Configure and Use the Commenter Role in Workflows at Company level

The Commenter role allows assignees to provide feedback, attachments, and markups on a workflow step without selecting a formal decision status (such as Approve or Reject). This ensures critical advisory input is captured directly inside the Procore workflow without assigning decision-making liability to advisory reviewers.

• For Template Administration: 'Admin' level permissions on the Company level Workflows tool.

• For In-Flight Workflow Editing: 'Admin' level permissions on the parent tool or designated Workflow Manager rights.

• Role Requirements: Every workflow step must have at least one assigned Responder. A step cannot consist entirely of Commenters.

• Workflow Progression:

  • On Multiple Responders Decide steps, required Commenters must submit their input before the step can advance, though their feedback does not affect directional routing.

  • On First Responder Decides steps, Commenters are optional by definition, and the step advances as soon as the first Responder submits a decision.

• Dual-Role Assignment: If you are assigned to a step as both a Responder and a Commenter across different roles, the Responder assignment takes precedence. Submitting a single response satisfies both assignments.

• Task Tracking: Required Commenters see pending workflow tasks in their web My Open Items list. Optional Commenters do not see pending tasks in My Open Items.

• Supported Tools: Payments, Budget, Document Management, Invoicing, Prime Contracts, Commitments (Single Tier Change Orders, Potential Change Orders), and Direct Cost.

Add a Commenter Role to a Workflow Template

1. Navigate to the Workflows tool at the Company level.

2. Click Edit next to the workflow template you want to modify. 

3. Select the target response step. The 'Response Step' panel opens on the side of the screen.

4. Click Manage Assignees. The Manage Assignees panel opens.

5. Add or select an assignee role, then configure the Commenter role based on the step decision type:

   • For Multiple Responders Decide Steps: Select All members, At least one member, or No members from the Type drop-down menu under the Commenter section. These will get the permission to comment accordingly.

   • For First Responder Decides Steps: Mark the Comment Only checkbox next to the assignee role. The selected role updates to designate its members as Commenters.

Note: A commenter cannot move or route a workflow to another step. If a step requires input from a commenter, the workflow automatically pauses until that input is provided. 

1. Verify that at least one assigned role remains set as a Responder. The template satisfies the rule requiring at least one decision-maker per step.

2. Click Save Changes. The window closes, and your updates apply to the visual canvas.

3. Click Save & Publish.

Note: The workflow history displays a separate icon for responders and a distinct label for commenters. Depending upon the response requirements the Workflow history visibility changes. For example, whether all members or at least one member must respond as commenters. 

Manage Commenters on an In-Flight Workflow

1. Navigate to the active workflow.

2. Open the 'Workflow' side panel and click on the vertical ellipses. 

3. Select Manage Assignees. The Manage Assignees window opens.

4. Complete any of the following actions as needed:

   • Change an existing role's type between Responder and Commenter.

   • Add individual users as Commenters under the 'Additional Assignees' section. The updated user or role assignments are listed in the window.

5. Click Save Changes. The window closes, and a notification email automatically sends to any newly assigned Commenters. 

Submit Feedback as a Commenter on Web

1. Navigate to the item or open the task from My Open Items. The item details and workflow response form appear. The Status / Response decision drop-down menu is hidden.

2. Enter your feedback in the 'Comments' field. Your text appears in the comment entry box.

3. Optional: Upload files or add markups using the 'Attach File' area. The attached files or marked-up documents appear listed under the attachments section.

4. Click Submit. Your submission records. A new entry labeled with your role appears in the workflow history panel, and required Commenters will see the item cleared from their My Open Items list.