Workflows

Workflows organise work on product data in PIM. They define who handles each task, in what order, and who gives final approval.

Typical use cases

• Enrichment of new products: A coordinator assigns products to specific people. Product management adds technical data, marketing writes copy, photography supplies images, and translations follow at the end.
• Approval: After enrichment, someone reviews the data before it is sent to the online shop or retailers.
• Traceability: It is clear who initiated a change and who approved it. This is important for safety-related information or legally required fields.
• Supplier data: Data from a supplier portal goes through a review before it is accepted.

What matters

Workflows are particularly useful when several departments or external partners work on the same product. Good PIM systems link workflows to data quality rules: a product only moves to the next stage once the required fields are complete. Deadlines and notifications ensure that nothing gets left undone.

Start simple. A three-stage workflow that people use every day delivers more value than a sophisticated model that nobody uses.

See also: Enrichment · Access rights · Data Governance in PIM · Supplier Onboarding