MANAGE WORKFLOW MODELS

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 Activities Structure block provides a graphical user interface that enables you to visualize activities that occur in parallel, in groups, with options, or simply one after another. This screen also has a number of subtasks where you can enter detail information.

By defining a workflow model, you can initiate and maintain workflow cases, route new activities to activity inboxes and email, route completed activities to message inboxes or email, and audit the start and completion of activities.

After you have completed your entries, click on the toolbar.

You must first use the following screens to enter information before you set up this screen:

• Manage Workflow Case Labels

• Manage Workflow Role Filters

• Manage Workflow Roles

Use caution in the timing of your edits because any modifications may affect in-progress workflows.

After you have defined an active workflow, you can initiate a case of the workflow using the Manage Workflow Cases screen.

Location

Identification

Use the fields and options in this box to specify the name, type, and other details for this workflow.

You can use to view all available workflows in Costpoint.

Workflow Name

Use this field to enter a name for this workflow model.

Type

This field displays the relevant workflow types for this workflow. Workflow types include the following:

• Costpoint Triggers — This type of workflow type is Deltek-defined and is initiated automatically occurs in a Costpoint function. For example, when a requisition approval is necessary, an STD - Requisition Approval workflow is initiated.

If a workflow is a Costpoint Triggers type, you cannot change the name of the workflow.

• Deltek-Defined — This type of workflow is predefined by Costpoint and ready for use. You need only to assign roles and user IDs for routing. Several of the predefined workflows already have roles associated with them. Because activities can be deleted, added, or changed, you can customize predefined workflows to fit your needs.

• User-Defined — This type of workflow is set up by users.

Domain

Use this drop-down box to select a valid Costpoint domain most commonly used for the activities of this workflow. The following options are available:

• Accounting

• Materials

• Others

• People

• Projects

Active

Select this check box to indicate whether this workflow is active. If you select this check box, users will be able to initiate cases, start activities, and complete activities. If you leave this check box cleared, users will not be able to perform any in-progress actions.

We recommend that you do not select this check box until you finish defining the workflow.

Activities Structure

This block displays the flow of activities defined for this workflow. You can add items by clicking the Add Activity subtask. You can modify the name of the item using the Activity, Activity With 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 the item. 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 on the Monitor Workflow Status screen.) When a workflow is in-progress, the workflow engine will route the indented activity to the inbox (and email, 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.

This block 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 want to route one activity, but also want to give the user a choice of starting or completing that activity, add an activity with options and the options related to it. For example, you can have a Review Timesheet activity with two options: Approve Timesheet and Reject Timesheet. The workflow will route the activity with options to the activity inbox (and email, 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.

You can add a sequence number as part of the activity name. This helps you understand the sequence of the activities. Adding sequence numbers is optional.

Activities

This table window displays all the current activities associated with this workflow model.

Activity Name

This field displays the activity associated with this workflow model. You can modify the data in this field.

Type

This field displays the activity type that you selected using the Add Activity subtask.

Delete

Select an activity from the table window and click this button to delete the selected activity. Clicking this button removes 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 are removed from the Activities Structure block. This button is unavailable if there are no items in the Activities Structure block.

Subtasks

• Table Information

  Changes to this screen update the following tables:

  • WF_ACTIVITY

  • WF_ACTIVITY_OPT

  • WF_ACTIVITY_STRUC

  • WF_MSG_ROUTE

  • WF_WORKFLOW

  • WF_WORKFLOW_CASE