Run a Workflow Manually

Beta

Workflows are currently in beta.

Workflows with automatic triggers start on their own. But you can also start a workflow run manually — either from the Workflows admin area, or directly from a record in a report or member list.

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From the workflow editor

Use this method to start a workflow for one specific record, without waiting for the trigger to fire.

1. Open the workflow in the editor.
2. Make sure the workflow is published (a live version exists).
3. Click Test Run in the editor toolbar.
4. Choose the record. For Membership or Subscription workflows, choose a Member first, then one of that member’s records.
5. Read the warning and confirm. Kanri creates a real run using the published version.

The new run appears in Run History with a “manual” trigger indicator.

Note

Test runs require Manage Workflows and the permissions required by the published workflow. They can run a disabled published workflow and bypass waiting for its automatic trigger. Messages are sent and changes are saved; this is not a simulation. Use test records.

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From a record’s action menu

Manual trigger workflows also appear as options in the action menus on records — for example, in the member list, in a report, or on a member’s profile page.

This lets staff with appropriate permissions start a workflow on a specific record without needing access to the Workflows admin area.

How it works:

1. Find the record you want to run the workflow for (e.g., go to Members and find the member).
2. Click the Actions menu (usually on the row, or on the member’s profile).
3. Any published, enabled workflows whose trigger type is Manual will appear in the list.
4. Click the workflow name to start a run for that record.

Permission required: The required permission is determined by the workflow itself — specifically, the union of permissions needed by all the actions and filters in the workflow. This is usually something like Manage Members rather than Manage Workflows. A staff member with day-to-day permissions can run workflows published for their use, without needing workflow admin access.

Tip

Only Manual trigger workflows appear in record action menus. Workflows with automatic triggers (event, condition, schedule) don’t appear there — they run on their own.

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Bulk manual triggers

In reports and data tables, you can select multiple records and run a workflow on all of them at once. This is useful for:

• Running a “send renewal offer” workflow on a filtered list of expiring members.
• Triggering a “process batch” workflow on multiple invoices.

1. In a report or member list, filter to the records you want.
2. Select multiple rows (usually with a checkbox).
3. Open the bulk Actions menu.
4. Choose a manual trigger workflow from the list.

Kanri starts a separate run for each selected record. The runs are independent — each one tracks its own progress.

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Manual vs. automatic runs — what’s the difference?

A manual run goes through the published steps and respects delays, exit conditions, and the configured trigger re-checks. It does not first require an automatic event or date to become due. On a waiting Delay step in run details, Skip delay advances the run immediately, but does not skip exit conditions, configured re-checks, or later actions.

Run history shows Manual as the trigger kind and records which staff member started it.

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Next steps

• Run History — monitor the runs you’ve started
• Steps — understand what happens during a run
• Publish and Enable — make sure your workflow is published and enabled before running manually