Publish & Approve

RAMP uses a structured lifecycle for template versions to ensure quality and accountability. Versions progress from Draft to Published to Approved before they can be used to create instances.

Version lifecycle

Draft  ──>  Published  ──>  Approved
                |                |
                v                v
            Archived         Archived

Status	Editable	Can create instances	Description
Draft	Yes	No	Work in progress. Steps and variables can be freely modified.
Published	No	Depends on tenant settings	Locked snapshot with a version number. Content is immutable.
Approved	No	Yes	Published version that has been reviewed and approved for use.
Archived	No	No	Retired version, kept for historical reference.

Publishing a version

Publishing locks a draft version, assigns it a version number, and makes it available for approval.

1. Open the draft version in the version editor.
2. Click the Publish button in the toolbar.
3. Select the version bump type.
4. Optionally enter release notes.
5. Click Publish to confirm.

Version numbering

RAMP uses semantic versioning with three components: Major.Minor.Patch

Bump type	When to use	Example
Major	Breaking changes, complete restructuring	1.0.0 to 2.0.0
Minor	New steps added, significant content updates	1.0.0 to 1.1.0
Patch	Typo fixes, minor wording changes	1.0.0 to 1.0.1

The version number is calculated automatically based on the previous published version and your selected bump type.

Caution

Once published, a version cannot be edited. If you need to make changes, create a new draft based on the published version. This ensures that any instances using the published version continue to reference a stable, unchanged procedure.

What happens on publish

When you publish a version:

1. The version status changes from Draft to Published.
2. A version string is assigned (e.g., “1.2.0”).
3. All step content, variables, and settings are locked.
4. The PublishedBy user and PublishedAt timestamp are recorded.
5. Team member assignments for the version are finalized.
6. The version becomes available for approval.

Approval workflow

Approval provides an additional quality gate after publishing. Approved versions are the only ones that can be used to create instances (unless tenant settings allow creating instances from published-but-unapproved versions).

Approving a version

1. Navigate to the template detail page.
2. Find the published version that needs approval.
3. Click the Approve button (visible to users with approval permissions).
4. Optionally add approval notes explaining the review.
5. Confirm the approval.

Who can approve

Approval permissions are controlled at two levels:

• Application-level roles — Users with the appropriate RAMP role can approve any template version.
• Template-level roles — Users assigned as Approvers on a specific template can approve that template’s versions.

Note

The specific approval permissions depend on your tenant’s role configuration. Contact your administrator for details on who can approve templates in your organization.

Approval metadata

Each approval records:

Field	Description
Approved By	The user who approved the version
Approved At	Timestamp of the approval
Approval Notes	Optional reviewer notes explaining the approval

Creating a draft from a published version

To iterate on a published version:

1. Navigate to the template detail page.
2. Click Create Draft on a published or approved version.
3. Select the version bump type for the new draft.
4. The new draft is created as a copy of the selected version with all steps, variables, and team assignments.
5. Edit the draft in the version editor.

The new draft records a Base Version reference, linking it back to the version it was derived from. This enables accurate version comparison.

Draft title

Each draft can have a Draft Title (up to 100 characters) to distinguish it from other active drafts. This is helpful when multiple people are working on different draft variants simultaneously.

Archiving a version

Published or approved versions that are no longer needed can be archived:

• Archived versions cannot be used to create new instances.
• Archived versions remain visible in the version history for audit purposes.
• Archiving does not affect existing instances that reference the version.

Best practices

• Review before publishing — Since published versions cannot be modified, thoroughly review content, variables, and step settings before publishing.
• Use meaningful version numbers — Choose the appropriate bump type so version numbers communicate the nature of changes.
• Add approval notes — When approving, include notes about what was reviewed and any conditions or limitations.
• Create drafts strategically — Base new drafts on the most recent approved version to minimize divergence.

Related topics

Version Editor Edit draft versions before publishing

Compare Versions See differences between versions

History View the full change history