Business processes (BPs) manage the flow of information, drive transactions and collaboration, and can be associated with specific projects or applicable to the entire company. For details on how to develop a new business process (BP), refer to the Unifier uDesigner User Guide.
The Project Controls base product has a suite of pre-defined BPs. In general, a BP consists of forms, workflows, and logs.
Forms
Forms are electronic versions of paper forms, used to enter or review data and to respond to tasks. Most BP forms consist of three major sections:
- Header or upper form: Present in all BP types
- Action (or task) details: Present only in workflow BPs
- Form content or lower form: Changes based on BP type and design
Workflows
Workflows define the routing and behavior that represents an organization's decision-making process.
A BP workflow specifies how the BP should proceed (from start to finish) and consist of steps connected by links:
- Step: Each step is associated with one or two forms that govern step behavior.
- Link: Connects steps in a business process. It defines record routing and status, based on the design of the workflow. (A record is an instance of a business process after it is routed from the creation step to the next workflow step.)
When you participate in a BP workflow, you are taking action on the form (for example, reviewing and approving an invoice, or responding to a request for information). Depending upon the workflow setup, you may choose the next recipient of the BP in the workflow, or this may be automatically selected for you. When you send the BP to the next step, it proceeds along the workflow and records each action taken at each step.
Logs
BPs are stored in Logs, accessible through the Navigator. You can think of Logs as a filing cabinet with multiple drawers. Each BP (drawer) listed under Logs has its own log which displays (on the right-hand pane) a list of records (instances or forms) for that particular BP. To access an existing record within a particular BP you need permission. This applies to the records that you have created and the records that other users have created.By default, you can access the records that you have created. If you have been included in the workflow of a record (recipient, assignee, copied, etc.), you can access that record, as well.
The following are the common BP types:
- Simple: Add company or project information that does not require line items. For example, project information, vendors, and service requests.
- Line item: Use to document miscellaneous information for a project or company. For example, use a meeting minutes business process to capture the minutes of all team meetings, with each line item generating an action item for a team member.
- Document: Route documents for review. Document business process is an extension of the line item type; its line items display file attachments. Examples are submittals and transmittals.
- Text: Enter comments and view an audit trail of communication between workflow participants. For example, action items, Request for Information (RFI), and issue resolution BPs.
Workflow and non-workflow business processes
A business process type can include a workflow or several workflows. A workflow business process represents a set of coordinated tasks and activities that accomplish a specific business goal. For example, a workflow BP is used to create a contract and then manage changes to the contract, such as approvals for increases in labor costs and materials.
Some BP types have a single purpose of storing data. These BP types are often data entry forms designed to enter information directly into Unifier and are referred to as non-workflow business processes. A non-workflow business process is used to manage data. For example, a non-workflow business process is used to store information about vendors (Vendors BP).
Since there is no workflow, non-workflow BPs do not contain the middle Action (or Task) Details section.
There are several ways to create a non-workflow BP record after all required fields have been completed:
- Click Finish Editing
- Click Save (This does not create a draft, as seen in a workflow business processes.)
- Add a line item
- Add general comments
Business process (BP) record
A BP record is created when a form in the workflow is sent to the next person, generating a task.
Creating a new BP record typically involves the following steps:
- Click New
- Complete the form
- Select Workflow Action
- Assign recipients
- Click Send
You can create a BP record and generate a task in these areas:
- Business process logs
- Tasks log
- Master Log in the Home tab
- Document Manager
Responding to Tasks
These are the typical steps in working with tasks:
- Review the task before accepting it
- Respond to the task
- Route the record to the next workflow step
Each workflow step, except Creation and End, has two phases: Review and Response, separated by the Accept Task action.
The Review phase displays a read-only view form. Examine the entire view form to:
- Understand how the task came to the recipient
- Decide to accept or decline the task
- Identify pre-work needed to complete the task
- Prioritize work
The Response phase presents an active action form:
- Accept the task
- Enter data
- Select the appropriate workflow action
- Add task and message recipients
- Attach files, and possibly linking other records or mail
- Add comments or notes
- Send the record to the next step
When routing a section:
- Select Workflow Action
- Assign recipients
- Click Send
Routing to the End Step
The End step denotes the end of a workflow. If the End step is a view form, you cannot take action -- all forms are read-only.
An End step can also be associated with an action form where some fields are editable.