Who is this article for?

Administrators configuring workflow routes

No special access or permissions are required.

When designing or editing a workflow, you may notice that Step 1 (Initiate) is not available in the To Step dropdown when adding a new route. This can be confusing, especially if you're trying to allow users to return to the beginning of a process.

This article explains the routing limitations and workarounds you can employ in your workflows.

Note
A feature request to support routing back to Step 1 is currently under review by the development team.

1. Understanding Step 1 routing

In a workflow, Step 1 is treated as the fixed starting point. Once a workflow instance progresses beyond Step 1, the system does not allow routing back to it.

This is by design and ensures:

• A clear and auditable workflow lifecycle.
• Prevention of circular or recursive routing.
• Consistency in initiation logic and reporting.

2. Simulating Step 1 routing

If your process requires users to go back to the beginning, you can create a new step that mimics Step 1.

To simulate this routing:

1. Go to Administration.
2. Select Workflows.
3. Open the relevant workflow.
4. Add a new step that replicates the fields and logic of Step 1.
   We recommend naming it 'Restart' or 'Re-initiate' to avoid confusion with the original step.
5. Add a route from the current step (e.g., Step 2) to this new step.
6. Assign the same responsible parties and field permissions as Step 1.