TL;DR: On Business plans and higher, you can create custom workflows with statuses tailored to your team's process. Account admins can create account-wide workflows, and space admins can create space-level workflows. Once created, you can set a custom workflow as the default for any folder, project, or space.
Hey Community! 👋
The five default statuses work great for simple projects, but your team might need something more specific. For example, a marketing team might want statuses like "Draft," "In Review," "Approved," and "Published." That's where custom workflows come in.
What Are Custom Workflows?
Custom workflows let you define your own set of statuses that match how your team actually works. Instead of forcing your process into generic statuses, you build statuses that reflect your real steps.
Custom workflows are available on Business, Enterprise, and Pinnacle plans. There are two types:
Type | Who Can Create It | Where It Applies |
|---|
Account-wide workflow | Account admins | Available across the entire account |
Space workflow | Space admins | Available only within that specific space |
How to Create an Account-Wide Custom Workflow
- Click your profile image in the sidebar.
- Select Settings from the dropdown.
- Click Workflows in the left-hand navigation panel.
- Click + Workflow.
- Enter a name for your new workflow (e.g., "Marketing Content Workflow").
- Add statuses by clicking Add Status at the bottom of any status group (Active, Completed, Deferred, or Cancelled). Enter a name and pick a color.
- Drag and drop statuses to arrange them in the order your team uses.
- Click Save.
Your new workflow is immediately available for all team members.
How to Create a Space Workflow
- Click the gear icon next to the space name in the sidebar.
- Switch to the Workflows tab.
- Click + Workflow, then select the item type it applies to
- Then click on Create new workflow.
- Name the workflow, add your statuses, and choose colors.
- Click Save.
Applying a Custom Workflow
Once created, you can set your custom workflow as the default for a folder, project, or space.
- Click on the three dot menu on the folder or project name in the sidebar
- Hover over Change default workflow
- Select your custom workflow.
New tasks created in that location will automatically use the first active status from your chosen workflow.
You can also switch an individual task to a different workflow from Item view by clicking the status and selecting a status from another workflow.
Real-World Example
Let's say your marketing team uses a custom "Content Pipeline" workflow with the statuses: Draft → Editor Review → Approved → Published.
You're managing the task "Write Q3 Blog Post." After finishing the first draft, you open Board view and drag the task card from the "Draft" column to "Editor Review." Your editor sees the update immediately and knows it's their turn!
Good to Know
- Admin access required. Only account admins can create account-wide workflows. Only space admins can create space-level workflows. Regular users should reach out to their admin.
- Fixed vs. flexible workflows. You can lock transitions so users can only move tasks to specific predesignated statuses. Great for enforcing process compliance.
- Existing tasks aren't affected. Setting a new default workflow on a folder or project only applies to new tasks. Existing tasks keep their current workflow unless manually changed.
- Status and workflow permissions are linked. The ability to change a task's status and switch its workflow are controlled by a single permission. To prevent workflow switching while allowing status changes, use fixed workflows.
Learn More
The Wrike Help Center has detailed guides with screenshots for everything covered here:
🔗 Workflows in Wrike
🔗 Creating an Account-Wide Custom Workflow
🔗 Creating a Space Workflow
Related Posts in This Series
📌 New to changing statuses? Start with "How to Change a Task's Status in Wrike".
📌 Need to set a deadline? Check out "How to Set a Due Date in Wrike".
Over to You
Has your team created custom workflows that made a big difference? What statuses did you add that the defaults didn't cover? Share your tips below! 👇
