-reassign. A manager, supported by the PIM Admin, must reassign tasks manually.

What are the Collaboration Workflow limits in Akeneo PIM?

Collaboration Workflows enforce these limits:

• Up to 100 workflows (enabled and disabled combined).
• Up to 20 steps per workflow.
• One User Group per step, with up to 5 Channels, 10 Locales per Channel, and 10 Attribute Groups.
• Up to 50 Attribute updates as triggers for a Continuous Workflow.
• Up to 200 Product Selection criteria (including all grouped conditions).
• Up to 50,000 concurrent products per workflow.

For best performance, segment large catalogs into multiple logical workflows.

What happens if my Collaboration Workflow has more than 50,000 matching products?

Products beyond the 50,000 limit don't enter the workflow immediately. They are batched in as active products complete their tasks — only at product creation or update, since the system doesn't keep a queue. The Product Selection counter is static (set at enablement) and may show a higher number than what's actually active.

What Akeneo PIM setting changes can break an active Collaboration Workflow?

Changes made after a workflow is enabled can leave tasks unassigned or invisible:

• Changing a product's Family or Family variant.
• Changing an assigned user's User Group.
• Changing an assigned Attribute's Attribute Group.
• Removing a user from an assigned User Group.
• Removing an Attribute from an assigned Attribute Group.

These changes do not automatically update workflow assignments. Contact your PIM Owner to fix affected tasks and let new tasks flow.

3. Task execution, tracking, and visibility

How do I know the status of my Collaboration Workflow tasks?

Each task in your dashboard is either pending (waiting for action) or in progress. A task showing 100% Attribute completion may still need your review. If the PIM Owner set an allotted time for the step, a priority tag helps you prioritize.

Why can't I find a Collaboration Workflow task I expected?

Common reasons a task doesn't appear:

• The product doesn't meet the Product Selection criteria.
• Your User Group has no Own/Edit/View permission on the product's Category. If the product belongs to multiple Categories, the most permissive right applies.
• The product has no Family, or the Family changed, or the Product Model Family variant has an issue.
• You left the assigned User Group, or the group was deleted.
• The Attribute left the assigned Attribute Group, or the group was deleted.
• The task was automatically skipped because conditions didn't match (Family, variant, Attributes, Locale/Channel permissions).
• A co-assigned user already completed the task.

If permissions seem wrong, ask your PIM Admin to verify your User Group's Category rights.

Why are some tasks skipped when I click "Done & Next" on a Product Model in a Collaboration Workflow?

Done & Next guides you through all tasks on the Product Model and its variants before moving to the next product. Each task still progresses independently — completing one level doesn't wait for the others. Workflow progression is task-specific, not product-wide.

Can managers see all Collaboration Workflow tasks across their team?

Yes. Managers with the View Dashboard permission can filter and monitor tasks by user or workflow stage from the Dashboard section. This surfaces bottlenecks and helps meet deadlines. See What are Collaboration Workflows?.

What happens when a Collaboration Workflow task is rejected?

The task returns to the selected previous step with an Action Required tag, and the Attributes needing revision show an alert icon with the rejection comment. Only the most recent comment appears in the workflow panel, but all previous Attribute changes are saved in the product's History tab.

What happens if a Collaboration Workflow step has no Attributes assigned?

The task is still created and assigned. The product page may show "there is no attribute for your search" in the Attribute section — the user is expected to perform other actions described in the step description (categorization, Family assignment, assets, associations).

What happens if a Collaboration Workflow step's Attributes are already 100% complete?

The task still requires review and approval — there is no automatic completion. Users must verify and explicitly complete the task.

How is Attribute-filled progress calculated for a Product Model without variants in a Collaboration Workflow?

Progress cannot be calculated — it applies only once variants (SKUs) are created. Rely on the step description instead of the progress bar.

Can I add a Product Model without variants to a Collaboration Workflow via mass action?

No. When adding products to a workflow from the Product Grid in mass, Product Models without variants are ignored and no task is created.

4. Missing tasks, permissions, and exceptions

Why doesn't a product re-enter a One-time Collaboration Workflow after an update?

One-time workflows run once per product. After completion, the product will never re-enter — updates don't re-trigger it. One-time workflows are intended for initial enrichment or onboarding (first-time setup, data import validation, classification).

Why doesn't a product re-enter a Continuous Collaboration Workflow after an update?

A Continuous Workflow only re-triggers after the previous run is fully completed. If a task is still pending, the update is ignored. If the workflow is completed, the product re-enters only when a new trigger occurs afterwards.

Why does a product never create a Collaboration Workflow task?

The product doesn't match the Product Selection filter. If it doesn't meet the conditions, no task is created, regardless of other settings.

Typical mismatches:

A task can also be skipped if the step's settings make it irrelevant — especially if no Attributes are assigned.

Why don't Collaboration Workflow tasks appear even though everything is configured?

The workflow itself may not be enabled. No product enters a disabled workflow, even with valid filters, assignments, and configuration. Tasks only exist once the workflow is explicitly enabled.

Can I mark multiple Collaboration Workflow tasks as completed or approved at once?

Yes. From My Workflows > Pending Tasks, select multiple tasks and apply a mass action — Mark as completed or Approve moves them all to the next step. Tasks with unfilled Attributes are skipped and stay in your list.

Mass actions added from the Product Grid bypass the workflow's Product Selection criteria. See Manage your Collaboration Workflows pending tasks.

How do I quickly add a subset of products to an active Collaboration Workflow?

Use the Add to workflow bulk action from the Product Grid — select products and apply the action. For One-time workflows, this only works on products that haven't completed that workflow yet. See Set up your Collaboration Workflows.

Why can't a contributor with "Edit" permissions modify Attributes during a Collaboration Workflow task?

Contributors need Own permissions (not just Edit) on the product Category to save values during a task. Collaboration Workflows don't use drafts or proposals, so all changes go directly to the live product record — this stricter permission protects data integrity.

5. Advanced use cases, automation, and integrations

Can I automate handoffs between different Collaboration Workflows?

Yes. Chained Workflows link multiple Collaboration Workflows so that when the first completes, the next starts automatically. This fits sequential team handoffs (e.g., copywriters → translators → legal reviewers). See Chained Workflows.

How do I integrate Collaboration Workflows with Jira, Slack, or a custom dashboard via the REST API?

Use the Workflow REST API endpoints to retrieve a product's workflow status and check whether it is active or completed — useful for gating exports on workflow completion.

How do I trigger real-time Collaboration Workflow notifications in Slack, Teams, or other external tools?

Use the Event Platform to trigger custom alerts or actions in external systems when a task is created, completed, approved, or rejected. See available events and Customizing notifications.

Can I combine task assignment and Step Automation in a Collaboration Workflow?

Yes. Task assignment handles human contribution, review, or approval. Step Automation handles repetitive or low-value actions through workflow-based rules. The two can be combined in the same workflow.

Can I add Step Automation to an already-enabled Collaboration Workflow?

Yes. Step Automation can be added to any workflow, including active ones. It only triggers on workflow events (step startup or step completion/approval). See Step Automation.

How do I get started with Collaboration Workflows?

Use Akeneo's documentation, the AI assistant in our Help Center, the guided tour, or training sessions. Key resources:

• What are Collaboration Workflows? — use cases
• Set up your Collaboration Workflows — configuration
• Manage your Collaboration Workflows pending tasks — handling tasks