Document Statuses Explained
Understand the main workflow states so you can tell what a record is waiting for and who owns the next action.
Statuses are one of the fastest ways to understand a record at a glance. They should tell you whether work is still active, waiting, complete, or retained.
Who this is for
HR Admin, Approver, Auditor, Employee
Estimated time
4 minutes
Category
Reference
Next best action
Open the workflow or role guide that comes immediately after this page.
Active states
Active states tell you work is still moving. A record might still be a draft, under review, waiting on approval, or waiting on a signer or upload.
- Draft means HR operations are still preparing the record.
- Review states mean a decision or validation is still pending.
- Pending recipient states mean the next action belongs to someone outside HR operations.
Read the lifecycle in four quick buckets
Preparing
Draft
The record is still being created or corrected before a governed action happens.
Deciding
Under review
A reviewer or approver still needs to act before the record can move forward.
Waiting
Pending completion
The next action belongs to a signer, employee, or other participant outside HR operations.
Retained
Archived
Normal work is complete and the record now follows governed retrieval and retention handling.
Final and retained states
Final states tell you the workflow has reached a meaningful outcome. The record may be approved, completed, signed, acknowledged, or archived for governed retention.
- Final does not always mean deleted or hidden.
- Archived means the record is retained with different handling rules.
- Final states should make ownership and next action obvious at a glance.
Why status matters
Status is one of the fastest ways to understand operational ownership. It tells you whether work is still active, whether another actor is waiting to respond, or whether the record has moved into a retained state.
When people struggle to interpret the workflow, status is usually the first thing to review.
Freshness and feedback
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- Last reviewed
- April 19, 2026
- Owner
- Janalix Team
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Related guides
Keep moving with the next useful pages
Use related guides when you want a nearby task, a role-specific view, or a reference page that supports the workflow you just finished.
Submit A Document For Approval
Route a completed draft into review so the right approver can take action.
Archive A Completed Record
Move a finished record into governed storage when active work is complete.
Track Compliance Status
Use compliance views to identify missing, expiring, and valid records before they turn into operational risk.