Streamlining Content Change Requests in AEM Sites with Forms and Workflows

[ParnianSh1]

Hello,

I’m looking to streamline the process of managing content change requests for our website, which is hosted on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Sites. Currently, employees at our company send requests (e.g., changes to copy or images) via email to the author of the page, which can be inefficient and difficult to track.

I’m considering using AEM Forms to create a centralized request system where employees can submit change requests through a form hosted on our internal intranet. I would like this form to integrate seamlessly with AEM Sites and trigger workflows to route requests to the appropriate content authors for review and implementation. Employees do not have access to AEM, so the solution needs to work externally (via intranet) but manage tasks and submissions internally within AEM.

I'd appreciate some guidance on this matter and knowing if this is the right way to go or if Adobe offers a different solution to solve this problem.

Thanks.

[kapil_rajoria]

Hi @ParnianSh1, you can try creating a page having a form which when published is available to all. It would contain all the required changes and instructions an author have to do. On form submission, you can call an AEM servlet, inside that you can call your workflows along with the data you got from form submission.
The authors can then pick those workflows via notifications and work on them according to their status.
Also, please make sure, the workflows are not overloaded in the backend.

[AmitVishwakarma · Accepted solution]

To streamline the content change request process in AEM Sites using forms and workflows, here’s an effective approach leveraging AEM Forms and AEM Workflows:

1. Create a Custom Change Request Form with AEM Forms:

• Use AEM Forms to create a custom form where employees can submit content change requests (e.g., text changes, image updates).
• You can host this form on your internal intranet (ensuring that employees, who don't have direct access to AEM, can submit requests).

2. Set Up Workflows:

• Once the form is submitted, integrate it with AEM Workflows to automate the routing of requests to content authors or approvers.
• Create a workflow that routes the submitted request to the appropriate authoring user (content creator/editor) for review and action. This could include tasks like approving, rejecting, or implementing the change.
• You can use AEM’s adaptive workflows to handle approval steps or notification tasks for team members.

3. Trigger Content Updates:

• After the request is reviewed and approved by the content author, the workflow can automatically trigger the necessary actions within AEM (e.g., page updates or content revisions).
• This can be done using AEM's REST API or leveraging workflow step scripts to push content to the appropriate page.

4. Tracking & Notifications:

• Workflows can be configured to send notifications at each step (e.g., confirmation to the employee when the request is received, updates when it’s in progress, and when it’s completed).
• Additionally, using AEM’s Dashboard or custom views, you can easily track the status of change requests, providing better visibility and reporting for the team.

5. Integrating with AEM Sites:

• The content updates can be directly applied to AEM Sites once the workflow completes. Since the form is external (via intranet), it’s crucial to ensure proper authentication and authorization to prevent unauthorized users from submitting requests.

Summary:

Using AEM Forms for the request submission, AEM Workflows for task routing and tracking, and integration with AEM Sites for content changes is a solid solution. This setup centralizes the request management process, improves efficiency, and allows tracking, making it a good choice.