Creating a circular in Mstnd: circulate your decision and make sure it is read

«Create circular» in Mstnd is the form you use to issue a decision, a policy or an announcement to your organization's employees, while specifying what is required of them: reading it for information, acknowledging it or signing it. In it you set the title, the content and the attachments from the document system, address it to the whole company or to specific units and positions, and configure the automatic reminder and the effective and end dates. Then you publish it so that it reaches the recipients by notification and email.

Quick overview

Watch the video

In about a minute, the video shows the full creation of a circular about launching a marketing campaign: from writing the title, to attaching the campaign plan, addressing it to the marketing department and turning on automatic resend, and then publishing it.

Why this feature?

For a circular to be good, it is not enough for it to be well written: it must reach the right people, they must know what is required of them, and you must know who has done it. In the traditional way, you write the circular in a file, email it to a list you put together by hand, then follow up the replies one by one, and the late ones may be forgotten.

The «Create circular» form brings these stages together in one step. It links the circular to the organizational structure to define the recipients, sets the type of action required from them, and takes care of the repeated reminders for you until everyone has read it.

Value for the organization: documented, followed-up circulars, and a clear reference for what employees were informed of and when. Value for the individual: less time spent sending and following up, and certainty that the decision has reached the people it concerns.

Where to find it

1. From the side menu, choose «Circulars».
2. Click «Create circular» at the top of the page.
3. The «Create circular» form opens, with a «Back to circulars» link at the top.

Direct link: https://app.mstnd.sa/circulars/new

Concepts and terms

Step by step

Step 1: Write the title and the subject

Start with the title. Keep it short and descriptive of what the circular is about, such as «Circular regarding the launch of the Q4 campaign». Then write the subject: one or two lines that briefly explain what is required, such as «Read and acknowledge the campaign plan».

The title matters because it is what appears in the circulars list and what people search by later. The subject appears under the title in the list, so the recipient knows what the circular is about before opening it.

Step 2: Set the priority, the category and the action type

This part has three fields:

• Priority: such as «Normal» or «High». It affects how the circular is ordered and highlighted for the recipients.
• Category: the circular's category, such as «Administrative». It makes filtering and searching easier later.
• Action type: under it is the hint «Specify what is required of the recipients for this circular».

Choosing the action type is the most important decision in the circular:

Step 3: Write the content of the circular

The «Content» section has a text editor with formatting tools: bold, italic and underline, headings, numbered and bulleted lists, quotes, links, alignment, and undo and redo.

Write the content in direct language: What is the decision? When does it start? What is required of the recipient? Use lists if the circular includes several items or instructions.

Step 4: Attach files from the document system

In the «Attachments» section, add the file that supports the circular from the document system, such as the campaign plan. Attaching from inside the system means the recipients read the document stored in Mstnd itself, not a copy sent by email that may differ from the original.

Step 5: Add linked items, then choose the recipients

Links are optional. They let you link the circular to other related items: folders, tasks, workflows, circulars, correspondence and external contacts, each with an «Add» button. Linking helps you reach the context later, such as linking a circular to an earlier circular that it updates.

Recipients are required. You have two ways:

1. «Send the circular to the whole company»: when it is turned on, the circular reaches all members of the organization when it is published.
2. Specific units or positions: from the «Units» tab you choose departments or teams from the organizational structure, and from the «Positions» tab you choose specific positions. You can search by name, such as «marketing», to reach the «Marketing department» directly.

Addressing units and positions instead of individuals means the circular follows the organizational structure, so you do not need to know the names of every member of the department.

Step 6: Configure the settings

The «Settings» section has three options:

• «Allow comments»: lets the recipients add comments on the circular.
• «Send email notification»: the recipients receive an email when the circular is published.
• «Automatic resend»: keeps reminding the recipients who have not interacted yet at regular intervals until everyone has read the circular. When it is turned on, the «Interval (days)» field appears so you can set how many days apart the reminders are sent.

Step 7: Set the effective and end dates, then publish

Set the «Effective date» on which the circular takes effect, and the «End date» if the circular is temporary. Then choose one of the buttons at the bottom of the form:

• «Publish»: issues the circular and sends it to the recipients right away.
• «Save as draft»: saves the circular without sending it, so you can review or complete it later.
• «Cancel»: leaves the form without saving.

Step 8: Check that the circular has arrived

After publishing, the circular reaches the recipients through a notification inside the system, and by email if you turned that on. You move to the circular details page, which shows:

• The sender and the sending date.
• The progress indicator: total, read, acknowledged and the percentage.
• The content of the circular and the attachments.
• The list of recipients, split into «Not read yet» and «Acknowledged reading», with the status of each recipient, such as «Pending».

Follow-up starts from this page. You will find it explained in the guide Circular details.

Options and their effect

Practical scenarios

Scenario: The HR department of a government entity updates the working hours policy

Situation: A new policy on attendance and departure times has been issued, and all employees must sign it.

What you do in Mstnd:

1. Write the title «Circular regarding adherence to official working hours».
2. Choose the «For signature» action type and the «Administrative» category.
3. Attach the policy document from the HR folder.
4. Turn on «Send the circular to the whole company».
5. Turn on automatic resend with a suitable interval, then click «Publish».

Result: The policy reaches everyone, and the late ones receive a periodic reminder without manual follow-up.

Scenario: A contracting company informs a project team of safety instructions

Situation: New safety instructions that concern the site teams only.

What you do in Mstnd:

1. Choose the «High» priority and the «For acknowledgment» action type.
2. Attach the safety guide.
3. From the «Units» tab, choose the site teams concerned.
4. Link the circular to the project folder from «Links».
5. Publish the circular.

Result: The instructions reach only the teams concerned, with documented proof of each individual's acknowledgment.

Scenario: A hospital issues a temporary protocol

Situation: A temporary operational protocol for a set period that concerns the section heads.

What you do in Mstnd:

1. Write the content as a numbered list of instructions.
2. From the «Positions» tab, choose the section head positions.
3. Set the effective date and the end date.
4. Turn on «Allow comments» to receive questions.
5. Save it as a draft for the medical director to review, then publish it.

Result: A protocol with a clear duration that reaches the decision makers, with a channel for questions inside the circular.

Scenario: A trading company launches a marketing campaign

Situation: The marketing department needs its team to read the campaign plan before the launch.

What you do in Mstnd:

1. Write the title and the subject, and choose «For acknowledgment».
2. Attach the campaign plan from the document system.
3. Search for «marketing» and choose «Marketing department».
4. Turn on the email notification and automatic resend, then click «Publish».

Result: The circular reaches the team by notification and email, and the department follows the acknowledgment rate from the details page.

How it relates to other features

• Circulars: this is where you start creating the circular, and where the published circular or the draft is added.
• Circular details: after publishing, this is where you follow who has read and who has acknowledged, and send manual reminders.
• Organizational structure: the units you choose the recipients from come from the organizational structure, so its accuracy determines how accurately the circular is addressed.
• Folders: attachments come from documents stored in the system's folders, and you can link the circular to a folder.
• Uploading files: upload the supporting document first if it is not in Mstnd yet.
• Calendar: the published circular appears in the Calendar as an event on its date.
• Administrative correspondence: you can link the circular to a related correspondence from the «Links» section.

Tips and best practices

1. Start the title with its subject, such as «Circular regarding...»: this makes searching the circulars list easier.
2. In the subject, write what is required of the recipient in one line, because it appears under the title in the list.
3. Choose the action type according to the legal or administrative effect you need, not out of habit.
4. Attach documents from the system instead of copying their content into the circular's text, so there is a single source of truth.
5. Address the circular to the narrowest scope that needs it. A circular sent to people it does not concern reduces employees' attention to the important circulars.
6. Turn on automatic resend for circulars that everyone must read.
7. Save the circular as a draft if it needs an official's approval before it is published.
8. Set an end date for temporary decisions, so they do not stay in force in employees' minds after they have ended.

Warnings and common mistakes

FAQ

How do I create a circular in Mstnd?

From the «Circulars» page, click «Create circular», then write the title and subject, set the priority, category and action type, write the content, attach the files, choose the recipients and click «Publish».

What is the difference between a circular for information, for acknowledgment and for signature?

«For information» only informs the recipient, «For acknowledgment» asks them to confirm they have read it, and «For signature» asks them to sign the circular.

Can I send the circular to all employees at once?

Yes. Turn on the «Send the circular to the whole company» option, and it reaches all members of the organization when it is published.

How do I send the circular to one department only?

In the «Recipients» section, open the «Units» tab, search for the department, such as «Marketing department», and select it. You can also choose positions from the «Positions» tab.

What is automatic resend?

An option that sends a reminder to the recipients who have not interacted yet, at regular intervals in days that you set, until everyone has read the circular.

Can I save the circular without publishing it?

Yes. Click «Save as draft», and the circular is saved without reaching the recipients until you publish it later.

Can I attach a file directly from my device?

Attachments to a circular are added from the document system. If the file is on your device, first upload it to a folder in Mstnd, then attach it.

What are linked items in a circular for?

They link the circular to related items such as folders, tasks, correspondence or earlier circulars, and they are optional.

Summary

• «Create circular» brings writing, addressing and following up a decision together in one form.
• The action type (for information, for acknowledgment, for signature) states clearly what is asked of the recipients.
• Attachments from the document system make sure everyone reads the same document.
• Recipients are chosen from the organizational structure: the whole company, units or positions.
• Automatic resend and the effective and end dates make the circular binding and time-bound.

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