Workflow rules and behaviour

  • Duration of Workflows is flexible and you can change it by rescheduling, if permitted
  • Content Manager re-calculates Workflow due date and time when
    • an estimated duration changes
    • a user adds or removes an Activity
  • An Activity should not be assigned to a Group with the Activity Properties - Option tab option Automatically complete once started selected.

    If you need to select the option, the Activity should be assigned to a Supervisor.

  • Content Manager is designed to have only one last activity for each Workflow, otherwise an error message will display and a pseudo last activity will be created to make the Workflow valid. In terms of rollback functionality, you can only rollback to an activity's predecessor activities. If you design rollback steps correctly, there is no need to create a pseudo activity.
  • Workflow due date and time by default is (date/time registered) + (estimated duration of Activities)
  • Activity due date and time by default is:
    • if the Activity is the last Activity in the Workflow, the Workflow due date
    • if it is not last, the Workflow due date minus the combined estimated duration of all Activities after the current one
    • if it is followed by a branched set of Activities, the Workflow due date minus the greatest estimated combined duration of all Activities in a possible path following the current Activity
  • Latest start date and time - the latest time an Activity can be started.

    Calculated by subtracting the Activity's estimated duration from its own due date and time.

  • Earliest start date and time - earliest possible time an Activity can be started
    • Content Manager calculates this time dynamically throughout the Workflow until it is startable or started
    • If it is the first Activity, it is the Workflow scheduled start date and time if there is one; otherwise, it is the Workflow registered date and time
    • If the Activity is preceded by a single not completed Activity, it is the due date of that Activity
    • If the Activity is preceded by a single completed Activity, it is the date completed of that Activity
    • If the Activity is preceded by more than one Activity, where none are complete
      • and all the start conditions are required, it is the latest due date of all the Activities
      • and all the start conditions are optional, it is the earliest due date of all the Activities
      • and the start conditions are a mix of required and optional, it is the latest due date of all the Activities with required start conditions
    • If the Activity is preceded by more than one Activity, where all are complete
      • and all the start conditions are required, it is the latest date completed of all the Activities
      • and all the start conditions are optional, it is the earliest date completed of all the Activities
      • and the start conditions are a mix of required and optional, it is the latest date completed of all the Activities with required start conditions
    • If the Activity is preceded by more than one Activity, where some are complete
      • and all the start conditions are required, it is the latest due date of all the Activities
      • and all the start conditions are optional, it is the earliest date completed of all the Activities
      • and the start conditions are a mix of required and optional, it is the latest due date of all the Activities with required start conditions or the latest date completed if all Activities with required start conditions have been completed

    NOTE: Content Manager calculates all durations based on the business hours set in Administration - System Options - Workflow page.

Each escalation has the following values:

  • Escalation To - a Location
  • Wait Duration - a duration
  • Time to escalate - a date/time
    • The first escalation's time to escalate is equal to:

      The Activity's earliest start time + the Activity's estimated duration + the Activity's first wait duration

    • The second escalation's time to escalate is equal to:

      The first escalation's time to escalate + the second escalation's wait duration

    • The third escalation's time to escalate is equal to:

      The second escalation's time to escalate + the third escalation's wait duration etc.

  • If the first Activity is unassigned:

    • If it has a Supervisor:
      • The Activity is assigned to the Supervisor
      • The Supervisor field is set to blank
    • If it does not have a Supervisor, but the Workflow does have one:
      • The Activity is assigned to the Workflow Supervisor
      • The Activity Supervisor field is set to blank
    • If there is no Workflow or Activity Supervisor:
      • The Activity is assigned to the current user