Adding Steps and Routes to a Template

The step-building and routing processes take place on the Steps panel of the Workflow Template Record page. To add a new step, select the Add Step action. To edit an existing step, click the step name link. Once you've created a step, routing links appear with it. A step can not be deleted once it has been used in a workflow record.

Steps

Workflow divides multi-part tasks into steps and actions. A step is a group of actions that are generally all performed by the same person. Some workflow templates include just one step, and some include multiple steps—it depends on the nature of the task that the template is used for. Templates are set up so that certain conditions, or rules, must be met before you can complete a step and move to the next step or close the workflow.

To create a Step, select the Add Step action on the Steps panel of the Workflow Template Record page. To edit an existing step, click the link for that step. Complete fields on the Edit Step page as required. You can also access the Edit Step page by double clicking on the Step on the Flowchart panel.

Edit Step Page

The Edit Step dialog page provides fields for entering basic information about the step, including its name, due date, applications, and other options.

Step Name

Type a short but meaningful name for the step. This field is limited to 50 characters.

Relative Due Date

Enter the relative due date for the step. This is the amount of time after the step was queued in which it is to be completed. Type a number in this field and define this as a number of hours or days by selecting the Day or Hour option. When this workflow step is launched, IQ adds this amount of time to the current date, calculates the due date, and enters this information in the Step Due field for the step. A system configuration setting lets you select business or calendar days for calculating the relative due date. This setting affects the date that is automatically entered in the Step Due field.  If you do not want a relative due date entered for the step, type 0 (zero) in this field.

Allow Reassign

This checkbox lets you restrict the ability to reassign the workflow to another user for the current step. If this checkbox is selected, the Reassign action will appear for this step for the workflow owner and template managers. If this checkbox is not checked, the Reassign action only appears for template managers. Template managers are selected in the Managers section on the General panel of the workflow template record.

Reassign Document Requirements

This setting allows you to select the requirements for reassigning a workflow that has documents associated with it. The default is No Restriction on Document Status, which allows workflows created by this template to be reassigned regardless of the document status. The other options are All Documents Must be Checked In and Workflow Owner's Documents Must be Checked In.

Display Record Page Tabs

Check boxes in this section let you select which record tabs should appear for this Step in workflow records that are created with this workflow template.

Only Managers May

Check boxes in this section let you limit functions within a step to the workflow manager only. When you limit a function to the manager, no one else, including the author, owner, or queued-to users, can perform the function. The following functions can be restricted for the workflow: Change the Comments, Change the Due Date, Change the Open Date, Change the Priority, Change the Status, Change the WF Codes, and Attach Files. You can also restrict the following Step functions: Changing the Step Due and Remind Date, Attach People to Workflow and Detach People from Workflow.

Step Applications

Applications let you define what actions can be performed within this step. All steps have the ability to Attach People, Add Step Notes, Set Remind/Due Dates, and Release Ownership. Additional applications available for a step are determined by template defaults or selections you make with the Add applications to this step link. Select as many additional applications as are necessary for staff to successfully complete this step by clicking the Add applications to this step link and selecting the check box next to each application. Click the Save button at the bottom of the Step Applications page to save your selections and return to the Edit Step page.

Once you've selected applications, they appear on the Edit Step page with a check box next to each for acquiring ownership. At least one application must cause a user to acquire ownership of the workflow. Select the Acquire Ownership check box next to as many options as desired. Applications appear as actions on the various panels of the Workflow Record page.

The Add New button on the Step Applications dialog lets you create new applications, including those that link to IQ or Internet pages. Enter information in fields on the Edit Workflow Application page. For a link to an Internet page, enter the complete address in the Command Line field (for example, http HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is the protocol used to transfer data over the World Wide Web, which is why all Web site addresses begin with "http://".://www.ssa.gov). You can also create other custom applications, for example to launch a specific subworkflow and, if desired, keep it open for processing. Your IT Consultant can assist you with setting up specific step applications that you need for a workflow template.

Once you've created a new application, it appears on the Step Applications page where you can select it for the workflow step.

Data Field Rules

Select the appropriate option, Display Only, Editable, or Hidden for each data field. These rules let you restrict viewing and editing information in data fields for specific workflow steps. If you want to limit access to a data field for the entire workflow process, you must restrict the field in every step.

Display Only – If you identify a field as Display Only, all users except the workflow manager(s) can view but not change the field. Workflow managers can edit a Display Only field.

Editable – If you identify a field as Editable, all users can view and edit the field.

Hidden – If you identify a field as Hidden, no users, including workflow manager(s), can see this field.

Note that the Display Only and Hidden limitations on data fields are designed for multi-step workflows, to allow a data field to be seen or edited in one step but not in another. If you identify a data field as Display Only in a single-step workflow, you'll be unable to enter any data field data for the workflow. If you identify it as Hidden, you'll never see it.

Step Instructions

By entering information in this field, you can provide instructions on completing the step. These instructions can be simple or quite detailed. You might want to include a list of all remaining steps in the workflow or other information that would help the user understand the process and complete his or her part of it. All HTML Hypertext Markup Language. The coding language used to create Web pages. HTML commands cover many types of text formatting and also have the ability to include graphics and other nontext elements. features are available to control formatting.

These instructions are available to the user by selecting the Step Help action for the step on the Workflow Record page. The step instructions appear in a Help dialog box when this action is selected.

Step instructions are entered in a text-entry field, which means you can type and delete text in this field just as in a word processor. You can spell-check text entered into this field by clicking the spell checker button next to the field.

Step Initialization

When you enter a program name or WML in this field, Quorum automatically runs a program or enters data when a step is opened. For example, if you would like to use Calendar Days to calculate the Due Date for workflows that are created from this template and your IQ System Configuration Setting for Use Business Days to Compute Due Dates is set to Yes, you can enter WORKFLOWDUEDATE:SYSDATE+14C in this field. This WML syntax tells IQ to use 14 Calendar Days to calculate the workflow due date instead of Business Days, when the workflow is initially created. You can also use WML to automatically close workflow records which have been open for a specified period of time. When the workflow enters the step which contains the WML, a background job is created to close the workflow at the computed date and time. Contact your IT Consultant for assistance with using these or other WML syntax, existing step initialization programs or creating new programs to address a specific need in your organization.

Step Save

When you enter a program name in this field, it is automatically run when the Step is completed or saved. Your IT Consultant can assist you with using existing step save programs or creating new programs to address a specific need in your organization.

Routes

Routing lets you assign the next step of a workflow to an individual or a group by queuing it to that user or the users in the group. When you complete a step, the Route Workflow dialog page appears with all available routes, sorted by the sort order and route condition. The selected route is determined by your default rule, which is displayed with an asterisk next to it. When adding a new Route, it will become the default Route in the absence of an existing Route and will not become the default if another Route is already marked as the default. To bypass the Route Workflow page, you can set up an auto route that will route the workflow automatically without any user intervention.

Routing is usually a forward movement in a workflow template; however, you can create backward routing if certain conditions are met or not met.

Routing Rules

To create a route, click the Add link that appears below the step on the Steps panel of the Workflow Template record. Complete fields on the Edit Route dialog page to tell IQ how to route a step from one individual to another. Click the Save button at the bottom of the dialog page to save the routing information to the step.

Edit Route Fields

Route Condition – the condition that must be met in order for the step to be routed. You can use phrases such as Completed, Approved, or OK for forward routing or Failed or Re-write when route is a backward movement.

Closed Status – can match the Route Condition or it may be a simpler term. When you complete a step, the closed status appears in the step information on the General and Step panels of the workflow record.

Next Step – identifies the step that follows when the current step is completed. Click in this field and select the step to route to. If you're working on the last step, select COMPLETE. In order for other steps to appear for selection in this field, you must create them first.

Sort Order – use this field to control the order in which the routes will appear in the Route Workflow dialog. Note: if more than one route contains the same Sort Order number (i.e. 1), then those routes will be sorted alphabetical.

Default Route – is used when there is more than one routing rule for a step. Select Yes to identify the default route. If another route was previously identified as the default route, the Default Route field in that route is changed to No. When routing a workflow, if you complete a step that routes to multiple steps, all possible routing rules appear. The option button next to the default route will be selected.

Workflow Close Status – click in this field and select a workflow close status from the list that appears.

Workflow Close Program – enter a program name in this field that is automatically run when the workflow is closed. Your IT Consultant can assist you with using existing workflow close programs or creating new programs to address a specific need in your organization.

Route To – identifies which users the workflow will be routed to when this step is completed. Those names will appear in the User or Group field on the Route Workflow dialog box. You can add or remove to those names or groups when you complete a step and route the workflow.

To select users, type the name in the Users field or click the lookup icon and select a user name from the list that appears. Click the Add button to add that user to the Selected listing. Click the Save button to route the step to all selected users.

To select groups of users, type the group name in the Groups field or click the lookup icon and select the group from the list that appears. Click the Add button to add that group to the Selected listing. Click the Save button to route the step to all users in selected groups.

At Least One Workflow Code Required – lets you require the entry of at least one workflow code before the workflow can be routed to the next step. Click in this field and select Yes to require a code.

Data Fields Required – lets you require that the user complete these fields before the workflow can be routed to the next step. Fields that can require data include Data Fields and the Comments and Due Date fields. When fields require data, you are unable to route the workflow to the next step if the fields are empty. Note that if data field rules limit editing or viewing a required field, restricted users will be unable to complete the fields and therefore unable to route the step.

When you complete a step, the Route Workflow dialog box indicates which fields are missing data.

Document Requirements  –  lets you indicate how IQ should react when a user attempts to complete a workflow step when they have documents checked out.  This may be set to All Documents Must be Checked In (the default setting),  Workflow Owner's Documents Must be Checked In (this allows others with checked out documents to keep working) or No Restriction on Document Status.

Auto Routing

Auto routing is a powerful feature that lets you bypass the Route Workflow page and route a workflow directly to specific users or groups when a step is completed. Because auto routing uses routes established for the step, you should configure all routes for the step before defining an auto route.

For more information on the many capabilities that auto routing provides, or for assistance with setting up auto routes, please contact your IT Consultant.

To create an auto route, click the Add link that appears for the step on the Steps panel of the Workflow Template Record page. Complete fields on the Edit Auto Route page to tell IQ how to automatically route a workflow when the step is completed. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save the routing information to the step.

Edit Auto Route Page

Automatically Route to – Click in this field and select the route to be taken if auto route conditions are met.

Queue To User – Type, in double quotes, the names of users to whom the step is to be routed in place of those in the Route To field of the routing rule. Leave this field blank to route to the routing rule users. Use a plus sign to queue to multiple users ("John Smith"+"Mary Jones").

Queue To Group – Type, in double quotes, the names of groups to whom the step is to be routed in place of those in the Route To field of the routing rule. Leave this field blank to route to the routing rule groups. Use a plus sign to queue to multiple groups ("ADMIN"+"SEC").

Auto Route Condition(s) – Click the Add New Auto Route Condition link to define the conditions to be met in order for the auto routing to take place. On the Auto Route Condition page, set the route details as you would set the rule details for auto rules.