Document Approval Workflow

Document Lifecycle

Documents in Imara follow a structured state flow that ensures only reviewed and approved documents are used as compliance evidence:

1. Draft — The document is being created or edited. Only the author and administrators can view it.
2. Pending Review — The document has been submitted for approval. Designated reviewers are notified.
3. Approved — A reviewer has reviewed and approved the document. It is ready for publishing.
4. Published — The document is active, can be used as evidence, and, if configured, appears on the Trust Center.
5. Archived — The document has been replaced by a newer version or is no longer applicable.
   
   

Submitting for Approval

When a document is ready for review, click Submit for Approval. Designated approvers (usually Admins or Owners) will receive email and in-platform notifications. You can add comments explaining the changes made.

Approving or Rejecting

Approvers can view the full document and change history before making a decision. To approve, click Approve and add optional comments. To reject, click Reject and explain the reason — the document returns to Draft status for the author to make necessary corrections.

Member Acceptance

Some documents (such as security policies and codes of conduct) require all team members to formally read and accept. To enable this, check the Requires Acceptance option when creating or editing the document. After publishing, all users will be notified to accept the document, and you can track the acceptance status of each member.

Publishing to the Trust Center

Approved documents can be published to the Trust Center to demonstrate transparency to customers. When publishing, you can set a public title, summary, and a specific document version for public display, separate from the full internal document.