Settings for Standard Workflow Steps

For the Create step

You can rename the Create step to something else if you want.

You can place only outgoing links on the Create step.

You can attach only action forms to the Create step.

You cannot send a link back to the Create step. If the workflow requires that a form be sent back to the creator (Create step), add a separate "back step" or "revision step" that will send the form back to the creator.

You cannot "Cc" users on the Create step.

A workflow cannot send a link back to the Create step. If the workflow requires that a form be sent back to the creator (Create step), the workflow design should include a separate "back step" or "revision step" that will send the form back to the creator. If your workflow includes such a "back step," specify match step <Creation> for the Assignees on that step.

For the End step

You cannot rename the End step.

You can place only incoming links on the End step

You can attach either an action form or a view form to the End step.

You can "Cc" users on the End step.

You can send the form to the editors who have been assigned to the form.

You can add comments to a business process at the End step, and also at any status in a workflow, including "terminated.".

Step Name

You can click the link to view a graphical representation of the workflow, with the current step highlighted. Be aware that workflows can often be very large. If you are viewing a large workflow, you can enlarge the canvas screen to make it easier to see all the steps to the workflow progression.

To enlarge the canvas, you can drag the window sides until the workflow fits in the window, or you can quickly maximize the canvas. To maximize the canvas, click the icon in the upper-right corner of the window. To restore the canvas window to its normal size, click the Restore icon.

Description

Enter an optional description to help identify the workflow.

Duration

Choose the time length for this step.

Override Task Due Date

Allows user to override due date for an individual task.

Allow Decline Step Task

Click Yes if you want the assignees to have the ability to decline an action on an assigned task.

Enable Step for Integration

Click the radio button if you want this step to be available for integration with an external system, such as Web Services. If you make the step available for integration, the user can use the external system to view a read-only copy of the BP at that step.

Note: If you select this option, the Completion Policy field (see below) will be set to "Single," and the Assignment Policy field for the following step must be set to "Preassigned."

Assignment Policy

For User Select (default), the individual who creates a record (such as an invoice) from this workflow instance can choose the users to assign to this task from the list of assignees for this step. For Preassigned, every user on the assignee list is automatically assigned to the step when the record is created.

Assignees

Select the users to assign to this step. These users will receive task notifications, instructing them to take action at this step. When you click the Select button, you can choose one these options:

User Picker: Unifier displays the User/Group Picker window. Choose one or more users or groups to add as assignees.

Dynamic: Choose a step in the workflow from the Select Step pop-up window. The assignees from that step become the assignees used on this step. You cannot choose Dynamic when adding assignees to the first step (Creation) in the workflow.

You can constrain the list of assignees for this step by selecting the Additional conditions to filter assignees check box. To constrain the list of assignees, you need to create a query to filter the assignees using criteria you specify. To do this, click the Define button and specify a field comparison. For information on creating this type of query, use the information in the Queries section to complete the query.

The filter conditions defined are used, as AND/OR, depending on the checkbox: Show results matching any condition (instead of All)

Allow Cc

Allows assignees to add cc users who will receive a view-only copy of the BP record. Choose one of the options:

No: Does not allow sending copies to other users.

Yes: Click Select to create the list of users or groups from whom the BP users can choose to Cc. (This option also activates the Allow Add Cc functionality.)

Preassigned: Click Select to choose the users who will be automatically cc’d. No other users can be copied.

Preassigned and Allow Add Cc: Click Select to choose the users who will be automatically cc’d. The Allow Add Cc option is set to Yes.

Note: You cannot allow Ccs on the Create step.

You can constrain the list of Cc users for this step by selecting the Additional conditions to filter Cc users checkbox. To constrain the list of Cc users, you need to create a query to filter the Cc users using criteria you specify. To do this, click the Define button and specify a field comparison. For information on creating this type of query, use the information in the Queries section to complete the query.

The filter conditions defined are used, as AND/OR, depending on the checkbox: Show results matching any condition (instead of All)

Allow Add Assignees

Allows assignees to add additional assignees in addition to those defined in the Assignees field to the current step. Assignees can add the additional assignees before accepting the task. This is done by clicking the Edit menu and choosing Add Assignees to Current Step.

For example, user A has been sent a BP for review. User A wishes to add user B as an assignee to the review step as well. Before clicking Accept Task, user A chooses Edit > Add Assignees to Current Step and adds user B. User B is notified (depending on email preferences) of the new task. Both user A and user B can accept the task and participate in the review step of the workflow.

Note: You cannot add assignees on the Create step.

Allow Add Cc

This option has two functions:

1. When the Allow Cc field is set to Preassigned and Allow Add Cc, this option is set to Yes automatically. It enables BP users at runtime to copy additional users on a BP step that already has a preassigned cc user. This is done on the action form of the BP during the regular workflow step by selecting the Cc button. Click Select and choose the users/ or groups that can be copied.

2. This option becomes available (choose Yes or No) if Allow Cc is set to Yes. Similar to Allow Add Assignees, this option allows assignees to send a copy of the current step of the BP to additional users in addition to those defined in the Add Cc field. Assignees can add the additional cc users before accepting the task. This is done by clicking the Edit menu and choosing Copy Users to Current Step.

For example, user A has been sent a BP for review. User A wishes to add user B as an assignee to the review step as well. Before clicking Accept Task, user A chooses Edit > Add Assignees to Current Step and adds user B. User B is notified (depending on email preferences) of the new task. User A can accept the task and participate in the review step of the workflow. User B can review the view-only copy.

Note: You cannot add Ccs on the Create step.

Step Editors

Optionally, you can define one or more editors per each defined step in the business process workflow setup. Editors are users who can edit the business process without being granted explicit record-level permission or as assignees of the step. This allows users other than the assignee to edit the business process record. If you are an Editor on a business process step, you can open and edit any record on the step.

Editors can be added on these BP types:

Line Item

Cost (all types, including Lease and Line Item with Multiple Codes)

Document

Simple

RFB

Text

The Editor functionality has these attributes:

The user who is designated as an editor must have a minimum of View User Records to the BP log in question.

All edits are done through the BP Log.

Editors cannot edit a workflow record until the task assignee accepts the task, and saves the draft.

Editors cannot be defined on the creation step of a business process.

Editors can be defined on the end step.

Editors can be defined on a workflow step only if the Completion Policy is Single. (Unifier will generate an error if Completion Policy is set to All Majority or Consensus.)

Editor on a task receive notification each time a draft is created.

If multiple editors and the assignee are editing the business process record draft, the data saved by the last update will overwrite all previous updates.

Edits performed on the End step of a workflow business process affect the record directly, as no draft exists.

Edits that occur on the end step are captured in the audit listing the editor who performed the edit.

Edits performed by record editors appear in the Audit log.

Note: You cannot assign editors on the Create step.

Discussion Group (Classic View only)

Specify assignees for discussion groups on the BP.

Note: You cannot assign discussion groups on the Create step.

Step Revisiting

If a step is rejected and sent back for clarification or editing, this option determines to whom the BP can be sent back (which assignees will be available for selection):

Include only previous action takers: Only the assignee users who were selected when the workflow moved into that step originally are eligible to be reselected.

Include all step assignees: All assignee users are eligible to be selected.

Note: You cannot specify step revisiting on the Create step.

Completion Policy

Choose one of the following:

Single: If any assignee completes the task, no matter which action is taken, the record moves forward to the next step.

All-Majority: All assignees are required to respond. If there is no clear majority, Unifier uses the resolving action to determine what path through the workflow to take.

All-Consensus: All assignees are required to respond. If there is no consensus (all must agree on the action), Unifier uses the resolving action to determine what path through the workflow to take.

Note: You cannot assign a completion policy on the Create step.

Advance workflow when next step is determined

Select this option if you want to allow the user to choose that a step be completed without all assignees having to act on it, if the result can be determined without the assignee action. This is to prevent unnecessarily wait for all users to take action on the record before moving it to next step.

Note: If you select the Completion Policy as "All - Majority" or "All - Consensus", then Unifier enables this checkbox. The checkbox is unchecked by default.

Resolving Action

This moves the step to either a following step, a previous step, or a conditional step that essentially "re-addresses" the task. This step must be completed before the workflow can continue. The assignees on this resolving action step can include the original task assignees and can also include new assignees.

Note: You cannot assign a resolving action on the Create step.

Overdue Policy

You can choose to send late notifications to all assignees if the step passes its duration.

Note: You cannot assign an overdue policy on the Create step.

Commenting

You may select either of these options regarding commenting. These refer to the general comments on BP forms, as well as comments regarding individual file attachments on document-type BPs.

Allow hiding of comments: Allows users to hide comments. The comments will remain as part of the record, and administrators and others with permissions can view the comments, which are not visible to others without the view permission.

Allow deletion of comments: Allows users with permission to delete comments previously added to the BP record.

Allow cc users to add general comments: Allows users copied on a step to add general comments without accepting the task. Not available on the end step.

Notes:

- You cannot include comments on the Create step.

- Task assignees can also add general comments without accepting the task if they have been given the Add General Comments permission on the business process. With this permission, they can add a general comment to any BP record they can view (workflow or non-workflow), regardless of the workflow step (including the End step), and regardless of the assignee or Cc settings. For more information on this permission, refer to the Permissions chapter in the Unifier Reference Guide.

Email Response: Enable response via email

By default, this checkbox is unchecked. When enabled, this allows users who receive email that is sent out when a workflow reaches the current step to respond and take actions in Unifier via email. The checkbox appears on all workflow steps other than the creation step. The email that the user receives includes hyperlinks to workflow actions.

When you are taking an action in a Workflow by way of email, if you include attachments, the attachments can be seen under the General Comments section of the BP record.

Notes:

- You cannot enable email response on the Create step.

- To enable the attachment of files to email responses to workflow actions, this option must be selected as well as the Add Attachments option on the Options tab in the Action Form design in uDesigner.

Email Attachments:

Include both record and line item attachments

Include record information as attachment

Select to specify the content and format of email attachments. You can include business process record and line item attachments, as well as business process record information. Also, you can override the attachment format set in the General tab if necessary.

Note: You cannot enable email attachments on the Create step.

Override default format

If you have specified a default record format on the General tab, you can use this check box to override the default format. For example, you can use the General tab to specify that the default record format for both email notifications and records saved in the Document Manager be in PDF format. If necessary, you could then use the Override default format check box to override the format and choose Custom for the notification only.

Note: Hidden comments on a particular step in the Workflow and permission settings applied to certain data in the UI are retained in the custom print output.

Email Content

You can add additional information that will be sent out as part of task notification.

Note: You cannot add additional information on the Create step.

Cash Flow Default Template

This option only appears in CBS code-based Base Commit business processes. It allows you to enable the auto-creation of a commitment-level cash flow curve at runtime for the business process record. The curve is based on the selected commitment-level cash flow template, and is created upon being sent from the step.

Click Add and choose a template.

For more information, see Setting Up Auto-Creation of Cash Flow Curves from Contracts.

Additional Information

Save Record information to Document Manager

Select this check box if the record information (including BP comments and attachments) should be automatically saved at this step in the Document Manager.