One way to enforce consistency when using SharePoint 2013 is to upload and associate a document template with your content types. With document templates, users who create new documents based on a content type can have a prepopulated starting point (instead of a blank document). A simple usage is to create the various headers that would be expected in most documents and apply some basic formatting.
On the Site Content Types page, click the Site Content Type column where you will associate a document template.
From the Site Content Types Page, click Advanced Settings.
Prepare and save a Microsoft Word document locally with your desired formatting for new documents based on this content type.
Select the Upload A New Document Template option, click Browse, and then select your local document.
Click OK to save your changes.
Some content types do not support document templates. If you do not see an option to upload a document template, select another content type, preferably with a parent content type of Document.
Within systems that manage content, workflows refer to a series of activities that are applied to a document or item. Content management systems use workflows to automate repetitive tasks such as assigning multiple reviewers to a document and routing the final response back to the originator. In SharePoint 2013, you can assign workflows to list items or documents to automate common tasks, as well.
The advantage of using workflows to automate document tasks is that workflows can include steps to ensure that documents are appropriately processed. For example, if multiple reviewers are assigned to a document within a workflow, the SharePoint workflow can make sure that the next reviewer has received a copy of the document immediately after the previous reviewer has completed her review. This ensures that documents are not forgotten or misrouted. Also, you can use workflows to send emails during important activities, ensuring that users are reminded that tasks are due.
SharePoint 2013 offers a completely updated workflow experience for users of the Server or Enterprise platforms. Users of SharePoint 2013 Foundation are limited to the workflow functionality that was provided with the previous version, SharePoint 2010. You can use these workflows for basic document routing and notifications of assignees for each workflow task as well as tracking the full history of the document as it is routed and changed within the workflow.
