Workflow
The Workflow module enables users to automate and track the routing of a business process in an organisation. It must be selected in the System Options Features page.
Users can set up Workflow projects and then attach records to the Workflow.
For example, you may want to automate and track the process of acting upon and replying to a complaint letter:
- The organisation receives the letter and someone checks it in to Content Manager, creating a record with a scanned document attached.
- Once checked in, the letter goes to Person 1 who is responsible for action upon it.
Person 1 drafts a reply letter (Activity 1).
- The draft reply is then passed to the Supervisor of Person 1 to approve or decline it (approval of Activity 1).
If declined, the reply is passed back to Person 1 (still Activity 1).
- Person 1 then re-drafts the reply (Activity 1 still) and passes it back to their supervisor (approval of Activity 1 again).
This time, the Supervisor approves it and passes it to Person 3, responsible for sending the reply.
- Person 3 sends out the reply letter, completing Activity 3.
You can create and use Workflows without ever attaching a record to them - for example, if there is no paperwork involved in the project.
Workflow operates in a different manner than Action tracking in that you attach records to a Workflow rather than attaching Actions and Procedures to a record.
Workflows can consist of:
- multiple streams of Activities within a Workflow
- Activity branches for decision-making
- rollback for correcting Activity streams
- multiple levels for Activity nesting
- to name just a few.
These features are not available in the Action tracking function.
Content Manager Workflow is Workflow-centric, compared with the record-centric model used in the Action tracking function.
In Content Manager Workflow, a record can be associated with one or more Workflows and a Workflow can involve any number of records.
Relationships between Workflow and records can be at the Workflow level or the individual Activity level.
There are two basic Workflow/record relationship types:
- Working document - this is the document that you are working on
- Reference document - this is a document you refer to - for example, instructions or a complaint letter.
- A Workflow can contain one or more Activities
- The flow of a Workflow is determined by start conditions and results of Activities
- An Activity cannot start until the criteria of its start conditions are met
- An Activity can have multiple start conditions and these can be set up as required or optional conditions
- Required means that an Activity cannot be started until all of its start conditions are met
- Optional means that an Activity can be started when only one or some of its start conditions are met
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