Document Management guide

Create a document from a template

Use a governed template to create a policy, procedure, standard, guideline, plan or standard operating procedure.

Document Owner or Policy Manager Approximately 10–15 minutes Updated 27 July 2026

Outcome

Create a governed document using an existing template, complete its metadata and either retain it as a draft or submit it into the approval workflow.

  • The document type and template match the intended purpose.
  • Ownership, category, sensitivity and approvers are recorded.
  • The content has been reviewed before submission.
  • The document appears in Draft or Pending Approval with a clear status.

Before you begin

You need a Document Owner or Policy Manager role, an available template and at least one eligible approver when the document type requires approval.

Document Management is the umbrella workflow.

It covers policies, procedures, standards, guidelines, plans and standard operating procedures. Approval and audience rules can differ by document type.

1. Start from a template

1

Open Document Management

Open Documents, select Create Document, then choose Create from Template.

2

Select the document type

Choose whether the record is a policy, procedure, standard, guideline, plan or standard operating procedure. This choice controls later approval and publication behaviour.

The template workflow captures the document title, category, owner, sensitivity label, approvers and template selection in one place.
3

Complete the metadata

Enter a clear title, choose the appropriate category and sensitivity label, confirm the owner and select one or more approvers where required.

4

Choose and edit the template

Select the template category and the specific template. Review the generated content and adapt it to the organisation rather than publishing generic wording unchanged.

2. Save or submit

Save as DraftUse when content or metadata is incomplete and should not yet reach approvers.
Submit for ApprovalUse when the document is ready for formal review. PurpleWASP sends it to the selected approver or approvers.

After submission, confirm that the success message appears and the document is visible under Pending Approval.

Expected result

The document has a stable identity, owner and workflow status. Approvers receive an in-app notification and can open the document from their Pending Approval view.

Common problems

The template list is empty

Confirm that a template exists for the selected document type and category. An administrator may need to configure or enable the template.

No approver can be selected

Confirm that eligible users have been mapped to the required approval role.

The document remains a draft

Check required metadata and confirm that Submit for Approval, rather than Save as Draft, was selected.