Use this screen to define workflow models, including basic information, activities and their order, and labels to identify each workflow case.
Use this screen to design the flow of activities and define the necessary information for activities, such as to whom to route the activity and what function the activity should launch. The list box provides a graphical user interface that enables you to visualize activities that occur in parallel, in groups, with options, or simply one after another.
The New dialog box, accessed by selecting the New pushbutton, is the tool for setting up the design of the workflow. Use this dialog to set the activity level and type. You can also delete activities and move activities to change their order.
This screen has a number of subtasks where you can enter detail information. You can access case information in the Case subtask. If an activity does not have options, open the Activity subtask. If the activity does have options, you can open the Activity With Options subtask. Last of all, you can use the Option subtask to define detail option information.
By defining a workflow model, you will be able to initiate and maintain workflow cases, route new activities to activity inboxes and e-mail, route completed activities to message inboxes or e-mail, and audit the start and completion of activities.
When you have completed your entries, select the Save button on the toolbar.
Enter information into the following screens before you work in this screen: Define Case Labels, Define Role Filtering, and Define Roles. Use caution in the timing of your edits because any modifications may affect in-progress workflows.
Once you have defined an active workflow, you can initiate a case of the workflow using the Initiate Case or Maintain Case screens.
Enter up to 30 alphanumeric characters in this required field. You can enter any meaningful name to describe the series of activities combined to form this workflow model.
Choose a valid value for subsystem to describe the Costpoint functions most commonly used for the activities of this workflow. Subsystem valid values include "Accounting," "Projects," "People," "Materials," "None," and "Other."
This non-editable field displays the name of the different Workflow types available in the system. Workflow types include "Costpoint Triggers," "Deltek Defined," and "User-Defined."
A "Costpoint Triggers" Workflow is Deltek-defined and is initiated automatically when a certain event occurs in a Costpoint function. (For example, when a requisition approval is necessary, an "STD - Requisition Approval" Workflow is initiated.)
A "Deltek Defined" Workflow is predefined and ready for use. You need only to assign roles and user IDs for routing. Several of the predefined Workflows already have roles attached. Because activities can be deleted, added, or changed in order, you can tailor predefined Workflows to fit your needs.
Any Workflows set up by users are considered "User-Defined."
Select this checkbox to indicate whether this workflow is active. If you select this checkbox, users will be able to initiate cases, start activities, and complete activities. If you do not select Active, users will not be able to perform any in-progress actions. We recommend that you do not select this checkbox until you have finished defining the workflow.
This non-editable list box displays the flow of activities defined for the workflow. You can add items by selecting the New pushbutton. You can remove items by selecting the Delete pushbutton. You can move the sequence of items by using the Left, Right, Up, and Down pushbuttons. You can modify the name of the item by using the Activity, Activity w/Options, or Option subtasks.
If you can expand an item to show other items below it, a black arrow displays next to the item. To expand or collapse an item, double-click on the item in the list box. If an item does not have any items below it, a white arrow displays.
If an activity is indented under another activity, you must complete the first activity before you can start the indented activity. (However, you can start activities out of order in the Monitor Status screen.) When a workflow is in-progress, the workflow engine will route the indented activity to the inbox (and e-mail, if available) of the appropriate role after the first activity is completed. Activities that are displayed at the same level can be performed in parallel. All activities that are indented at the next level below an activity will be routed when the higher activity is completed.
The Activities list box displays several items: activities (with or without options), options, and groups. These different items give you the ability to design an activity flow that will mirror your business practice. An arrow identifies activities (with or without options). A square identifies options. A circle identifies groups.
If you would like to route one activity, but give the user a choice of starting or completing that activity, add an activity w/options and the options related to it. For example, you can have an activity w/options, "Review Timesheet," with two options: "Approve Timesheet" and "Reject Timesheet." Workflow will route the activity w/options to the activity inbox (and e-mail, if available) of the associated role. When a user starts the activity, he can choose which option to start. When a user completes the activity, he must choose which option to complete.
If you want to start an activity after several activities performed in parallel, add an activity group. For example, if you have several maintenance activities that can be performed at the same time, you may want to print a related report after all of the maintenance activities are completed. Any activities indented one level beneath an activity group will be routed after ALL the activities above the group (at the same level of the group) are completed.
Select this pushbutton to activate the New dialog box. Use this dialog box to add a new activity, activity with options, option, or activity group to the sequence of routing for the workflow. The new item will be added to the Activities list box.
Select this pushbutton to delete the selected item in the Activities list box. The Delete pushbutton will remove the selected item and all items that follow it from the sequence of activities in the workflow and all related in-progress data. The items will be removed from the Activities list box. The Delete pushbutton will be unavailable if there are no items in the Activities list box.
Select this pushbutton to move the selected item (and all items that follow it) in the Activities list box to the left. This will change the sequence of activity routing. This pushbutton will be unavailable if there are no items in the activities list box. It will also be unavailable if the selected item is an activity leftmost in the list box, is an option, or is an activity group; otherwise, this pushbutton will be active.
Select this pushbutton to move the selected item (and all items that follow it) in the Activities list box to the right. This will change the sequence of activity routing. This pushbutton will be unavailable if there are no items in the Activities list box. It will also be unavailable if the selected item either is an activity rightmost or topmost in a list box level, is an option, or is an activity group; otherwise, this pushbutton will be active.
Select this pushbutton to move the selected item (and all items that follow it) up in the Activities list box. This will change the sequence of activity routing. This pushbutton will be unavailable if there are no items in the activities list box. It will also be unavailable if the selected item is the topmost activity in a list box level, is an option, or is an activity group; otherwise, it will be active.
Select this pushbutton to move the selected item down (and all items that follow it) in the Activities list box. This will change the sequence of activity routing. This pushbutton will be unavailable if there are no items in the activities list box. It will also be unavailable if the selected item is the lowest activity in a list box level, is an option, or is an activity group; otherwise, it will be active.
Use this pushbutton to open the Case subtask, where you can define case labels to identify the workflow.
Use this pushbutton to open the Activity subtask, where you can define detail activity information. You can schedule a Costpoint function or Windows executable to launch when the activity starts, and define the routings (to activity inboxes or e-mail) that take place when the activity starts or when the activity is completed. The Activity pushbutton will be active when the selected item in the Activities list box is an activity (no options); otherwise, it will be inactive.
Select this pushbutton to open the Activity With Options subtask, where you can define detail activity information. You can define the routings (to activity inboxes or e-mail) that take place when the activity starts or when it is completed. The Activity w/Options pushbutton will be active when the selected item in the Activities list box is an activity with options; otherwise, it will be inactive.
Select this pushbutton to open the Option subtask, where you can define detail option information, including a Costpoint function or Windows executable to launch when the activity starts. The Option pushbutton will be active when the selected item in the Activities list box is an option; otherwise, it will be inactive.
Changes to this screen update the following tables:
WFMFLOW WF_WORKFLOW
WF_ACTIVITY
WF_WORKFLOW_CASE
WF_ACTIVITY_STRUC
WF_ACTIVITY_OPT
WF_MSG_ROUTE